Knicks routed by surging Nuggets

NEW YORK — Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in another short night, and the Denver Nuggets reached .500 for the first time this season with a 114-89 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

The Nuggets opened 1-4 after reaching the Western Conference finals last season but have now answered with four wins in five games.

The last two were easy. The Nuggets pulled away from the seven-man 76ers in the third quarter and rested their starters in the fourth of a 115-103 victory Saturday. They jumped on the Knicks much earlier Sunday and it was never a game after halftime.

Julius Randle had 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Knicks, which the team said made him the only player other than Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to have at least 200 points, 115 rebounds and 70 assists in his team’s first 10 games of a season.

THUNDER 129, NETS 116: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lead Oklahoma City.

Gilgeous-Alexander was one of six players to finish in double-figure scoring for the Thunder. Hamidou Diallo finished with 25 points, Al Horford had 22, George Hill added 14, and Lugentz Dort and Isaiah Roby had 13 each.

Kevin Durant scored 36 points to lead Brooklyn, which lost its second straight. Caris LeVert added 21 points, Jarrett Allen had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 12.

CELTICS-HEAT POSTPONED:

Sunday’s game between Boston and Miami was postponed — not because the Celtics ruled out seven players because of the league’s health and safety protocols for playing during the coronavirus pandemic, but because of concerns of exposure within the Heat roster.