SUNDAY’S NBA GAMES
Jokic, Nuggets top James-less Lakers
LOS ANGELES — Nikola Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds and six assists as Denver moved into fifth place in the West with a 129-118 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Anthony Davis had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the 11th-place Lakers, who were without Nbaleading scorer Lebron James (left ankle sprain) for the fourth time in six games. They lost their sixth in a row and 28th in 38 games since Jan. 7.
Will Barton scored 25 points and Aaron Gordon 24 for the Nuggets in their fourth win in five games. Russell Westbrook had 27 points and Carmelo Anthony 17 for Los Angeles.
■ Thunder 117, Suns 96: At Oklahoma City, Olivier Sarr had 24 points and Aleksej Pokuveski 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which overcame a 12-point first-half deficit. Phoenix, without top scorer Devin Booker (rest), missed 31 of 38 3-point tries.
■ Clippers 119, Pelicans 100: At Los Angeles, Marcus Morris Sr. scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which hit its first eight 3-point tries and finished 21-for-44 from beyond the arc while preventing New Orleans from clinching a playoff berth.
■ Spurs 113, Trail Blazers 92: At San Antonio, Bishop Gorman product Zach Collins had 18 points and 13 rebounds for his first NBA double-double for San Antonio, which lowered its magic number to clinching 10th place in the West to two.
■ Pistons 121, Pacers 117: At Indianapolis, Saddiq Bey scored 31 points for Detroit, which hit 21 of 41 3-point tries — including its first eight — in its third straight win. Indiana had a 58-38 edge in rebounds but lost its seventh in a row.
■ Mavericks 118, Bucks 112: At Milwaukee, Luka Doncic had 32 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for Dallas, which led by at least five points over the final 5:52. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points for Milwaukee.
■ Knicks 118, Magic 88: At Orlando, Fla., reserve Immanuel Quickley had 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for New York, which hit 12 of its first 13 shots in its 37-point third quarter and dealt Orlando its sixth straight loss.
■ Heat 114, Raptors 109: At Toronto, Max Strus scored all of his 23 points in the second half for Miami, which won its fourth straight and stayed two games ahead of Boston atop the East. Toronto had won five in a row.
■ Timberwolves 139, Rockets 132: At Houston, Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and Karl-anthony Towns 28 for Minnesota, which built a 25-point fourthquarter lead and handed Houston its fourth straight loss.
■ Warriors 109, Kings 90: At Sacramento, Calif., Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points and Jordan Poole 22 for Golden State, which won its second straight and eliminated Sacramento from playoff contention.
■ 76ers 112, Cavaliers 108: At Cleveland, Joel
Embiid had 44 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks and James Harden 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which clinched a playoff berth.
■ Celtics 144, Wizards 102: At Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum 22 for Boston in its 13th win in 16 games.