By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 32 of his season-high 45 points in the first half and led the Denver Nuggets to a 118-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, Jan. 14.
Murray easily surpassed his previous season-best of 34 points, scored against Detroit on Dec. 28.
Murray shot 18 for 26 from the floor, including 5 of 9 from 3-point distance, and added six assists and two steals. He headed to the bench with just under four minutes remaining, five points shy of his career high of 50 points against Cleveland on Feb. 19, 2021.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 points and Nikola Jokic had 10 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
Kyrie Irving was back in the lineup after missing five games with a lumbar back sprain. He finished with 11 points on 4-for-18 shooting for Dallas. Daniel Gafford scored 13 points and Naji Marshall had 11.
Denver, which beat the Mavs by 11 on Sunday in Dallas, have won four straight and eight of their last 10. In each of the eight wins, Denver has won by 10 or more points.
Dallas absorbed its second-worst loss of the season. The 19-point loss was behind a 23-point setback to the Clippers on Dec. 19.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and Jalen Williams had 24 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-102 win over a 76ers team missing three All-Stars.
Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George sat out with injuries as the Sixers continued their slide down the Eastern Conference standings.
The Thunder built a 21-point lead and have won 18 of 19 games headed into Thursday’s rematch against Cleveland in a matchup of teams with the best records in each conference.
With the stars out, Justin Edwards led the 76ers with 25 points, and Jeff Dowtin Jr. had 18.
In Atlanta, Trae Young scored a season-high 43 points and the Hawks overcame Devin Booker’s 35 points to beat Phoenix, 122-117, and snap the Suns’ three-game winning streak.
Kevin Durant scored 14 of his 31 points in the third quarter for Phoenix (19-20), which lost for the 11th straight time in Atlanta. Durant added nine rebounds.
The Suns are still looking for their first win in Atlanta since March 24, 2014.
In Indianapolis, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers, 127-117.
Darius Garland scored 24 points and Evan Mobley added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and Bennedict Mathurin 19 for the Pacers, who had their six-game winning streak halted. Myles Turned added 17 points.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 50th career triple-double as the Bucks beat Sacramento, 130-115, to snap the Kings’ seven-game win streak.
Antetokounmpo’s triple-double was his fifth of the season. He had a sixth in the Bucks’ NBA Cup championship victory over Oklahoma City, but players’ statistics from that game aren’t official.
Damian Lillard had 24 points, Brook Lopez 21 and A.J. Green 16 for the Bucks, who never trailed and led by as many as 28.
