Jokic’s 4th triple-double leads Nuggets past Heat 103-99
MIAMI (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season, and his basket with 2.4 seconds left put the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets ahead to stay in their 103-99 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Jamal Murray had 18 points, Trey Lyles added 15, Paul Millsap had 12 and Torrey Craig finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets.
It was the 20th career triple-double for Jokic. He also became the second center to post one against the Heat, joining Vlade Divac — who did it for the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 8, 1995, exactly 24 years prior to Jokic.
Dion Waiters returned to the lineup and scored 15 points for Miami, which got 13 apiece from Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk, and 12 each from Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow.
TIMBERWOLVES 119, THUNDER 117
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Andrew Wiggins had a season-high 40 points and 10 rebounds, and the Timberwolves beat Oklahoma City in Ryan Saunders' first game as Minnesota's interim coach.
Saunders, just 32 years old, is the son of former Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders. The team fired Tom Thibodeau on Sunday.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points and Dario Saric added 15 for the Timberwolves.
Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook missed two 3-pointers in the closing seconds that would have given the Thunder the lead. He finished with 25 points and 16 assists.
Paul George scored 27 points and Steven Adams added 20 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City.
Thunder reserve center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after being hit by Wiggins' elbow on a dunk attempt. There was no immediate word on Noel's condition.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 43 points with seven 3-pointers, Stephen Curry had his first double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-best 14 assists, and the Warriors snapped a rare three-game home losing streak by beating the cold-shooting Knicks.
Kevin Durant added 24 points, six rebounds and six assists while Draymond Green had 11 rebounds and 10 of his team's 36 assists as the Warriors pulled away late in the first half to get back on a winning track at Oracle Arena.
Thompson hit 5 of his first 7 shots and had 12 points by the end of the first, finishing 18 of 29 from the floor — 7 for 16 from long range — and notching his second game with at least 40 points after going off for 52 at Chicago on Oct. 29.
Mario Hezonja scored 19 points for the Knicks, who shot 39.8 percent (35 of 88).
TORONTO (AP) — Serge Ibaka scored the winning basket with 17 seconds remaining and Toronto won its sixth straight home game.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points, Pascal Siakam had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Lowry scored 16 points as the Raptors earned their sixth consecutive win over the Hawks.
OG Anunoby scored 14 points and Ibaka had 13.
John Collins had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Jeremy Lin scored 20 points and Trae Young added 19 for the Hawks, who have lost four of five.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Thaddeus Young scored 26 points, Bojan Bogdanovic had 23 and Indiana held off Cleveland's comeback bid and handed the Cavaliers their 10th straight loss.
Cleveland has the worst record in the league at 8-33. The Cavaliers suffered another injury when forward Larry Nance hurt his right knee in the first quarter and didn't return.
Victor Oladipo had 17 points and Domantas Sabonis had 15 for the Pacers, who have won seven of eight.
Jordan Clarkson scored 26 points for Cleveland. Alec Burks scored 19 points, Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 13 rebounds and rookie point guard Collin Sexton scored 14.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lou Williams had 27 points and 10 assists, and the Clippers beat the Hornets for the ninth straight time at Staples Center.
Montrezl Harrell added 23 points and 11 rebounds, Tobias Harris had 23 and Danilo Gallinari 20 in the Clippers' third win a row overall.
The Hornets got within two early in the third before the Clippers took control for good. They closed the third on a 17-9 run, led by Harrell's eight straight points, to take an 86-77 lead into the fourth.
Los Angeles stretched its lead to 20 points in the fourth on Williams' basket after Gallinari's 3-pointer. Avery Bradley and Williams hit back-to-back 3-pointers that extended the lead to 121-98.
Malik Monk scored 19 of his 24 points in the fourth for the Hornets
76ERS 132, WIZARDS 115
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rookie Landry Shamet made eight 3-pointers and scored 29 points, both career-highs, and Joel Embiid had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Philadelphia to a rout of Washington.
Jimmy Butler added 20 points and Ben Simmons had 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the 76ers, who won their fourth straight and seventh of nine.
Bradley Beal scored 28 points for the Wizards.
Philadelphia improved to an NBA-best 18-3 at home.
PHOENIX (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr. matched his career high with 26 points, including a one-handed rebound jam with 11.1 seconds to play, and Phoenix snapped a six-game losing streak by rallying from a 21-point deficit to beat turnover-prone Sacramento.
Oubre, obtained in the trade that sent Trevor Ariza to Washington on Dec. 17, matched the 26 points he scored for the Wizards against Detroit on Jan. 19 of last year.
T.J. Warren added 21 points and Deandre Ayton had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who were without leading scorer Devin Booker due to back spasms.
De'Aaron Fox scored 24 and Ben McLemore 20 for the Kings, who committed a season-high 26 turnovers, 18 in the second half. Sacramento lost for the fifth time in six games.