NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson had 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the New York Knicks outlasted the Denver Nuggets 134-127 in two overtimes Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 12 rebounds while playing with a bandage over his right eye after he was bloodied in a head-to-head collision in the first quarter. He fouled out in the first overtime, but Brunson took over with 10 points in the second extra period.
Jamal Murray scored 39 points for the Nuggets, while Nikoka Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double since returning from a knee injury last week. Denver lost its third straight, having fallen to conference leaders Oklahoma City and Detroit in his previous two games.
The Knicks had won by an average of 24.7 points during their winning streak before Wednesday’s thriller in which neither team led by double digits. OG Anunoby scored 20 points.
The Nuggets lost starting forwards Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones to injuries during the game, with Watson limping off in the fourth quarter with an apparent right leg injury,
The Knicks appeared to have it won in the first overtime when Murray was short on a 3-point attempt in the last second. But officials whistled Mikal Bridges for a loose-ball foul against Christian Braun that review showed came before the clock expired. Braun hit the two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to tie it at 119.
Brunson then scored the first six points of the second OT.
TIMBERWOLVES 128, RAPTORS 126
TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Bones Hyland had 20 points and Minnesota overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Toronto.
Minnesota won in Toronto for the first time since Jan. 21, 2004. The Timberwolves’ previous road win in the series came Feb. 14, 2021, when the Raptors were playing in Tampa because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jaden McDaniels scored 19 points, Naz Reid and Julius Randle each had 17 and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 as the Timberwolves won for the fifth time in six games.
Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Timberwolves improved to 14-5 against Eastern Conference opponents.
Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, Immanuel Quickley had 23 and Scottie Barnes had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors.
Ingram hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but Toronto lost for the fourth time in its past five home games.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 14 points for Toronto. RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles each had 13.
CELTICS 114, ROCKETS 93
HOUSTON (AP) — Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points and Boston used a big third quarter to build the lead and cruise to a win over Houston.
White’s performance helped the Celtics win a fourth straight game despite missing star Jaylen Brown, who sat out with left hamstring tightness in the second game of a back-to-back.
Houston coach Ime Udoka was ejected at the end of the third quarter after receiving a double technical for arguing with officials, and Alperen Sengun was tossed midway through the fourth after receiving two technical fouls for yelling at an official following a no-call.
The Rockets trailed by four after a 3-pointer by Amen Thompson early in the third before Boston went on an 18-3 run to make it 67-48 with about seven minutes left in the quarter. The Celtics made five 3-pointers in that stretch, with two apiece from White and Baylor Scheierman.
Thompson made a basket for Houston before Boston used a 10-1 spurt to push the lead to 77-51 with four minutes remaining in the quarter. White led the way during that run, scoring the first eight points, with two 3-pointers.
Reed Sheppard received a loose ball foul near the end of the quarter and Udoka received two technical fouls after the call and was tossed. Boston converted four free throws off those fouls to make it 87-63 entering the fourth.
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 15 points in his return after sitting out Monday with a sprained left ankle. Sengun, who had 39 points and 16 rebounds in Monday’s win over Indiana, had 13 points and nine rebounds.
BUCKS 141, PELICANS 137, OT
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins scored 27 points and Milwaukee withstood a brilliant performance from Trey Murphy III to beat New Orleans in overtime.
Murphy scored a career-high 44 points and shot 12 of 19 from 3-point range. His 12 3-pointers matched the fifth-highest, single-game total in NBA history. The single-game record belongs to Klay Thompson, who had 14 for Golden State against Chicago on Oct. 29, 2018.
The teams shot a combined 45 of 93 from 3-point range, with New Orleans 24 of 46 and Milwaukee 21 of 47. The Bucks shot a season-best 60.9% overall.
The Bucks pulled ahead for good by scoring the first five points of overtime, on a Rollins driving layup and a Myles Turner 3-pointer. New Orleans trailed 139-137 when Zion Williamson was called for an offensive foul just before Saddiq Bey hit a 3-pointer that would have put the Pelicans ahead with 6.5 seconds left in overtime.
Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. then hit two free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining. Porter had 18 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his return after missing six game with an oblique strain.
AJ Green scored 20 points for Milwaukee. Bey had 22 points and Williamson 20 for New Orleans.
SPURS 116, THUNDER 106
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 25 points, Victor Wembanyama had 22 points and 14 rebounds and San Antonio never trailed in a victory over injury-depleted Oklahoma City, beating the reigning NBA champion for a fourth time this season.
De’Aaron Fox had 15 points and 10 assists, rookie forward Carter Bryant matched a season high with 11 points as San Antonio won its second straight.
The Spurs (34-16) closed to within five games of the Western Conference-leading Thunder (40-12).
Kenrich Williams scored 25 points and Jaylin Williams added 24 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which had only eight active players.
Reigning MVP and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the game with an abdominal strain. The Thunder were without their entire regular starting lineup on the second night of a back-to-back.
Late in the third quarter, there was no one other than staff on the bench when Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault had his three reserves preparing to sub in with San Antonio holding a 90-80 lead.
Oklahoma City’s frontcourt of Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins combined for 69 points, including 36 in the first half. Wiggins finished with 20 points 7-for-14 shooting.
GRIZZLIES 129, KINGS 125
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Cam Spencer hit three key baskets late in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 points, and Ty Jerome added 28 as Memphis beat Sacramento for its season-worst 10th straight loss.
Spencer hit a 3-pointer with 2:08 remaining in the fourth to give Memphis a 122-118 lead. After GG Jackson hit a jumper, Spencer added a 16-foot jumper with 43 seconds left to keep the margin at four points. After the Kings pulled within a point on DeMar DeRozan’s 3, Spencer hit a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to restore the four-point lead and help seal the win.
Jaylen Wells scored 18 points, Jackson added 16 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 15 as Memphis won its second straight. Santi Aldama, back in the lineup after missing four game with a right knee injury, had 12 points and six rebounds.
The Grizzlies were playing their first game since trading Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in an eight-player, three-draft-pick deal. Memphis has also been engaged in talks about moving star guard Ja Morant. The trade deadline is Thursday afternoon.
Domantas Sabonis scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half and added 15 rebounds for the Kings, whose last victory came on Jan. 16 against Washington, the final game of a four-game win streak.
CAVALIERS 124, CLIPPERS 91
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and had nine assists, Jaylon Tyson added 17 points and Cleveland routed Los Angeles, hours after the teams completed a trade of All-Stars.
The Cavaliers sent guard Darius Garland to the Clippers in exchange for James Harden. Neither took the court for their new teams.
Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Schroder and Ellis were acquired from Sacramento in a three-team trade Sunday.
Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and John Collins added 19 for the Clippers, who lost consecutive games for the first time since a five-game losing streak in December.
Rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 10 points and had eight rebounds for Los Angeles, which is 17-5 since Dec. 20, although most of that success was with Harden. The Clippers also were without starting center Ivica Zubac, who was out for the birth of his child.
