Nikola Jokic scores 36 points to lead Denver Nuggets to victory over Oklahoma City Thunder
Celtics shellacked in Toronto; Knicks beat Magic for second successive win
Wednesday 27 February 2019 10:11, UK
Nikola Jokic scored 36 points to outduel MVP contender Paul George and lead the Denver Nuggets to victory over Western Conference rivals the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder 112-121 Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic had 36 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds and Will Barton scored 23 points as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-112 on Tuesday night.
Jamal Murray added 20 points and Paul Millsap finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help Denver win their fifth straight game. The Nuggets have won each of their first three matchups against Oklahoma City this season and lead the Thunder by four games in the race for second place in the Western Conference.
Russell Westbrook had 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists and Paul George added 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals for Oklahoma City. Jerami Grant contributed 21 points for the Thunder, who have lost three of their past four outings.
The Nuggets held a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter before Oklahoma City came storming back. Nerlens Noel hit two short shots, George had five points, and Dennis Schroder and Westbrook sank three-pointers in an 18-2 run that gave Oklahoma City a 100-97 lead.
Westbrook's triple with 6:02 left gave the Thunder their first lead since early in the second quarter.
Denver responded to the run with one of their own. Millsap hit two free throws and Murray followed a Thunder miss with a corner three to give the Nuggets the lead again. Millsap hit a lay-up and split two free throws to make it 105-101 with 4:19 left.
Free throws by both teams left Denver with a 107-104 edge. After a couple of empty possessions, Murray hit a three-pointer to make it a six-point margin. The Nuggets scored their last nine points from the free-throw line.
Boston Celtics 95-118 Toronto Raptors
Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors defeat the visiting Boston Celtics 118-95.
Kawhi Leonard added 21 points and six rebounds for the Raptors, who have won eight straight home games against the Celtics. The teams have split their season series 2-2.
Serge Ibaka had 14 points for the Raptors, who have won eight of their past nine games. Norman Powell added 11 and Kyle Lowry scored seven points and had 11 assists.
Marcus Morris had 17 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who have lost three in a row and five of their past seven games.
Jayson Tatum added 11 points and seven rebounds for Boston and Terry Rozier also had 11 points, while Jaylen Brown had 10 points and eight rebounds. Kyrie Irving was held to seven points, four rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes.
The Raptors dominated the game against the struggling Celtics after the first quarter. They led by as many as 31 points during the third quarter and took a 27-point lead into the fourth quarter with the game under control.
The Celtics led 32-30 after a first quarter that had 10 lead changes and five ties. With an efficient defense, the Raptors took charge, using an 18-0 run capped by Patrick McCaw's lay-up to take a 14-point lead with 7:14 remaining in the first half.
The Raptors increased their lead to 20 on Leonard's running dunk with 3:06 left in the half. Siakam made a lay-up and a free throw to make the lead 23.
Marcus Smart hit a three-pointer with 9:11 left in the third quarter to trim Toronto's lead to 16. But Ibaka's three-pointer had Toronto ahead by 22 with 4:35 remaining in the quarter.
Powell's triple gave the Raptors a 31-point lead with 1:34 left in the third.
Orlando Magic 103-108 New York Knicks
Emmanuel Mudiay scored 19 points as the New York Knicks rode a big night by their reserves, overcame a 16-point deficit and recorded a 108-103 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic.
The Knicks won consecutive games for the second time this season and their second straight home game after a team-record 18-game home losing streak.
The Knicks dominated the fourth quarter by a 30-13 margin and their reserves outscored Orlando's bench players 75-7 in the game.
Rookie Allonzo Trier scored 12 of his 18 in the fourth while first-year center Mitchell Robinson finished with a career-best 17 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and three steals. Henry Ellenson added 13 as the Knicks shot 62.5 per cent (10 of 16) in the fourth quarter.
Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points apiece for Orlando, who lost for the third time in its last 11 games. The Magic also missed a chance to move into a tie with Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by missing 20 of 25 shots in the fourth quarter, including 10 of their last 11 shots.
Jonathan Issac added 16 and Evan Fournier finished with 15, but reserve Terrence Ross, who had 28 in Sunday's win at Toronto shot 1-of-10 and finished with three points.
Orlando withstood numerous New York comeback attempts in the first 36 minutes and held a 90-78 lead going into the fourth. The Knicks did not get the lead until Robinson hit a foul shot to make it 101-100 with 2:57 left.
After Robinson blocked his sixth shot, Vucevic missed an off-balance jumper as the shot clock ran out. Ellenson then made it 104-100 by hitting a three-pointer from the left wing in front of Orlando's bench with 2:11 remaining.
Following a turnover in the low post by Vucevic with 38.2 seconds left, Mudiay extended the lead to 106-100 by hitting two free throws with 33.6 seconds left but Ross hit his only three-pointer on the next possession to make it 106-103 with 28.8 seconds to play.
After the Knicks called a timeout, Trier hit two free throws with 23.1 seconds left. On the next possession, Ross missed a three-pointer with 10.6 seconds left and Robinson grabbed the rebound to seal the win.
