NBA Roundup: Nuggets Win Another Blowout, This Time Over Lakers

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1/16/2022Updated: 12/30/2023

Bones Hyland had career highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds, Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, and the host Denver Nuggets routed the Los Angeles Lakers 133–96 on Saturday night.

Jeff Green scored a season-high 26 points, Will Barton scored 12, Aaron Gordon and Davon Reed had 11 each and Monte Morris scored 10 for Denver, which has won two straight in blowout fashion. The Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 140–108 on Thursday.

LeBron James had 25 points and nine rebounds, Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, and Dwight Howard had 13 for the Lakers, who have lost three straight.

The Nuggets led by five after the first quarter, and then opened up a double-digit lead in the second. They built a 102–79 lead after three quarters. It marked the second straight game the Nuggets have reached 100 points after three quarters after scoring just 85 in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

Raptors 103, Bucks 96

Pascal Siakam notched his first triple-double of the season as Toronto took down host Milwaukee to complete a three-game sweep of the season series.

Siakam had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Raptors to their seventh win in the past nine games. OG Anunoby added 24 points on 9-of-23 shooting, and Fred VanVleet added 17 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo paced Milwaukee with 30 points and six rebounds even though he shot only 6-of-17 from the field. Grayson Allen chipped in 18 points, and Khris Middleton had 16. Bobby Portis posted 11 points and 11 rebounds to tally his third double-double in his past five games.

76ers 109, Heat 98

Joel Embiid saved 11 of his game-high 32 points for the final 6:18 to win an entertaining duel with Omer Yurtseven and lift Philadelphia over host Miami in a duel of two teams playing for the second time in two nights.

Embiid completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, while Tobias Harris added 22 points, and Seth Curry 21 for the 76ers.

Yurtseven, an undrafted rookie sensation, nearly matched Embiid with 22 points and 11 rebounds, both team highs, for the Heat, who saw a four-game winning streak come to an end.

Nets 120, Pelicans 105

James Harden totaled 27 points, 15 assists, and eight rebounds as Brooklyn survived the loss of Kevin Durant to a sprained left knee in a victory over New Orleans in New York.

The Nets never trailed and the game was tied once in the opening minutes, but they lost Durant after he collided with teammate Bruce Brown on defense midway through the second quarter.

Harden had the double-double at halftime when the Nets led 69–41. For the game, Harden shot an efficient 9-of-15

Knicks 117, Hawks 108

RJ Barrett and Julius Randle combined to score 50 points, and New York rolled to its third straight win, defeating host Atlanta.

Barrett, coming off back-to-back games of 30-plus points, scored 26 with five rebounds on Saturday. Randle was 10-for-21 from the floor and finished with 24 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. New York’s Evan Fournier hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and Alec Burks had 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

The Hawks were led by Trae Young with 29 points and five assists and Danilo Gallinari with 17 points. Onyeka Okongwu had 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.

Trail Blazers 115, Wizards 110

Anfernee Simons scored 26 of his 31 points in the first half and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds as visiting Portland snapped Washington’s three-game winning streak.

Simons returned after missing one game for personal reasons and made 7 of 10 from long range in the first half for Portland, which has won three of its last four. Nassir Little scored 18 points, Robert Covington added 15, and Ben McLemore had 10.

Spencer Dinwiddie led Washington with 27 points and seven assists. Kyle Kuzma recorded his 17th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Montrezl Harrell scored 16 points, Corey Kispert added 13, and Aaron Holiday had 10.

Mavericks 108, Magic 92

Luka Doncic had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Kristaps Porzingis scored 19 points in his first game in 15 days after clearing the NBA’s health and safety protocol as host Dallas defeated Orlando.

Porzingis added seven rebounds, and Doncic went 7-for-19 from the field and 8-for-9 at the free-throw line. Jalen Brunson (8-for-11 shooting) also had a strong outing with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Orlando, which was without center Wendell Carter Jr. (hamstring) for the fifth straight game, was led by Robin Lopez, Jalen Suggs, and Moe Wagner, who scored 16 points apiece. Cole Anthony was the only other Magic player in double figures with 12 points.

Cavaliers 107, Thunder 102

Darius Garland had 27 points and a career-high 18 assists to lead Cleveland’s come-from-behind win over host Oklahoma City.

The Cavaliers never led until the final quarter, trailing by 18 in the third before coming back to extend their win streak to four. They also finished a six-game road trip with five wins. Garland, who has 70 points and 40 assists over the last three games, shot 11 of 20 from the field, and Evan Mobley added 20 points.

The loss was the ninth in 12 games for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 21 points and seven assists, while Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley added 17 each.

Celtics 114, Bulls 112

Robert Williams III scored six of his team’s final 10 points, including the game-winning free throws with 9.7 seconds remaining, as host Boston rallied past short-handed Chicago.

Chicago went up 108–101 with just over four minutes to play before Boston used an 11–4 run to tie it at 112 after a pair of Williams free throws with 31 seconds to play.

DeMar DeRozan missed a step-back jumper with 9.7 seconds left and Nikola Vucevic committed a loose ball foul on the rebound. Williams made two more free throws to make it 114–112, and Vucevic missed a 3-pointer and DeRozan misfired on an 11-footer to end the game. Jayson Tatum had a team-high 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Spurs 101, Clippers 94

Derrick White scored 19 points off the bench and Dejounte Murray added 18 as San Antonio scored 14 of the game’s final 16 points to post a victory over visiting Los Angeles.

Murray added nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals as the Spurs snapped a five-game losing streak. Keldon Johnson added 17 points for San Antonio, with Keita Bates-Diop hitting for 13. San Antonio played without Jakob Poeltl (back tightness) and Tre Jones (health and safety).

Amir Coffey had 20 points to lead all scorers while Marcus Morris Sr. added 15, Nicolas Batum scored 13, and Serge Ibaka racked up 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers. Los Angeles was missing Paul George (right elbow injury) for the 12th straight game.