By ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nikola Jokic overcame a slow scoring start for his ninth triple-double of the season, finishing with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 132-129 overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, Dec. 22.
Jokic turned it on after failing to score in the first 21 minutes. Jamal Murray added 27 points, scoring Denver’s final five in overtime, and Russell Westbrook had 21.
The Pelicans led 107-98 with 7:50 left in regulation, but Jokic scored seven points in a 15-2 Denver run over a 3:41 span to give the Nuggets a 113-109 lead.
CJ McCollum put New Orleans up 119-117 with a 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining, and Murray tied it with 8.8 seconds left. McCollum shot an airball on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Jokic scored the first six points of overtime and assisted on an Aaron Gordon layup to put Denver up 129-125.
Jordan Hawkins led New Orleans with 25 points. McCollum had 24.
Meanwhile, Dillon Brooks scored 27 points, Jalen Green had 22 and the Houston Rockets won in Toronto for the first time in more than five years by beating the struggling Raptors, 114-110.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who hadn’t won in Toronto since Dec. 5, 2019. Current Rockets guard Fred VanVleet scored 20 points for the reigning NBA-champion Raptors in that game.
Ja’Kobe Walter fouled out with a career-high 27 points and Chris Boucher and Ochai Agbaji each added 15 as Toronto’s losing streak reached seven. The Raptors have lost six straight at home.
Walter scored Toronto’s first 14 points of the game, a run that ended when Gradey Dick made a free throw with 7:06 remaining in the opening period.
Jamal Shead had 11 points and a career-high 10 assists for the Raptors.
Toronto’s RJ Barrett missed his second straight game because of an illness.
Earlier in Sacramento, Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers dominated the second half to rout the Kings 122-95.
Siakam scored 13 points after halftime, when the Pacers outscored the Kings 70-43 after the game was tied at 52 at the break. The Pacers shot 58% for the game and made 17 3-pointers in their season-high fourth straight victory.
Myles Turner added 15 points and Ben Sheppard had 14 off the bench. Tyrese Haliburton, who started his career in Sacramento, had 14 points. Seven Pacers finished in double figures.
The Pacers took an 87-78 lead into the fourth quarter, and then started the period on a 17-5 run to take a 21-point advantage.
De’Aaron Fox had 23 points in the Kings’ fourth straight loss. Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 21 rebounds for his eighth straight double-double.
