Nikola Jokić had 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists, Jamal Murray added 34 points, and the Denver Nuggets avenged Sunday’s loss by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 140-127 on Monday.
After a 10-for-23 shooting performance Sunday, Jokić finished Monday’s rematch 15 of 20 from the floor and scored 10 points in a decisive fourth quarter.
Fellow MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points for the Thunder after having 40 in Sunday’s win over Denver.
Murray also redeemed himself after a rough game Sunday, making 11 of his 22 attempts and going 9 for 9 from the free throw line.
Oklahoma City’s league-leading defence seemed powerless to slow down the Nuggets, who shot 60.5 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from 3-point range. Peyton Watson and Jalen Pickett combined for 24 points off the bench on 9-for-11 shooting.
Typically known for his defence, Luguentz Dort led the Thunder in scoring with 26 points and shot 8 for 14 from beyond the 3-point arc.
With the win, Denver (42-23) moved into sole possession of second place in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City (53-12) holds an 11-game lead for the No. 1 seed in the West.
Lakers fall to Nets despite Dončić's triple-double
Noah Clowney scored 19 points off the bench, and the Brooklyn Nets ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 111-108 as LeBron James sat out due to injury.
James suffered a left groin strain in Thursday’s loss to the Boston Celtics and is expected to miss at least another week while recovering.
With his superstar teammate out, Luka Dončić finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Doncic had an assist and made a deep 3-pointer in the final minute, but Los Angeles was unable to fully close the gap. Dončić’s full-court heave at the buzzer hit the arena’s video screen.
Clowney sealed the game with a three-point play with nine seconds left, dunking through the foul of Gabe Vincent.
Cameron Johnson and Keon Johnson each scored 18 points for Brooklyn.
The Lakers’ loss was their second in a row, following a stretch in which they won 14 of 16.
Morant sparks comeback for Grizzlies
Ja Morant had 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead a balanced attack, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 16 points down to beat the Phoenix Suns.
Morant shot 9 for 13 from the field and remarkably made 8 of 8 from inside the arc. He was 10 of 10 from the free throw line.
Memphis had seven players score in double figures, including Cam Spencer, who had 16 points in under 20 minutes off the bench.
The win was the Grizzlies’ third straight after going 3-8 in their previous 11 games. Memphis maintained its one-game lead for the No. 4 seed in the West and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Kevin Durant led the way for Phoenix with 35 points and was 7 of 9 shooting from 3-point range. Devin Booker added 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Suns fell 2 ½ games back of the West’s final play-in spot.