NBA Roundup: Nuggets Dominate Hawks, Claim Top Spot; Lakers Rise to No 8 Spot
In the latest NBA action, the Denver Nuggets showcased their dominance with a commanding 142-110 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Nuggets, who have won three of their previous four games, are now a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently in second place in the Western Conference.
On Saturday, Nikola Jokic recorded his 25th triple-double of the year to assist the Denver Nuggets in defeating the Atlanta Hawks 142-110.
Jokic concluded with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a game-high 24 points for the Nuggets, who have won three straight and are now a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves in second place in the Western Conference.
For Denver, Jamal Murray scored sixteen, Peyton Watson contributed thirteen, and reserve player Reggie Jackson scored eighteen.
With 19 points and 12 rebounds, Clint Capela led the Hawks, followed by De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who each scored 18. Atlanta, which has lost two consecutive games and is currently in the final play-in slot in the Eastern Conference, was led by Jalen Johnson with 17 points. Garrison Mathews finished with 11 points, while Dejounte Murray scored 14.
Lakers 116, Cavaliers 97
Los Angeles, the home team, defeated Cleveland with a 19-0 third-quarter run led by D’Angelo Russell, who scored a game-high 28 points.
Los Angeles won for the ninth time in its last ten games behind double-doubles from LeBron James (24 points, 12 assists) and Anthony Davis (22 points, 13 rebounds). With 18 points, Taurean Prince contributed.
With 26 points, Darius Garland led Cleveland. Jarrett Allen finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Caris LeVert contributed 21 points and seven rebounds. Georges Niang scored twelve as well.
Nets 113, Pistons 103
Brooklyn defeated Detroit in a thrilling comeback game, led by a game-high 32 points by Cam Thomas, who helped the team win its fifth straight game.
Brooklyn, which trailed by 15 points with 7:49 left in the fourth quarter, recovered to take a 104-103 lead with 2:54 remaining after a 3-pointer by Dennis Schroder. Noah Clowney also scored 17 points for Brooklyn. Brooklyn had not led since the third game, 3-1. Over the last 4:51 of the game, the Nets went on a 19-0 run.
Marcus Sasser scored eighteen points and Chimezie Metu scored twenty for Detroit. In the end, Jaden Ivey had 10 assists and 16 points.
76ers 116, Grizzlies 96
With a rout of host Memphis, Joel Embiid achieved a double-double by halftime and concluded with game-highs of 30 points and 12 rebounds to help Philadelphia win its fourth straight game.
Embiid scored nine points in the last 1:52 of the first half to cap off an explosive first half. With 22 points and 10 rebounds as he entered the locker room, Philadelphia had increased their advantage by 11 points to 20, 62-42, thanks to Embiid’s strong play.
The 76ers led from start to finish and encountered little opposition as their lead grew to as many as 27 points in the second half. Leading the Grizzlies was Scotty Pippen Jr., who scored a career-high 24 points.
