MYLES Turner had 24 points, Obi Toppin added 22 and the Indiana Pacers withstood another massive Nikola Jokic triple-double to beat the host Denver Nuggets 125-120 on Sunday (Monday in Manila).
Andrew Nembhard had 19 points and six assists for the Pacers, who picked up their fourth straight win to stay in the top four of the Eastern Conference. Aaron Nesmith contributed 17 points and six rebounds.
Jokic totaled 41 points, 15 boards and 13 assists for Denver, his third triple-double in five games and 32nd of the season. Christian Braun scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half for the Nuggets, who lost their fourth straight.
Indiana built an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter before Denver whittled it to 122-120 with 43.1 seconds left. The Pacers, though, forced a turnover with 15.1 seconds to go and hit their free throws down the stretch to record the win.
In other games, it was the Rockets 106, Warriors 96; Bulls 131, Hornets 117; Raptors 120, Nets 109; Lakers 126, Thunder 99; Hawks 147, Jazz 134; Celtics 124, Wizards 90; Blazers 120, Spurs 109; Knicks 112, Suns 98; Bucks 111, Pelicans 107; and Kings 120, Cavs 113.
Rockets 106, Warriors 96
Dillon Brooks went for a game-high 24 points, Amen Thompson spearheaded a suffocating defense that held Stephen Curry to three points, and Houston neared clinching the No. 2 seed in the West by beating Golden State in San Francisco.
AlperenSengun had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Northern California native Jalen Green poured in 21 points for the Rockets, who can finish no worse than tied for second in the conference.
The Warriors, meanwhile, saw a five-game winning streak come to an end. They fell into a four-way tie for fifth place in the West, a half-game behind the fourth-place Denver Nuggets with four games remaining. Buddy Hield paced Golden State with 20 points.
Bulls 131, Hornets 117
Coby White was 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range en route to 37 points as Chicago picked up its third straight win with a road victory over Charlotte.
White finished 12-for-16 from the field while Josh Giddey chipped in with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 11 boards for the Bulls.
Mark Williams totaled 22 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who dropped their eighth game in their last nine. KJ Simpson had 18 points and seven assists for Charlotte, and JusufNurkic came off the bench for 18 points.
