DENVER (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander banked in a decisive 8-foot jumper with 9.2 seconds remaining and finished with 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped Denver’s league-leading nine-game win streak and beat the Nuggets 101-99 Sunday night.
After Denver’s Zeke Nnaji hit two free throws to tie the game at 99 with 30 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander got the ball out of a timeout and hit the mid-range jumper to give the Thunder the lead. The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray missed a 14-foot shot in the final seconds.
Oklahoma City’s victory ended the Nuggets’ 16-game home win streak — the franchise’s longest run in 10 years.
Josh Giddey had 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Thunder, who earned their seventh win in nine games.
Denver was without center Nikola Jokic, who missed his second straight game while dealing with tightness in his left hamstring, and forward Michael Porter Jr., out due to personal reasons. Jamal Murray shouldered much of the offensive load, finishing with a team-high 26 points and nine assists.
SUNS 112, GRIZZLIES 110
PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul had 22 points and 11 assists in his return after missing seven games with a hip injury, leading Phoenix over Memphis.
The Suns had to hold on in the final minutes after dominating most of the night.
Desmond Bane’s free throws cut the margin to 110-106 with 58.8 seconds left. After a Phoenix turnover, Ja Morant was fouled and made two more free throws to cut it to 110-108 with 28.6 seconds remaining. Phoenix forward Dario Saric hit two free throws after being fouled on the ensuing possession and the Grizzlies finally ran out of time.
The Suns have won three straight, pushing back to .500 for the season. The Grizzlies have dropped two in a row after their 11-game winning streak was snapped by the Lakers on Friday.
Mikal Bridges led the Suns with 24 points, while Torrey Craig added a season high 20. Morant scored 27 for the Grizzlies, while Desmond Bane added 24.
LAKERS 121, TRAIL BLAZERS 112
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — LeBron James had 37 points and 11 rebounds, and Los Angeles rallied in the second half to beat Portland.
Thomas Bryant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won three of their last four after a three-game losing streak.
Anfernee Simons had 31 points for the Blazers, who have lost three straight. Damian Lillard added 24 points and 10 assists.
James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record of 38,387 points. James is 233 points away from matching the record after Sunday’s game.
NETS 120, WARRIORS 116
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Royce O’Neale hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.5 seconds left, and Brooklyn capitalized on Golden State’s third straight game squandering a double-digit lead.
Kyrie Irving finished with 38 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for a Nets team that won a second straight playing without injured star Kevin Durant, who missed facing his former team after winning titles and NBA Finals MVP honors in 2017 and ’18 with Golden State.
Nic Claxton contributed career highs of 24 points and and 15 rebounds as the Nets won two in a row following a four-game losing streak.
Stephen Curry had 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Jordan Poole added 17 points for the Warriors.
HEAT 100, PELICANS 96
MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 26 points, Kyle Lowry had nine straight for Miami in the final moments and the Heat rallied to beat New Orleans.
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler each scored 18 for Miami, which trailed by 16 in the first half. Lowry scored 17 for the Heat, the last nine of those coming in a span of 1:42 down the stretch.
Trey Murphy III had 17 for New Orleans, which got 14 points and 16 rebounds from Jonas Valanciunas. CJ McCollum scored 13 and Larry Nance Jr. added 12 for for the Pelicans.
New Orleans’ 25th turnover came on a five-second violation with 15.1 seconds left, with the Heat up by two. The Heat needed two time-outs before they could get the ball inbounds, and wound up losing a jump ball anyway with 12.2 seconds remaining.
McCollum got a good look at a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, but it rimmed out and Miami's Victor Oladipo put the game away with two free throws.
CLIPPERS 112, MAVERICKS 98
DALLAS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 30 points, Paul George had 21 and Norman Powell added 19 off the bench to lead Los Angeles past Dallas.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 22 points and Spencer Dinwiddie had 21.
The Clippers won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 26-27, while the Mavericks have lost four of their last five games and seven of 10.
RAPTORS 125, KNICKS 116
TORONTO (AP) — Fred VanVleet scored 28 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 24 before fouling out and Toronto beat New York to end a three-game losing streak.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points, Scottie Barnes had 19 and Precious Achiuwa added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who scored 26 points off 17 New York turnovers.
RJ Barrett scored 30 points and Julius Randle had 23 points and 19 rebounds as the Knicks lost their fourth straight. Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and Obi Toppin had 14.
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The Associated Press
