Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Denver Nuggets returned the favor to the OKC Thunder in a rematch of the West’s top teams, on the same night the Golden State Warriors remained as the hottest team in their conference.
NUGGETS EXACT REVENGE ON THUNDER; WARRIORS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT
- Denver Nuggets (42-23) def. OKC Thunder (53-12), 140-127: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 69 of the Nuggets’ 140-point barrage in Oklahoma City, halting the Thunder’s seven-game winning run and reclaiming the West no. 2 spot from the LA Lakers.
[ALSO READ: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic lead Nuggets payback vs Thunder to snap OKC’s seven-game streak]
- Golden State Warriors (37-28) def. Portland Trail Blazers (28-38), 130-120: Jimmy Butler notched first career triple-double as a Warrior that paved the way for a fifth straight Golden State victory.
[ALSO READ: Golden State Warriors add more woes to reeling Portland Trail Blazers for fifth straight W]
- New York Knicks (41-23) def. Sacramento Kings (33-31), 133-104: Karl-Anthony Towns sizzled with 26 markers as two other Knicks reached the 20-point scoring mark, ending a three-game slide via 29-point crushing of the Kings.
- Atlanta Hawks (31-34) def. Philadelphia 76ers (22-42), 132-123: For the first time in a month, Dyson Daniels and the Hawks racked up three straight wins after handling business against the short-handed Sixers.
- Chicago Bulls (27-38) def. Indiana Pacers (35-28), 121-103: Coby White and Josh Giddey netted 29 points each to lift the Bulls to their first three-game winning streak since December after pummeling the Pacers.
- Houston Rockets (40-25) def. Orlando Magic (30-36), 97-84: Jabari Smith Jr. paced the Rockets with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five threes to ground the Magic and extend their winning streak to three games.
SAM HAUSER, AJ LAWSON NET CAREER-HIGHS; NETS SPOIL LUKA’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE, LAKERS
- Boston Celtics (47-18) def. Utah Jazz (15-50), 114-108: Sam Hauser torched the Jazz with career-high 33 points — including hitting seven alone of his nine threes overall in the third — as the champion Celtics won their fifth straight game.
- Toronto Raptors (22-43) def. Washington Wizards (13-50), 119-104: It was a night to remember for Toronto native AJ Lawson, who tallied career-high numbers of 32 points, 12 rebounds, and seven threes that powered the Raptors’ fourth dub in the last five games.
- Brooklyn Nets (22-42) def. LA Lakers (40-23), 111-108: Facing a LeBron James-less Lakers, the Nets overcame Luka Doncic’s triple-double outing to snap out of a seven-game losing skid via a thrilling home win.
- Memphis Grizzlies (41-24) def. Phoenix Suns (30-36), 97-84: Ja Morant dropped his 12th double-double of the season with 29 points and 12 assists, anchoring a third straight Grizzlies dub on top of scoring a regular season sweep of the Suns.
- Charlotte Hornets (16-48) def. Miami Heat (29-35), 105-102: Miles Bridges spearheaded a gritty Hornets comeback from 17 points down to stun the Heat on the road for back-to-back wins.
- Miles Brought the Heat: Bridges dropped his third 30-point outing in the last five games, this time pouring 35 to give Charlotte their first win against a division rival this season.
- Dallas Mavericks (33-33) def. San Antonio Spurs (33-36), 133-129: Spencer Dinwiddie provided the spark off the bench with a team-high 28 points, helping the injury-plagued Mavericks arrest a five-game slide in clipping the Spurs.
