Nikola Jokic scored 24 of his game-high 41 points in the second half as the host Denver Nuggets took sole possession of first place in the Western Conference with a 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Jokic added 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the Nuggets, who can secure the West’s No. 1 seed for the second straight season by winning road games against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Denver’s Jamal Murray put up 20 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 18. The win was the 423rd for Nuggets coach Michael Malone, tying him with George Karl for second in franchise history.
Anthony Edwards had 25 points, Mike Conley scored 19, Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 15 rebounds and Naz Reid also contributed 13 for Minnesota. The Timberwolves fell into a tie for second place in the West with the Thunder, who beat the Spurs earlier on Wednesday. Minnesota and Oklahoma City are one game behind Denver.
Mavericks 111, Heat 92
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points as Dallas won for the 16th time in its last 18 games, defeating host Miami.
The loss was costly for Miami (44-36), which no longer has a shot at clinching a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat, who played without Terry Rozier (neck) and Duncan Robinson (facet), were led by Tyler Herro with 21 points, seven boards and six assists.
Doncic, who overcame three first-quarter fouls, had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Irving finished with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, going 5-for-8 from deep. Dallas center Daniel Gafford went 6-for-6 from the floor, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Suns 124, Clippers 108
Devin Booker scored 16 of his 37 points in the first quarter, Bradley Beal added 26 points and visiting Phoenix ended a two-game skid by defeating short-handed Los Angeles.
Kevin Durant scored 24 points and added nine rebounds as the Suns avenged a home loss to the Clippers on Tuesday when they trailed by as many as 31 points in the first quarter. Phoenix moved to within a half-game of the New Orleans Pelicans for sixth in the Western Conference.
Bones Hyland scored a career-high 37 points and added nine assists, and Brandon Boston Jr. had 23 points for the Clippers. Los Angeles was without Kawhi Leonard (knee) for the sixth consecutive game, and Paul George (knee), James Harden (foot) and Russell Westbrook (hand) were given the day off.
Bucks 117, Magic 99
Bobby Portis finished with 30 points, nine boards and five steals and Damian Lillard added 29 points to lead Milwaukee past visiting Orlando. The Magic, tied for fifth place, fell three games behind the second-place Bucks in the congested Eastern Conference standings.
Milwaukee, which played without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf injury) and Khris Middleton (injury management), also got 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists from Patrick Beverley. Lillard added nine assists.
Cole Anthony led Orlando with 23 points, while Paolo Banchero contributed 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Hornets 115, Hawks 114
Brandon Miller scored 27 points and Charlotte rallied from 18 points down in the second half to defeat host Atlanta, spoiling the return of Trae Young.
The Hornets scored the game’s final four points in the last 30 seconds, with Miller sinking two free throws and then Miles Bridges scoring in the lane with 3.8 seconds left. Charlotte’s Tre Mann stole the ball from Trent Forrest to seal the stunning outcome.
The Hawks, who have lost four games in a row, had Young in the lineup after the team went 12-11 while he was out following finger surgery. He amassed 14 points and 11 assists in 21 minutes.
Cavaliers 110, Grizzlies 98
Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Caris LeVert added 18 as host Cleveland took control in the second half to beat Memphis and complete a sweep of the two-game season sweep.
Jarrett Allen had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots for Cleveland, which trailed by three at halftime before outscoring the Grizzlies 30-16 in the third quarter. Darius Garland added 16 points and nine assists, and Evan Mobley finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Jake LaRavia set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 32 points for injury-plagued Memphis, which had just eight players available. LaRavia shot 8-for-11 from beyond the arc. GG Jackson scored 22 points and Scotty Pippen Jr. added 18.
Thunder 127, Spurs 89
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points to lead host Oklahoma City to a blowout win over San Antonio.
Josh Giddey finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Oklahoma City, which has won three consecutive games. The Thunder scored the game’s first 11 points, led by 23 after one quarter and remained on top the rest of the way.
Zach Collins led the Spurs, who shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the floor, with 20 points.
Nets 106, Raptors 102
Dennis Schroder scored 15 fourth-quarter points to ignite Brooklyn past visiting Toronto.
Schroder finished the game with 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Nets. Cam Thomas had a team-high 23 points. Nic Claxton chipped in 14 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and Noah Clowney had 10 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks.
Immanuel Quickley paced the Raptors with 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Gradey Dick had 24 points and six 3-pointers.