By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 34 points, Nikola Jokic finished an assist shy of his 26th triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by holding off the depleted Charlotte Hornets, 129-115, on Thursday night, Feb. 20.
Jokic finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. He attempted a career-high 14 3-pointers and made six.
Murray picked right up where he left off before the All-Star break when he erupted for 55 points. Against Charlotte, Murray was 12 of 18 from the floor, including seven 3-pointers.
A 17 1/2-point favorite, the Nuggets didn’t put away the Hornets until a late spurt. The win, coupled with a loss by Memphis, moved the Nuggets into second place in the Western Conference.
Miles Bridges had a season-high 36 points to go with 13 rebounds for a Hornets team missing LaMelo Ball (ankle management) and Mark Williams (return to competition reconditioning). Charlotte was playing on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Lakers 100-97 in Los Angeles. It was a game rescheduled from January due to the devastating wildfires in Southern California.
Meanwhile in Austin, Texas, De’Aaron Fox scored 11 straight points in the final three minutes and finished with 26 as San Antonio beat the Phoenix Suns, 120-109, hours after learning Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was done for the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.
Fox added nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks as the Spurs won the opener of a two-game set in Austin, a city they covet as part of a mega-region that they’ve been cultivating for years.
Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie each scored 15 points for San Antonio. Stephon Castle had 10 rebounds and Chris Paul 10 assists.
Royce O’Neale scored 27 to lead Phoenix, which lost its fourth straight game and for the seventh time in eight games.
Kevin Durant scored 22 points in his return to the University of Texas campus. The All-Star forward played one season at Texas, 2006-07, and was selected as player of the year by The Associated Press and a number of other outlets.
In New York, Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and three Cleveland teammates scored in double figures as the Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 110-97.
Darius Garland scored 18 points, Evan Mobley added 18 points and 13 rebounds and Jarrett Allen finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds for Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland, which improved to 45-10.
Cam Johnson led Brooklyn with 18 points. Keon Johnson scored 16 points, Trendon Watford finished with 13 points off the bench and Ziaire Williams and Jalen Wilson each scored 10.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points in his return after missing six games with a strained calf and the Bucks rallied for a 116-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Anteotkounmpo was on a minutes restriction and played just under 24 minutes, leaving for good with 6:27 remaining as the Bucks trailed 101-96. Milwaukee then completed its comeback from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit with Antetokounmpo on the bench.
Earlier, Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 18 rebounds, Jalen Brunson added 22 points and 12 assists and the New York Knicks edged the Chicago Bulls 113-111 in overtime.
Miles McBride finished with 22 points, while Mikal Bridges had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the short-handed Knicks, who improved to 36-18 in their first game following the All-Star break.
