Nikola Jokic set a career high with 27 rebounds – including a franchise record 20 in the first half – along with 40 points and 10 assists for his fifth triple-double of the season, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-115 on Sunday night.
The 20 rebounds in one half are tied for the second most in NBA history going back to 1996-97. Kevin Love holds the record with 22 in a half. The only other player in NBA history to have at least 37 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists in a single game was Wilt Chamberlain.
Aaron Gordon finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points, Bruce Brown chipped in 16 and Jamal Murray added 11 assists for Denver. LaMelo Ball scored 31 points, Gordon Hayward had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 16 points for Charlotte, which has lost eight straight.
P.J. Washington missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 2:42 left, and Gordon made a reverse layup and Jokic a sunk hook shot to make it 111-104 with 1:57 remaining. Charlotte got within two on Washington’s dunk with 13.5 seconds left but Jokic sealed it with two free throws.
Nets 124, Pistons 121
Kevin Durant poured in 43 points, including 26 in the third quarter, as visiting Brooklyn extended its winning streak to six games by defeating Detroit.
Kyrie Irving supplied 38 points for Brooklyn, which didn’t lead until the closing seconds of the third quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic topped Detroit with 26 points. Jaden Ivey had 19 points, while Marvin Bagley III and Alec Burks added 12 apiece. The Nets finished the third quarter on a 21-7 run to take a 98-96 lead. It was almost all Durant, as he scored all but three of those points during the surge.
A steal by Killian Hayes and a 3-pointer by Bogdanovic with 40 seconds left cut Brooklyn’s lead to one. Irving made two of three free throws with 29 seconds remaining, but Burks answered with a layup. Durant then hit two free throws, and Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer on Detroit’s final possession.
Warriors 126, Raptors 110
Jordan Poole scored a career-best 43 points on 14-for-23 shooting and visiting Golden State defeated Toronto.
Draymond Green added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who ended a three-game skid with their third road win of the season against 14 losses. Klay Thompson also had 17 points for the Warriors, who are 1-3 after four games of a six-game road trip. JaMychal Green contributed 15 points and Kevon Looney had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Pascal Siakam scored 27 points for the Raptors, who have lost five in a row, a streak that includes three straight home losses. Fred VanVleet added 22 points, Scottie Barnes had 17, Malachi Flynn scored 16 and fellow reserve Chris Boucher had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Timberwolves 150, Bulls 126
Anthony Edwards scored 28 of his season-high 37 points in the second half as Minnesota pulled away down the stretch and set a franchise record for points in a rout over slumping Chicago in Minneapolis.
After starting out 3 of 10, Edwards made 10 of 15 shots after halftime when Minnesota outscored Chicago 79-61. He also added a career-high 11 assists to go along with seven rebounds. D’Angelo Russell returned from missing two games with a left knee contusion and finished with 28 points, including seven of the club’s 23 3-pointers. He also dished out eight assists.
DeMar DeRozan led six Bulls in double figures with 29 points, but the club fell apart again in the second half, absorbing its fourth straight loss and falling to 3-8 in the past 11 games. Nikola Vucevic added 23 and Zach LaVine finished with 22.
Magic 95, Celtics 92
Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and made a career-best six 3-pointers to lift Orlando to a win over host Boston.
Banchero added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. He was 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 4 from downtown during a 22-point first half. Four other Orlando players finished with at least 11 points. Jaylen Brown had 24 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks for Boston, which has lost four of five. The Celtics played without star Jayson Tatum (personal reasons).
Malcolm Brogdon’s corner trey with 56.2 seconds left brought the Celtics within 93-92. After Marcus Smart grabbed a loose inbounds pass, the Celtics turned the ball over and Moe Wagner hit two free throws to clinch the win.
Knicks 109, Pacers 106
Julius Randle posted a double-double and hit all six of his free throws in the final minute, including the one that gave surging New York the lead for good in a win over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Randle finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds while Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 30 points for the Knicks, who have won seven straight games, their longest winning streak since a nine-game run from April 9-24, 2021. RJ Barrett had 24 points while Mitchell Robinson (10 points, 13 rebounds) also recorded a double-double.
Buddy Hield and Aaron Nesmith had 23 points apiece, while Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin each scored 15 for the Pacers, who have lost eight of 11. Each of their last five defeats have been by six points or fewer.
-Field Level Media
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