Dec 22, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) celebrates with guard Peyton Watson (8) in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Jamal Murray scored 27 points for the host Denver Nuggets, who opened the game with a 19-0 run on their way to a 135-112 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Nikola Jokic contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who shot 24-for-46 from deep to tie a franchise record for made 3-pointers. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 points off the Denver bench, hitting 6 of 11 from long range. Peyton Watson and Cameron Johnson added 20 points.
Utah endured a similarly cold start on Dec. 5, falling behind 23-0 to the New York Knicks. The Los Angeles Lakers have the record for most consecutive points to open an NBA game with 29, which they did against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 4, 1987.
Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points for Utah, which lost its third game in a row. Keyonte George finished with 20 points and seven assists.
Cavaliers 139, Hornets 132
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter each had 27 as Cleveland snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over visiting Charlotte.
Dean Wade added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Garland handed out 10 assists. Cleveland scored 70 points in the first half and 69 in the second, shooting a sizzling 55.2% on field-goal attempts, 54.5% from 3-point range and 100% on 19 free-throw tries.
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball produced 23 points and nine assists while rookie Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller scored 20 points each for the Hornets, who have split their past four games, starting with a 119-111 overtime win at Cleveland on Dec. 14.
Thunder 119, Grizzlies 103
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as Oklahoma City remained the NBA’s only team with a perfect home record, as the Thunder posted a win over Memphis.
The Thunder improved to 14-0 at home while shaking off a season-worst run of two losses in three games. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Jalen Williams added 24 points, while Ajay Mitchell scored 16 off the bench.
The Grizzlies have dropped back-to-back games and three of their past five. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cedric Coward scored 16 each to lead Memphis.
Pelicans 119, Mavericks 113
Zion Williamson compiled 24 points and nine rebounds off the bench, helping streaking New Orleans rally for a victory over visiting Dallas.
Derik Queen added 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Pelicans, who won their fifth straight game — their longest winning streak since March 2023. Saddiq Bey scored 19 points while Jordan Poole had 14 and Jeremiah Fears chipped in 12 for New Orleans, which outscored Dallas 40-26 in the fourth quarter. Trey Murphy III totaled 11 points and four steals in the win.
Anthony Davis’ 35 points and 17 rebounds led Dallas, while Klay Thompson scored 20 points and Cooper Flagg tallied 16. Naji Marshall poured in 15 points for the Mavericks, who dropped their third game in four tries.
Pistons 110, Trail Blazers 102
Jalen Duren scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting and collected 10 rebounds to help Detroit post a victory at Portland.
Ausar Thompson recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and three steals as the Pistons notched their eighth victory in the past 10 games. Detroit closed the game with an 11-2 run after blowing a 21-point, third-quarter lead.
Shaedon Sharpe had 25 points and a career-best five steals and Deni Avdija added 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who had a three-game winning streak halted.
Celtics 103, Pacers 95
Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help host Boston overcome a 20-point deficit to defeat reeling Indiana.
The Pacers, who led by 20 early in the third quarter, were held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and a game-high 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez off the bench.
Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points for Indiana and Andrew Nembhard contributed 20. Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, which has lost five in a row.
Warriors 120, Magic 97
Stephen Curry went for a game-high 26 points, Quinten Post contributed three hoops to a 19-2 flurry bridging the third and fourth quarters, and Golden State ran away from Orlando in San Francisco.
Jimmy Butler III chipped in with 21 points and Moses Moody 20 for the Warriors, whose 23-point margin of victory was their second largest in a home game this season.
Paolo Banchero had 21 points, Desmond Bane added 20 and Anthony Black 19 for the Magic, who fell to 1-2 on a Western swing that wraps up in Portland on Tuesday night.
–Field Level Media
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