NBA roundup: Pacers overcome monster game by Nikola Jokic

Myles Turner had 24 points, Obi Toppin added 22 and the Indiana Pacers withstood another massive Nikola Jokic triple-double to beat the host Denver Nuggets 125-120 on Sunday.

Andrew Nembhard had 19 points and six assists for the Pacers, who picked up their fourth straight win to stay in the top four of the Eastern Conference. Aaron Nesmith contributed 17 points and six rebounds.

Jokic totaled 41 points, 15 boards and 13 assists for Denver, his third triple-double in five games and 32nd of the season. Christian Braun scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half for the Nuggets, who lost their fourth straight.

Indiana built an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter before Denver whittled it to 122-120 with 43.1 seconds left. The Pacers, though, forced a turnover with 15.1 seconds to go and hit their free throws down the stretch to record the win.

Rockets 106, Warriors 96

Dillon Brooks went for a game-high 24 points, Amen Thompson spearheaded a suffocating defense that held Stephen Curry to three points, and Houston neared clinching the No. 2 seed in the West by beating Golden State in San Francisco.

Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Northern California native Jalen Green poured in 21 points for the Rockets, who can finish no worse than tied for second in the conference.

The Warriors, meanwhile, saw a five-game winning streak come to an end. They fell into a four-way tie for fifth place in the West, a half-game behind the fourth-place Denver Nuggets with four games remaining. Buddy Hield paced Golden State with 20 points.

Bulls 131, Hornets 117

Coby White was 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range en route to 37 points as Chicago picked up its third straight win with a road victory over Charlotte.

White finished 12-for-16 from the field while Josh Giddey chipped in with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 11 boards for the Bulls.

Mark Williams totaled 22 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who dropped their eighth game in their last nine. KJ Simpson had 18 points and seven assists for Charlotte, and Jusuf Nurkic came off the bench for 18 points.

Raptors 120, Nets 109

Jonathan Mogbo led eight Toronto players in double figures by tying a career-high 17 points to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists in beating host Brooklyn for its fifth win in eight games.

Ochai Agabji had 15 points for Toronto, RJ Barrett and AJ Lawson added 13 apiece, while Cole Swider and Jamison Battle finished with 12 each.

Reece Beekman finished with 14 points to lead the Nets, who dropped their 19th in 24 games, while Trendon Watford, Drew Timme, Keon Johnson, Dariq Whitehead and Maxwell Lewis all finished with 13 points.

Lakers 126, Thunder 99

Luka Doncic scored 30 points to lead Los Angeles to a road win over Oklahoma City.

The Lakers finished with a season-high 22 3-pointers on 40 attempts (55 percent). Austin Reaves had 20 points; he and Doncic were two of four Los Angeles players with four or more 3-pointers.

The Thunder have dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points, extending his streak of scoring 20 or more points to 71 games.

Hawks 147, Jazz 134

Onyeka Okongwu posted 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Atlanta over visiting Utah and end a three-game losing streak.

Trae Young added 23 points and 15 assists for the Hawks, while Caris LeVert chipped in with 21 points. Atlanta led by 17 at the half.

Keyonte George netted a career-high 35 points off the bench for the Jazz, and Collin Sexton finished with 27 points and six assists.

Celtics 124, Wizards 90

Payton Pritchard, who finished with 20 points, helped Boston add to its record-setting total of made 3-pointers in the home win over Washington.

Derrick White had 19 points for Boston, which was 24-of-52 shooting from long range two days after setting the league’s single-season mark for made 3-pointers in a season. Sam Hauser added 18 points off the bench, and Jaylen Brown scored 15.

Alex Sarr tallied 16 points to lead Washington, while Justin Champagnie chipped in with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Trail Blazers 120, Spurs 109

Toumani Camara poured in 23 points and took 10 rebounds as host Portland did just enough to beat San Antonio.

However, both the Blazers and Spurs were officially eliminated from playoff contention following the Sacramento Kings’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists for Portland. Stephon Castle led San Antonio with 22 points, and Devin Vassell scored 21.

Knicks 112, Suns 98

OG Anunoby continued the surge he began during Jalen Brunson’s absence, and Brunson returned to New York’s lineup by scoring 32 points in a win over visiting Phoenix.

Anunoby is averaging 23.8 points per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field — including 41.8 percent on 3-pointers — over the last 16 games. Brunson finished with 15 points and six assists in his first game since March 6.

Devin Booker scored 40 points for the skidding Suns, whose play-in hopes dimmed further with their sixth straight loss. Phoenix is 2 1/2 games behind the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks.

Bucks 111, Pelicans 107

Playing without a resting Giannis Antetokoumpo, Milwaukee rode 29 points from Gary Trent Jr. and double-doubles from Brook Lopez and Ryan Rollins to a road win against New Orleans.

Lopez totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds to go with four blocks for the Bucks, while Rollins finished with 14 points and 10 assists. Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 points and Kyle Kuzma scored 17 for Milwaukee, which won its fourth straight.

Antonio Reeves paced the Pelicans with 23 points and Yves Missi chipped in with 18 points and 12 boards. Lester Quinones scored 17 points and Bruce Brown had 16 for New Orleans, which lost its third straight.

Kings 120, Cavaliers 113

Zach LaVine made seven 3-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter, to finish with a game-high 37 points as visiting Sacramento pushed past Cleveland.

The win sent the Kings to the ninth seed in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Mavericks, and also denied the Cavaliers the opportunity to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Sacramento won both games over the Cavaliers this season.

DeMar DeRozan had 28 points and seven assists for the Kings, while Domantas Sabonis added 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Ty Jerome paced Cleveland with 20 points off the bench, and Donovan Mitchell had 19 points, six boards and six assists.

–Field Level Media