Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Nikola Jokic scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102 on Saturday, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons.
Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points and 11 rebounds, Jamal Murray had 14 points, and Russell Westbrook contributed 14 points and 11 assists. Denver outscored the Lakers 70-39 in the second half to run away with the contest, giving Michael Malone his team-record 443rd coaching victory with the Nuggets.
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“The biggest thing is we won,” Malone said. “I loved how we came out in that third quarter. We got stops. We got out and ran. And then the players — I’m not the coach I am without the guys like Nikola, Jamal…and everybody that has come through that door.” The Lakers (10-6) had won six of their past seven games while the Nuggets (9-6) had lost three of their four prior starts. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 19 points while LeBron James added 18 and Anthony Davis, second in NBA scoring, had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
At Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and Damian Lillard added 31 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Charlotte Hornets 125-119, stretching their win streak to four games. Despite a career-high 50-point performance by Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, the Bucks improved to 8-9, reviving from a poor start. “The way we started the season was rough,” Lillard said. “We’re starting to play the kind of basketball we wanted to play coming into the season. Now we’re starting to feel good about ourselves, on offense and defense.”
Greek star Antetokounmpo added 11 rebounds and six assists while Ball had 10 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller, who had 32 points and 11 rebounds, sank a 3-point shot with 15 seconds remaining to lift Charlotte within 121-119, but Taurean Prince and Antetokounmpo added two final free throws to seal victory. Lillard said the players had to find a deeper bond to escape an early season funk. “Nobody is going to come save us. Nobody is going to feel bad for us having a hard time,” Lillard said. “We had to come closer, come together in practice, talking through things in film…just coming together on the court.”
– Wemby sparks Spurs win –
French star Victor Wembanyama had 25 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists to lead San Antonio over Western Conference leader Golden State 104-94. The host Spurs also had 22 points from Harrison Barnes, 19 by Stephon Castle, plus nine points and seven assists from ex-Golden State star Chris Paul. “A bunch of guys stepped up and made big plays for us,” Barnes said. “Good team win. Anytime you win games like this, win together, win the way we want to do it, it’s big for the confidence.”
San Antonio outscored the Warriors 33-13 in the final quarter to rally for the victory, improving to 9-8 while Golden State tumbled to 12-4. The Warriors, who shot only 36.9 percent from the floor, were led by 20 points from Andrew Wiggins and 14 from Stephen Curry.
Finland’s Lauri Markkanen scored 34 points to lead the Utah Jazz over visiting New York 121-106, snapping the Knicks’ four-game win streak and a four-game Utah losing skid. O.G. Anunoby led New York with 27 points. At Chicago, Scotty Pippen Jr.– the son of former Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen — scored 30 points and added 10 assists to lead Memphis over the Bulls 142-131. Pippen topped eight double-figure scorers for the Grizzlies while Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 29 points.
Germany’s Franz Wagner had 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists to lead Orlando over Detroit 111-100, the Magic improving to 8-0 at home. At Houston, Portland’s Anfernee Simons scored 25 points, Shaedon Sharpe added 24, and Donovan Clingan grabbed 19 rebounds to spark the Trail Blazers over the host Rockets 104-98.
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