NBA Roundup: Nikola Jokic Powers Nuggets to OT Win Over Pelicans

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12/9/2021Updated: 12/30/2023

Nikola Jokic had a triple-double and scored 11 of his game-high 39 points in overtime as the Denver Nuggets beat the host New Orleans Pelicans 120–114 on Wednesday.

Jokic added 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Will Barton scored 20 points as the Nuggets won for just the third time in 11 games

Jonas Valanciunas led the Pelicans with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Herbert Jones Jr. scored a season-high 19 for New Orleans.

Pelicans backup guard Kira Lewis Jr. sprained his right knee early in the second quarter, had to be helped from the court and did not return.

Warriors 104, Trail Blazers 94

Stephen Curry moved within nine of Ray Allen’s record with six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 22 points to help Golden State beat short-handed Portland in San Francisco.

With the home crowd hoping to see him break Allen’s all-time career mark of 2,973, Curry missed his first four 3-point attempts and never challenged the 15 he needed to tie the record.

The Trail Blazers, missing Damian Lillard (lower abdominal tendinopathy) and CJ McCollum (collapsed right lung), got a game-high 26 points from Norman Powell. Portland lost its fourth game in a row and fell to 1–11 on the road.

Clippers 114, Celtics 111

Short-handed Los Angeles used its own Boston to upend the visiting Celtics.

With Paul George out because of a bruised right elbow, rookie Brandon Boston Jr. scored a career-high 27 points as the Clippers held on to earn their third win in four games. Marcus Morris Sr. added 20 points for Los Angeles, and Reggie Jackson had 17.

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Celtics, while Dennis Schroder added 19 points as Boston lost back-to-back games at Los Angeles. The Celtics, who fell 117–102 to the Lakers on Tuesday, have dropped three of four to open a five-game road trip.

Heat 113, Bucks 104

Caleb Martin—playing on a two-way contract—boosted a short-handed roster by scoring a career-high 28 points to lead host Miami past Milwaukee.

Miami tied a franchise record with 22 3-pointers, on 47 attempts (46.8 percent). Kyle Lowry added 22 points and a game-high 13 assists for the Heat. Miami reserve Max Strus contributed 16 points—all of them in the fourth quarter—while connecting on 4 of 7 on 3-point attempts.

Jrue Holiday led Milwaukee with 27 points. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had a fairly quiet night with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. He made only 4 of 13 shots from the floor.

Wizards 119, Pistons 116 (OT)

Kyle Kuzma made a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left in overtime as visiting Washington handed Detroit its 10th straight loss.

Kuzma had 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists and teammate Bradley Beal supplied 25 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 13 points and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 12 points and seven assists.

Jerami Grant’s 28 points led the Pistons, while Cade Cunningham had 21 points and Frank Jackson contributed 19.

Mavericks 104, Grizzlies 96

Luka Doncic made five 3-pointers and scored 26 points as visiting Dallas ended Memphis’ five-game winning streak.

Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and Reggie Bullock had 15 for Dallas, which snapped a three-game losing skid after outscoring the Grizzlies 28–21 in the fourth quarter.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 26 points and seven rebounds to lead the Grizzlies while Dillon Brooks scored 15 points before being ejected in the game’s final minute.

Thunder 110, Raptors 109

Mike Muscala made a 3-point shot with 9.4 seconds to play as Oklahoma City came back to edge host Toronto.

Justin Champagnie made a tip layup that would have given the Raptors the victory, but a video review determined that his fingers were still on the ball when time expired.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 16 of his 26 points in the third quarter and added nine assists for Oklahoma City. Luguentz Dort added 22 points.

76ers 110, Hornets 106

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid had his second big game in three nights against host Charlotte, finishing with 32 points and eight rebounds.

Seth Curry chipped in with 23 points and Tobias Harris had 18 for the 76ers, who have won four of their past five games. Embiid made 15 of 19 free throws.

The teams played twice across three nights in the same arena, with Philadelphia prevailing 127–124 in overtime behind Embiid’s season-high 43 points on Monday night. On Wednesday, Gordon Hayward poured in 31 points to pace Charlotte.

Cavaliers 115, Bulls 92

Darius Garland scored 24 points and dished six out assists as host Cleveland overwhelmed short-handed Chicago with a stingy defensive effort.

The Bulls, whose four-game winning streak ended, were without DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Javonte Green due to health and safety protocols. Alex Caruso also is sidelined because of a hamstring injury.

The Cavaliers capitalized on the Bulls’ lack of depth, scoring 39 bench points compared with just 16 from Chicago’s reserves. Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love set the tone off of the Cleveland bench with 11 points apiece. Zach LaVine led Chicago with 23 points and nine assists.

Jazz 136, Timberwolves 104

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points as Utah extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Bojan Bogdanovic added 21 points, Jordan Clarkson fired in 18 off the bench and Rudy Gobert contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Mitchell has scored 30-plus points in four straight games, tying his longest such streak.

Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Anthony Edwards scored 18 and Patrick Beverley chipped in 16. The Jazz outscored the Timberwolves 76–45 in the second half to hand Minnesota its fourth loss in a row.

Pacers 122, Knicks 102

Domantas Sabonis recorded his fifth straight double-double, accounting for 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Indiana past New York in Indianapolis.

Chris Duarte scored a game-high 23 points for the Pacers, who have won two straight following a four-game losing streak. Sabonis tallied his 20th double-double this season.

RJ Barrett scored 19 points for the Knicks, who have lost four of five. Julius Randle had 18 points and Alec Burks scored 15.

Rockets 114, Nets 104

Garrison Mathews scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and Josh Christopher enjoyed a memorable 20th birthday as Houston beat visiting Brooklyn to extend its winning streak to seven games.

Christopher finished with 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting with four 3-pointers. Christian Wood had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets.

The Nets rested Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge in the second half of a back-to-back. James Harden led Brooklyn with 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while rookie Cam Thomas scored 18 points off the bench.

Kings 142, Magic 130

De'Aaron Fox scored 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting to lift host Sacramento past Orlando.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 points, matched his season high of five 3-pointers and also tied his career best of 11 assists for the Kings, who have won three straight games for the first time this season.

Cole Anthony matched his career best of six 3-pointers and tied his season high with 33 points for Orlando, which has dropped three consecutive contests and 10 of its past 11.