Nikola Jokic finished with 40 points, including a 7-foot floater late in overtime, Christian Braun had 21 points, and the host Denver Nuggets ended San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak with a 136-134 win over the Spurs on Saturday.
Jokic, who finished with 13 assists, scored seven points in overtime to rally Denver to its eighth straight win and overcome a big game from Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio big man had 34 points and 18 rebounds while going 16-for-17 from the foul line.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 10 assists, Cam Johnson contributed 17 points, Aaron Gordon had 15 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 10 points for the Nuggets, who rarely led until taking over in overtime and rallied from a six-point deficit with 1:39 left in regulation.
Stephon Castle had 20 points, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie scored 18 apiece, De’Aaron Fox contributed 14 points, Dylan Harper had 12 points and Keldon Johnson 10 points for the Spurs, who had won 27 of 29 entering the game.
Pistons 116, 76ers 93
Tobias Harris scored 19 points and Daniss Jenkins contributed 16 points and 14 assists as Detroit clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a road win over Philadelphia.
Jalen Duren chipped in with 16 points for Detroit, which will have home-court advantage in the East for the first time since 2007. The Pistons improved to 8-2 since Cade Cunningham sustained a collapsed lung, although the team’s star guard is expected to return late in the regular season.
Philadelphia, which entered with eight wins in its last 11 games, shot just 34.2% in the second half and managed only 33 points after intermission. Tyrese Maxey (23 points) and Paul George (20) were the top scorers for the Sixers, who played without Joel Embiid in the second half of a back-to-back.
Heat 152, Wizards 136
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a season-high 32 points and Kel’el Ware matched his career high of seven blocks, leading host Miami to a win over Washington.
Ware also scored 24 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds for the Heat, who pulled away in the second quarter led by as many as 35 points before pulling their starters on the way to the third 150-point game in franchise history.
Washington, which has lost 21 of its past 22 games, was led by Will Riley’s 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting. The Wizards also got 20 points from Sharife Cooper and 19 points from Jaden Hardy.
–Field Level Media
