Nikola Jokic carries Denver Nuggets to OT win, Joel Embiid stars while Giannis Antetokounmpo inspires Bucks | NBA News

The round-up from the Wednesday games in Week 14 as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic all star, while LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers are beaten by the Indiana Pacers.

Los Angeles Clippers 128-130 Denver Nuggets (OT)

Nikola Jokic had 49 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in overtime and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-128 on Wednesday night.

Jokic finished one point short of his career-high, and Gordon wound up with 28 points. Monte Morris had 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Jeff Green scored 12 for Denver.

Ivica Zubac scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Reggie Jackson had 28 points and 12 assists, Brandon Boston Jr. scored 16 points and Eric Bledsoe finished with 13 for Los Angeles.

Orlando Magic 110-123 Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid tied his career-high with 50 points to go along with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots while leading the hosts Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic 123-110 on Wednesday.

Embiid shot 17 of 23 from the field and 15 of 17 from the free-throw line. It was Embiid’s 17th career game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.

Tobias Harris added 21 points, Tyrese Maxey contributed 14 and Georges Niang had 10 for the Sixers.

Memphis Grizzlies 114-126 Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished three assists shy of his fourth triple-double of the season Wednesday as the Milwaukee Bucks handed the Memphis Grizzlies their first road loss since December 23 with a 126-114 win.

Antetokounmpo poured in 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out seven assists while hitting 12 of 25 shots to help the Bucks snap their two-game losing streak. Khris Middleton added 27 points and Bobby Portis and George Hill each had 14. Pat Connaughton contributed 13 off the bench.

In addition to shooting 47.9 percent (46 of 96) from the field, Milwaukee made the most of their chances at the free-throw line, going 21-for-22 at the stripe.

Toronto Raptors 98-102 Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic scored a season-best 41 points and made a crucial 3-pointer with 1:01 to play as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 102-98 on Wednesday night.

Doncic also had 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Mavericks, who have won four straight and 10 of their past 11.

Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 for the Mavericks.

Indiana Pacers 111-104 Los Angeles Lakers

Caris LeVert scored 22 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 111-104 comeback victory over the host Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

Domantas Sabonis recorded 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season and 17th of his career as Indiana snapped an eight-game road losing streak. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points for the Pacers, who halted a four-game overall slide and won for just the fourth time in the past 17 games.

LeVert was 12-of-16 shooting and collected eight rebounds. His 22 fourth-quarter points were two shy of the Lakers’ output in the stanza. Indiana tallied 35 final-quarter points.

LeBron James had 30 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles, which blew a 15-point lead while losing for the fourth time in the past five games.

Brooklyn Nets 119-118 Washington Wizards

Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added a season-high 27 off the bench to fuel the visiting Brooklyn Nets to a 119-118 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Washington whittled a 16-point deficit down to one point on two occasions, the last after Kyle Kuzma drained a 3-pointer with 36.6 seconds to play.

The Wizards’ Montrezl Harrell blocked James Harden’s jump shot to set up a feverish finish, but Kuzma was unable to sink another 3-point attempt with 4.7 seconds remaining.

Minnesota Timberwolves 122-134 Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young scored 37 points, including 23 in the third quarter, to help the Atlanta Hawks overcome a 16-point deficit and defeat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 134-122 on Wednesday.

Young failed to score in the first quarter but finished 10-for-17 from the floor, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range, and added 14 assists. It was his league-leading 11th game this season with at least 30 points and 10 assists.

Atlanta also got 22 points from De’Andre Hunter; 17 points and 12 rebounds from John Collins; 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks from Onyeka Okongwu; and 15 points off the bench from Danilo Gallinari.

Portland Trail Blazers 92-104 Miami Heat

With Jimmy Butler ejected, reserve Caleb Martin scored 26 points to lead the host Miami Heat to a 104-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which has the best home record in the Eastern Conference (15-5). Miami has won nine of their past 10 home games.

Portland, which is 4-15 on the road, was led by Anfernee Simons (a game-high 27 points but just seven in the second half) and CJ McCollum (24 points but just four in the second half).

Charlotte Hornets 111-102 Boston Celtics

Terry Rozier finished with a game-high 28 points and 10 assists against his former team to help keep the Charlotte Hornets rolling with a 111-102 win over the host Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Miles Bridges added 22 points and LaMelo Ball had 15 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for Charlotte, which won for the sixth time in seven games.

Dennis Schroder scored 24 points to pace Boston on an off night for stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Houston Rockets 116-111 Utah Jazz

Garrison Mathews hit a pair of late clutch free throws and scored 23 points off the bench to lift the Houston Rockets to a 116-111 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.

Jae’Sean Tate scored 18, Eric Gordon added 16, Kevin Porter Jr. contributed 15 (including a big 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left) and Christian Wood chipped in 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets. Those four players each drained three 3-pointers while Mathews sank five from deep as Houston shot a sizzling 22-for-45 (48.9 percent) from beyond the arc.

Houston overcame a 13-point, second-half deficit with a 15-0 run in the third quarter en route to winning their third game in four outings.

Cleveland Cavaliers 104-117 Chicago Bulls

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and Nikola Vucevic contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds as the hosts Chicago Bulls stopped a four-game losing streak by cooling off the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 117-104 victory on Wednesday.

Ayo Dosunmu had 18 points and eight assists and Coby White chipped in 16 points as the Bulls snapped the Cavaliers’ five-game winning streak.

Chicago withstood a sparkling effort from Cleveland’s Lauri Markkanen, a former Bull, who scored a season-high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

Oklahoma City Thunder 96-118 San Antonio Spurs

Dejounte Murray racked up a 23-point, 14-assist, 10-rebound triple-double in just three quarters of play to lead a balanced San Antonio attack as the Spurs shellacked the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 118-96 on Wednesday.

The win was the Spurs’ second win in the past three games. San Antonio sprinted away from a close game in the early minutes, building a 10-point lead after one quarter that stretched to 18 at the half and as many as 28 in the third quarter while the starters on both teams were still in the game.

All five of San Antonio’s starters had scored in double figures midway through the third, marking the second straight game that each starter for the Spurs had at least 10 points.

Detroit Pistons 133-131 Sacramento Kings

Cory Joseph capped a wild comeback by sinking a tiebreaking jumper with 26.5 seconds remaining as the Detroit Pistons overcame a 10-point deficit in the final 2:48 for a 133-131 victory over the host Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Saddiq Bey poured in 30 points and Kelly Olynyk, playing for the first time since November 10, chipped in with 22 for the Pistons. Detroit’s energetic finish belied a team on a two-game losing streak playing on the road for a second night in a row.

Sacramento’s Terence Davis exploded for a career-high 35 points but missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.4 seconds remaining as the Kings dropped their second straight.