Nikola Jokic put up 32 points to help the Denver Nuggets maintain their perfect home record and hand the Los Angeles Clippers their sixth consecutive loss in the NBA’s regular season competition on Tuesday.
In a thrilling Western Conference Group B matchup in Denver, the NBA champions came from behind to secure a 111-108 win after trailing by seven points in the fourth quarter. The defeat was another setback for the Clippers, who have now lost five consecutive games following the high-profile signing of James Harden. Despite a standout performance from Paul George, who scored 35 points, and 21 points from Harden, the Clippers were unable to break their losing streak. Denver Nuggets’ experience and resilience ultimately made the difference as they outscored Los Angeles 19-9 in the final minutes of the game to claim the victory.
“They’d lost five in a row so we knew they were going to play really aggressive,” Jokic said. “But we were undefeated at home this season and we wanted to keep it like that,” added the Serb, who had 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Jokic received scoring assistance from Aaron Gordon, who contributed 20 points, and Reggie Jackson, who added 18.
Timberwolves 104 Golden State Warriors 101
In San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves had a heated game that ended with a 104-101 victory for the Timberwolves. The visitors came back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to secure the win. The game was marred by a dramatic altercation in the first quarter, resulting in ejections for Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, as well as Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels. Thompson was sent off after a confrontation with McDaniels that resulted in his shirt being torn, while Green was ejected for pulling Rudy Gobert into a headlock during the scuffle.
The Warriors coach Steve Kerr was furious about the decision to eject Thompson and argued that Green was simply protecting a teammate.
“There is no way Klay should have been thrown out of the game,” Kerr said. “He’s running up the floor and the guy grabs his jersey and is pulling on him, so Klay pulls back… that was ridiculous.”
On Green’s dismissal, Kerr added: “Guys on the bench were telling us Rudy had Klay, that’s why Draymond went at Rudy. That’s all I know -– it was a bizarre way to start the game, a minute and a half in.”
Indiana Pacers 132 Philadelphia 76ers 126
In Philadelphia, Tyrese Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to a 132-126 victory over the 76ers, ending their eight-game winning streak. Haliburton scored 33 points, including seven three-pointers, and also contributed 15 assists and seven rebounds without committing any turnovers. Despite Joel Embiid’s impressive performance of 39 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists for the Sixers, the Pacers secured their second win in the Eastern Conference Group A game.
The Pacers, who had previously lost 137-126 to the Sixers, took an early lead and maintained it for most of the second half before the Sixers briefly pulled ahead in the fourth quarter. Embiid’s jump shot gave the Sixers a 109-106 lead with 6 minutes and 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Haliburton and Myles Turner stepped up to secure the victory.
Los Angeles Lakers 134 Memphis Grizzlies 107
In Tuesday’s other games, LeBron James made a comeback from injury and scored 16 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers secure a 134-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Oklahoma City Thunder 123 San Antonio Spurs 87
In Oklahoma City, the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama faced another tough loss, falling 123-87 to the Thunder. Despite being the No.1 draft pick, Wembanyama only managed to score eight points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood out for OKC with 28 points.
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