Nikola Jokic scored 35 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 25 as the visiting Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to six games with a 124-114 victory Saturday over the Los Angeles Lakers, spoiling the latest milestone for LeBron James.
While James had the spotlight early, becoming the first player in NBA history to pass the 40,000-point mark, the Nuggets owned the game by getting 24 points and 11 assists from Jamal Murray and 18 points from Aaron Gordon. Porter was 10 of 10 from the floor, while Porter and Jokic each had 10 rebounds.
James scored 26 points with nine assists on his historic night, while Rui Hachimura added 23 points. Anthony Davis scored 17 points with 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who entered 9-3 since Feb. 1.
With all eyes on James, who needed nine points for 40,000, the Lakers’ star hit the milestone on a spinning drive and left-handed layup with 10:39 remaining before halftime.
Rockets 118, Suns 109
Jalen Green recorded 34 points and nine rebounds and the Houston Rockets broke a nine-game road losing streak with a 118-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Fred VanVleet added 24 points and 11 assists and Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Houston. Green and VanVleet each made six 3-pointers for the Rockets, who split a two-game set in Phoenix and went 2-1 against the Suns over the past nine days.
Kevin Durant had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who had a nine-game home winning streak ended. Devin Booker scored 24 points but sprained his right ankle with 1:15 left. Booker immediately limped off to the locker room. Jusuf Nurkic (sprained neck) left late in the second quarter after taking an accidental blow from teammate Josh Okogie.
Heat 126, Jazz 120
Jimmy Butler’s season-high 37 points led six Miami scorers in double figures and the Heat held off visiting Utah.
Butler scored 25 points in the second half, and Miami needed every bit of his effort in a game with 11 ties and 21 lead changes. Bam Adebayo scored 23 points in the win and grabbed seven rebounds and Terry Rozier had 14 points and a game-high eight assists,
Keyonte George fueled Utah, finishing with 31 points to fall two shy of matching the career high he set on Feb. 15. George shot 6 of 14 from 3-point range to lead the Jazz to a 14-of-35 effort from beyond the arc. Lauri Markkanen shot 4 of 9 from distance and made 11 of 12 at the free-throw line en route to 25 points.
Nets 114, Hawks 102
Mikal Bridges scored 38 points as host Brooklyn overcame a sluggish start to beat Atlanta in New York.
Cameron Johnson added 23 points as the Nets shot 46.6 percent. Dennis Schroder added 14 and eight assists while Nic Claxton contributed 12 points and 13 boards as the Nets withstood the absences of Cam Thomas (ankle) and Ben Simmons (leg).
Saddiq Bey scored 23 as the Hawks fell to 2-2 since losing Trae Young to an injured left pinky that required surgery and will keep the star out for four weeks. Dejounte Murray added 20 and 11 assists as the Hawks shot 42.5 percent.
Trail Blazers 107, Grizzlies 100 (OT)
Anfernee Simons scored 18 of his 30 points after the third quarter as visiting Portland overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Memphis.
Jabari Walker added 18 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Blazers post their second win over the Grizzlies in as many nights after snapping a nine-game losing streak with Friday’s 122-92 victory at Memphis.
Delano Banton scored eight of his 10 points in overtime for Portland. Toumani Camara finished with 15 points, Ashton Hagans recorded career highs with 13 points and eight assists and Duop Reath chipped in 12 points.
–Field Level Media
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