NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets top Raptors for sixth straight win
![Toronto coach Nick Nurse reacts to a call during the second half of a 106-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday that snapped the Raptors’ eight-game winning streak. (Nathan Denette / AP)](https://thumb.spokesman.com/uO6q6eDqVn9RLDznlEJuDvMVKgE=/600x0/media.spokesman.com/graphics/2018/07/sr-loader.png)
Nikola Jokic capped a triple-double with three free throws in the final seven seconds, Kyle Lowry missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Denver Nuggets overcame an injury to leading scorer Gary Harris to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-103 on Monday night in Toronto.
Jokic made it 104-103 with a free throw with 7 seconds left, then hit two more foul shots with 5.6 seconds remaining before Lowry bounced a 26-footer off the rim.
Jokic had 23 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored 21 points, and Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez each scored 15 points for Denver. The Nuggets won their sixth straight and halted Toronto’s winning streak at eight.
Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, Serge Ibaka had 15 and Pascal Siakam 14 for the Raptors.
Harris scored three points in the opening quarter but did not play after the first because of a sore right hip. He came in averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game.
Warriors 128, Hawks 111: In Atlanta, Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Kevin Durant had 28 and Klay Thompson chipped in with 27 as Golden State cruised past Atlanta, snapping a six-game losing streak on the road.
With Curry scoring 18 points in the opening quarter, this one was never in doubt.
Golden State raced to a 34-17 lead in the first 12 minutes – Curry outscored the Hawks by himself – and the defending NBA champions won for only the fourth time in 10 games.
The Warriors led 61-47 at halftime and stretched the margin as high as 24 points, sending the rebuilding Hawks to their third straight loss.
John Collins led Atlanta with 24 points, and Trae Young added 20.
Thunder 110, Pistons 83: In Detroit, Steven Adams scored 21 points, Russell Westbrook added 18 and Oklahoma City ended Detroit’s five-game winning streak.
Paul George added 17 points for the Thunder, who are 15-3 since losing their first four games.
Blake Griffin led Detroit with 20 points, while Andre Drummond added 13.
Detroit came into the game having won six straight at home, including the first five games on its current homestand, but fell six points short of its previous season low.
Detroit’s offense continued to struggle in the second half without Reggie Bullock, who left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. The Thunder took a 71-51 lead midway through the third quarter and led by 28 at the end of the period. In the fourth, Oklahoma City led by as many as 35.
Timberwolves 103, Rockets 91: In Minneapolis, Karl-Anthony Towns helped erase a 14-point halftime deficit to lift Minnesota over Houston.
Towns led Minnesota with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins had 16 points. The Rockets led by as many as 19 in the first half before Minnesota stormed back to take the lead for good in the third quarter.
James Harden finished with 29 points, and Clint Capela added 24 for the Rockets. Houston went cold after halftime, scoring just nine points in the fourth quarter and 29 total in the second half.
Minnesota clamped down on defense in the third quarter while shooting 7 of 10 from 3-point range. Houston shot just 38.1 percent in the third quarter and connected on 2 of 11 from deep.
Cavaliers 99, Nets 97: In New York, Jordan Clarkson had 20 points and 11 rebounds, newcomer Alec Burks threw down a two-handed dunk with 3.2 seconds left in regulation and Cleveland avoided a fourth-quarter collapse against Brooklyn.
Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who snapped their four-game losing streak.
The Nets went on a 17-6 run in the fourth, tying it 97-all on rookie Rodion Kurucs’ put-back layup with 18.9 seconds left. Burks drove past Spencer Dinwiddie for the dunk that sealed it.
D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points for Brooklyn, which has lost seven straight and nine of 11 overall, including their last six at home. Dinwiddie had 18 points off the bench.
Wizards 110, Knicks 107: In New York, Bradley Beal scored 27 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 21 off the bench and Washington beat New York.
John Wall had 18 points and 15 assists for the Wizards, who collected their just their third road win of the season and beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden for the ninth straight time. Markieff Morris also had 18 points and Otto Porter Jr. scored 15.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks with 20 points. Damyean Dotson scored 17 and Enes Kanter had 13 points and 16 rebounds for New York, which has lost three of four.
Clippers 129, Pelicans 126: In New Orleans, Tobias Harris made two clutch free throws with 4.7 seconds left to close out a 27-point performance, and Los Angeles held off New Orleans.
Dino Gallinari scored 24 points, and Lou Williams topped off his 20-point night with a long, contested, off-balance jumper that gave the Clippers a 127-124 lead with 6.4 seconds remaining.
The Clippers chose to foul quickly on New Orleans’ next possession, and Darius Miller made two free throws with 4.9 seconds to go. The Pelicans followed suit with a quick foul but had little choice but to attempt a 3 as time ran out after Harris made his late free throws. E’Twaun Moore wound up with the final shot, which caromed off the rim for a long rebound as time expired.
Julius Randle scored a career-high 37 points for New Orleans, which has dropped six of its last eight games.