Nikola Jokic posted his league-leading 17th triple-double of the season, bundling 24 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 133-113 road win over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
Jamal Murray led all scorers with 30 points for Denver, which won for the fifth time in six games and defeated Miami for the 10th straight time.
The game marked the return of Heat star Jimmy Butler, who served a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. Butler, who has asked for a trade, played 33 minutes and posted 18 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Tyler Herro, who had at least 32 points in three straight games, tallied a team-high 22 for Miami. Bam Adebayo chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds and Nikola Jovic also scored 16 for the Heat in their third straight loss.
Mavericks 106, Thunder 98
Kyrie Irving scored 25 points to lead Dallas to a home win over Oklahoma City, which was missing star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to a sprained right wrist.
The Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak, while the Thunder lost for just the second time in their past 16 games. Oklahoma City, which came into the game having won four consecutive games, including a 20-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, was without Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time this season.
P.J. Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 16 apiece for Dallas, which finished with 29 points off the Thunder’s 15 turnovers while Oklahoma City managed just 17 off the Mavericks’ 17 giveaways. Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 19 points but shot just 7 of 22 from the floor, while Luguentz Dort added 18.
Pelicans 136, Jazz 123
CJ McCollum scored 26 points, Zion Williamson had a double-double and host New Orleans defeated Utah.
Williamson finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds, Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado scored 19 each, Daniel Theis had a season-high 18 and Jordan Hawkins added 11 for the Pelicans, who enjoyed their highest point total and largest margin of victory this season.
Keyonte George scored 26, Collin Sexton had 24, Drew Eubanks had 17, Svi Mykhailiuk had 16 and Brice Sensabaugh added 15 to lead the Jazz, who will visit New Orleans again Monday night.
Grizzlies 140, Spurs 112
Santi Aldama poured in a career-high 29 points as short-handed Memphis walloped host San Antonio to sweep a two-game series between the teams.
Jaylen Wells and Desmond Bane added 22 points each and Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed 19 for the Grizzlies, who played without Ja Morant (right foot soreness). Bane also had 14 assists.
Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 21 points. Stephon Castle scored 20, and Victor Wembanyama racked up 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Celtics 121, Magic 94
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 30 points and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 23 to lead Boston past visiting Orlando.
Jaylen Brown added 20 points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists for the Celtics, who entered the game with double-digit losses in three of their previous five contests.
Cole Anthony amassed 23 points and seven rebounds and Paolo Banchero added 21 points for the Magic, who took their fourth loss in five games.
Timberwolves 116, Knicks 99
Anthony Edwards paired 36 points with a season-high 13 rebounds and Minnesota rode a red-hot outside shooting performance to earn a road win over New York.
Edwards was 8 of 13 from 3-point range while Naz Reid drained all six of his 3-point attempts for the Timberwolves, who tied a season high with 22 3-pointers and shot a season-best 55 percent from beyond the arc. Minnesota closed the fourth quarter on a 25-12 run to win for the fifth time in seven games.
Jalen Brunson had 26 points for the Knicks, who have lost six of nine since a nine-game winning streak. Cameron Payne and OG Anunoby had 18 points apiece while Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points and Josh Hart added 12.
Hornets 125, Bulls 123
LaMelo Ball had 26 points and nine assists and Mark Williams notched a double-double of 19 points and 19 rebounds to lift visiting Charlotte to a victory over slumping Chicago.
Charlotte opened the fourth quarter on a 21-2 run before holding on to win consecutive road games for the first time this season. The Hornets have won back-to-back games only once before this season, a pair of home games on Nov. 6 and 8.
Miles Bridges scored 21 points for Charlotte. Seth Curry and Nick Smith Jr. chipped in 15 points each. Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic notched a double-double of 40 points and 13 rebounds while going 17-for-25 from the floor. Zach LaVine (19 points) and Coby White (18) followed. Chicago has lost five of six to fall six games below .500.
Bucks 130, Raptors 112
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Milwaukee past visiting Toronto.
Damian Lillard added 26 points as the Bucks earned their sixth win in seven games. Bobby Portis contributed 15 off the bench as seven Milwaukee scorers tallied at least nine points.
RJ Barrett put up 21 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Raptors, who had a two-game winning streak end and lost for the sixth time in eight games.
Lakers 102, Nets 101
Austin Reaves scored a career-high 38 points, LeBron James added 29 points with eight assists, and Los Angeles overcame the absence of Anthony Davis to earn a victory over visiting Brooklyn.
Gabe Vincent scored 10 points off the bench as the Lakers improved to 2-1 in a stretch of six consecutive games in the Los Angeles area, with five of those at home.
D’Angelo Russell scored 19 points off the bench against his former team as the Nets dropped to 1-4 on a six-game road trip that ends Sunday at Oklahoma City. Russell was traded from the Lakers to the Nets on Dec. 29. Ziaire Williams and Tosan Evbuomwan each scored 15 points for Brooklyn.