By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER (AP) — Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points, P.J. Washington had 22 and the Dallas Mavericks recovered after blowing a 24-point lead to beat the Denver Nuggets, 123-120, on Friday night, Nov. 22, in an NBA Cup game.
Playing without Luka Doncic, Dallas built a 20-point halftime lead by was down by five before Washington scored nine points in the final 2:41 to improve to 2-1 in the West Group C. Denver was eliminated from the knockout round.
Doncic will be out at least four games with a right wrist sprain.
Nikola Jokic returned from a three-game absence to notch his sixth triple-double of the season. Jokic, who didn’t go on the three-game road trip while he and his wife waited for the birth of their second child, finished with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.
Russell Westbrook scored 16 points.
Dallas led 77-53 early in the third quarter but the Nuggets rallied to take a 113-108 lead late in the fourth. The Mavericks went on an 11-2 run to lead 119-115 with 50 seconds left.
Meanwhile in New Orleans, Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points and the Golden State Warriors secured a knockout round spot in the NBA Cup with a 112-108 victory over the reeling Pelicans.
Stephen Curry scored 19 for the Warriors, who improved to 3-0 in West Group C and clinched first place in the group when Denver lost to Dallas.
Buddy Hield capped his 12-point performance with two free throws with 18.5 seconds left to help Golden State hold New Orleans at bay.
Trey Murphy III led New Orleans with 24 points but missed a 3-pointer for the lead with 5 seconds remaining — a shot made possible by Brandon Boston Jr’s steal of a Golden State inbound pass.
Golden State’s Draymond Green was fouled as he grabbed the rebound of Murphy’s miss and hit both free throws for the final margin.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 19 points, Brandon Ingram added 18 and Boston 16 for the Pelicans, who fell to 1-2 in group play and lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
Jordan Hawkins returned from a seven-game absence caused by back soreness and had six points.
In Houston, Dillon Brooks scored a season-high 28 points and led the Rockets to a 116-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in an NBA Cup game.
Brooks matched a career-high with six 3-pointers on eight attempts, and the Rockets made 15 of 39 (38.5%) from beyond the arc.
Tari Eason scored 22 points off the bench, Jalen Green had 17 and Alperen Sengun added 14 as the Rockets won for the seventh time in eight games. Six of those wins were by double figures. Houston is 2-0 in NBA Cup play
For Portland, Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe scores 13 points apiece and Toumani Camara had 11.
Portland has lost two straight games to open a four-game trip. They previously won three straight at home. The Trail Blazers are 1-1 in the in-season tournament.
In Washington, Jaylen Brown scored 31 points, and the Boston Celtics overcame an off night for Jayson Tatum to beat the Wizards 108-96 in the NBA Cup.
The Celtics improved to 2-1 in East Group C of this competition with one game remaining. Washington is 0-2 and has lost 10 in a row overall.
In Milwaukee, If the first half of last season served as a coming-out party for Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, the early part of this one is underscoring the challenges of sustaining that level of success.
Indiana (6-10) has lost three straight and five of its last six after falling 129-117 to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers are 0-2 in the NBA Cup after finishing second in this event last year, when it was known as the In-Season Tournament.
James Harden had 22 points and nine assists to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 104-88 victory over the Sacramento Kings in an NBA Cup game.
Playing arguably their cleanest half of the season, the Clippers never looked back after ripping off a 20-1 run in the first quarter to take control. They led 51-29 at the break, having turned the ball over just three times.