NBA roundup: Nuggets edges past Heat in Finals rematch
Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets withstood a late rally by the visiting Miami Heat to win 103-97 on Thursday in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
Miami used a 14-5 run to pull within 99-95 with 52.5 seconds remaining, and Jimmy Butler scored with 10.7 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Nikola Jokic then made two foul shots and the Nuggets held on for their fifth straight win. The Nuggets snapped the Heat’s five-game winning streak despite playing without guard Jamal Murray for the entire second half due to a right ankle sprain.
Jokic finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, ending his run of four consecutive triple-doubles. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also scored 18 points and Aaron Gordon finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for Denver, which never trailed.
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 22 points and eight boards. Butler added 21 points.
Lakers 134, Wizards 131 (OT)
Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and LeBron James added 31 points as Los Angeles got past visiting Washington in overtime.
D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points and Austin Reaves had 12 as the Lakers shook off the pesky Wizards. James, who also had nine assists, is now nine points away from becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000.
Jordan Poole scored 34 points, but the Wizards could not avoid their 13th consecutive defeat. They went 0-12 in February. Marvin Bagley III scored 23 points and Corey Kispert and Kuzma each added 20. Deni Avdija recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Warriors 110, Knicks 99
Stephen Curry produced 31 points and 11 rebounds for Golden State, which never trailed in a win at New York.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 25 points while Klay Thompson (16 points) and Chris Paul (11 points) each got into double figures off the bench for the Warriors, who have won seven straight road games.
Jalen Brunson, back after missing one game due to a neck ailment, scored 27 points to lead the Knicks, who finished 4-8 during an injury-plagued month. Josh Hart added 14 points and 18 rebounds.
READ | Joel Embiid wants to play again this season, for the 76ers and US Olympic team
Spurs 132, Thunder 118
Victor Wembanyama racked up 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks and Devin Vassell also scored 28 points as host San Antonio ended Oklahoma City’s six-game winning streak.
Jeremy Sochan added 21 points for San Antonio, and Tre Jones scored 17.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points while Jalen Williams added 26, Chet Holmgren scored 23 and Isaiah Joe tallied 15 points off the bench.
Nets 124, Hawks 97
Cameron Johnson scored a season-high 29 points and hit seven 3-pointers as Brooklyn earned a crucial victory over Atlanta in the home debut of interim coach Kevin Ollie.
Dennis Schroder added 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his best outing since joining the Nets at the trade deadline. Mikal Bridges contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Nets improved to 2-3 since Ollie took over for Jacque Vaughn and moved within three games of Atlanta for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
Dejounte Murray scored 28 points for the Hawks, who dropped two games behind the ninth-place Chicago Bulls.
Bucks 111, Hornets 99
Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 24 points and Milwaukee had another convincing victory against Charlotte.
Antetokounmpo shot 10-for-15 and added 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks, who improved to 4-0 since the All-Star break, including a 123-85 win over the Hornets on Tuesday. Malik Beasley provided 19 points and Damian Lillard 17.
Brandon Miller racked up 21 points for Charlotte, but it came on 8-for-21 shooting. Grant Williams had 17 points, Miles Bridges posted 15 points and 10 rebounds and Seth Curry supplied 13 points.
Suns 110, Rockets 105
Devin Booker recorded 35 points and seven rebounds to help Phoenix defeat visiting Houston.
Kevin Durant added 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Suns won their second straight game. Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Jalen Green made a season-high seven 3-pointers while scoring 34 points for the Rockets, who lost for the ninth time in the past 11 games. Fred VanVleet contributed 21 points.
Magic 115, Jazz 107
Paolo Banchero scored 29 points in his return from a two-game absence caused by an illness, lifting Orlando to a home win over Utah.
Banchero made 10 of 16 shots, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Magic win for the fifth time in six games. Orlando’s Jalen Suggs added 15 points, all in the second half, and hit three clutch 3-pointers in the final three minutes.
John Collins, Collin Sexton and Keyonte George each scored 19 points for the struggling Jazz, who have lost seven of eight games. Lauri Markkanen added 18 points, while Collins hauled in a team-high 10 boards.