Nikola Jokic scored 35 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and dished out 17 assists in his fifth consecutive triple-double, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 132-123 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night in Denver.
Jokic, who was named an All-Star starter on Thursday, has recorded each of his triple-doubles before the end of the third quarter during this streak. He is the first player since 1996-97 to record five straight triple-doubles before the fourth quarter, and 14 of his league-leading 20 triple-doubles have come in that manner.
Christian Braun contributed 21 points, Michael Porter Jr. had 20, and Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray each added 18 points for the Nuggets, who have won four in a row.
For Sacramento, Domantas Sabonis posted 23 points and 19 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points, and De’Aaron Fox had 17 points. Sacramento’s record is now 10-3 under interim head coach Doug Christie.
Clippers 110, Wizards 93
James Harden posted his second triple-double of the season, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 110-93 win over the Washington Wizards, who have now lost 12 straight games.
Harden finished with 17 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds in his 83rd career triple-double. Norman Powell scored a team-high 22 points, Derrick Jones Jr. added 19, and Kawhi Leonard chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds.
Jordan Poole led Washington with 24 points and nine assists, while Bilal Coulibaly contributed 15 points. Alex Sarr had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Jonas Valanciunas posted 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucks 125, Heat 96
Damian Lillard fell one rebound short of a triple-double with 29 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 125-96 win over the Miami Heat.
Milwaukee overcame travel delays to win their fifth consecutive game. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points, and Gary Trent Jr. scored 21 points off the bench, all on three-pointers.
Without Jimmy Butler, who was suspended for two games, Kel’el Ware led Miami with 22 points, and Tyler Herro scored 21.
Raptors 122, Hawks 119
RJ Barrett hit a clutch 3-pointer with 2:51 left, giving the Toronto Raptors a 122-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 25 points, Bruce Brown added 18 points off the bench, and Chris Boucher and Jakob Poeltl each had 17 points. Toronto improved to 2-19 on the road with their fourth win in five games.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led Atlanta with 23 points, while Dyson Daniels scored 22 points and Onyeka Okongwu posted 19 points and 12 rebounds. Trae Young contributed 18 points and 13 assists as the Hawks lost their third consecutive game.
Lakers 117, Celtics 96
Anthony Davis scored 24 points with eight rebounds and three blocks, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a dominant 117-96 win over the Boston Celtics.
Austin Reaves added 23 points and six assists, and LeBron James had 20 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists for the Lakers, who won four of their last five games.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points with seven rebounds for the Celtics, who have split their last 10 games after starting the season with 26 wins in 35 games. Jaylen Brown posted 17 points and eight rebounds, and Jayson Tatum added 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Mavericks 121, Thunder 115
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points, and Kyrie Irving added 24 as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-115. The Thunder lost at home for the first time since Nov. 17, ending a 12-game win streak.
P.J. Washington contributed 22 points and 19 rebounds for Dallas, who shot 52.7 percent from the field. Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 14 points off the bench. Dallas finished the season 3-1 against Oklahoma City, who leads the Western Conference.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 33 points and seven assists, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points after a career-high 54 points in a home win over Utah on Wednesday.
Spurs 140, Pacers 110
Victor Wembanyama led the San Antonio Spurs to a 140-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Paris.
Wembanyama scored 30 points with 11 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks in a standout performance. Nine of his points, six of his rebounds, and four of his blocks came in the third quarter, where the Spurs outscored the Pacers 45-23.
Devin Vassell scored 25 points, Harrison Barnes added 20 points, and Jeremy Sochan posted 13 points and nine rebounds for San Antonio. The Spurs made 18 three-pointers and overcame 20 turnovers. Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin scored 24 points, and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and six assists.
Warriors 131, Bulls 106
Stephen Curry scored 21 points, and Quinten Post and Gui Santos recorded career-highs off the bench to help the Golden State Warriors defeat the Chicago Bulls 131-106 in San Francisco.
Post led the Warriors’ bench with 20 points in just his sixth NBA game, while Santos contributed 19 points, each hitting five 3-pointers. Golden State snapped a two-game losing streak.
Zach LaVine scored 24 points to lead the Bulls, who have lost six of their last seven games. Josh Giddey added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Trail Blazers 101, Magic 79
The Portland Trail Blazers used strong defense to defeat the Orlando Magic 101-79, extending their winning streak to three games.
Franz Wagner, returning from a 20-game injury absence, led Orlando with 20 points, but the Magic struggled with their shooting, making just 17 of 57 shots (29.8 percent). Paolo Banchero had a tough game, scoring only eight points on 1-of-14 shooting, his fewest since Nov. 29, 2023.
Portland had five players in double figures, led by Anfernee Simons with 21 points. Robert Williams III grabbed 12 rebounds, adding eight points and four blocked shots in the win.
