Nikola Jokic put up 35 points and Michael Porter Jr. contributed 25 as the Nuggets won their sixth consecutive game by defeating the Lakers 124-114 on Saturday. This victory also overshadowed a recent achievement by LeBron James.
Although James made history by being the first NBA player to surpass 40,000 points, the Nuggets dominated the game with strong performances from Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who scored 24 and 18 points respectively. Porter had a perfect shooting record, while both Porter and Nikola Jokic grabbed 10 rebounds each. On his milestone night, James scored 26 points and provided nine assists, while Rui Hachimura contributed 23 points. Anthony Davis recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who had a 9-3 record since February 1st. Austin Reaves had 19 points and 14 assists, and D’Angelo Russell added 17 points for the Lakers, who suffered their second loss to Denver in just over three weeks.
Anfernee Simons scored 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 107-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The Blazers, who had previously defeated the Grizzlies the night before, were able to come back from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Jabari Walker contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds to help secure the win. Memphis, led by Santi Aldama and Vince Williams Jr. with 21 points each, suffered their fifth consecutive loss despite GG Jackson’s 17 points.
Jimmy Butler scored a season-best 37 points to lead Miami to a 126-120 victory over Utah, with six Heat players reaching double figures in scoring. Keyonte George had a strong performance for Utah, finishing with 31 points, just two points shy of his career high. Lauri Markkanen contributed 25 points, hitting 4 of 9 three-pointers and making 11 of 12 free throws, while also recording six assists. Bam Adebayo added 23 points and seven rebounds, Terry Rozier had 14 points and eight assists, and Duncan Robinson chipped in with 12 points and six assists while filling in for the injured Tyler Herro. Caleb Martin and Jaime Jaquez Jr. also made significant scoring contributions off the bench for Miami.
Mikal Bridges led the Brooklyn Nets to a crucial 114-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in New York, scoring 38 points. Despite a slow start, the Nets also saw strong performances from Cameron Johnson with 23 points, Dennis Schroder with 14 points and eight assists, and Nic Claxton with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The team managed to win despite missing Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons due to injuries. Saddiq Bey scored 23 points for the Hawks, who have struggled since Trae Young’s injury, which will keep him out for four weeks following surgery on his left pinky. Dejounte Murray also contributed with 20 points and 11 assists.
