Jamal Murray scored 27 points for the Denver Nuggets, who opened the game with a 19-0 run en route to a 135-112 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Nikola Jokic contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who shot 24 of 46 from deep to tie a franchise record for 3-pointers made. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 points off the Denver bench, hitting 6 of 11 from long range. Peyton Watson and Cameron Johnson added 20 points.
Utah got off to a similarly cold start on December 5, losing 23-0 to the New York Knicks. The Los Angeles Lakers hold the record for most consecutive points to open an NBA game with 29, which they did against the Sacramento Kings on February 4, 1987.
Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points for Utah, which lost its third straight game. Keyonte George finished with 20 points and seven assists.
Horsemen 139, Hornets 132
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter each had 27 as Cleveland ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Charlotte.
Dean Wade added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Garland dished out 10 assists. Cleveland scored 70 points in the first half and 69 in the second, with a success rate of 55.2% on field goal attempts, 54.5% on 3-pointers and 100% on 19 free throw attempts.
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball produced 23 points and nine assists while rookies Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller scored 20 points each for the Hornets, who have split their last four games, starting with a 119-111 overtime win at Cleveland on Dec. 14.
Thunder 119, Grizzlies 103
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as Oklahoma City remained the only NBA team with a perfect home record, as the Thunder earned a victory over Memphis.
The Thunder improved to 14-0 at home while shaking off their worst streak of two losses in three games. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Jalen Williams added 24 points, while Ajay Mitchell scored 16 off the bench.
The Grizzlies have lost back-to-back games and three of their last five. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cedric Coward scored 16 each to lead Memphis.
Pelicans 119, Mavericks 113
Zion Williamson had 24 points and nine rebounds off the bench, helping New Orleans to a win over Dallas.
Derik Queen added 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Pelicans, who won their fifth straight game – their longest winning streak since March 2023. Saddiq Bey scored 19 points while Jordan Poole scored 14 and Jeremiah Fears scored 12 for New Orleans, who outscored Dallas 40-26 in the fourth quarter. Trey Murphy III had 11 points and four steals in the win.
Anthony Davis’ 35 points and 17 rebounds led Dallas, while Klay Thompson scored 20 points and Cooper Flagg had 16. Naji Marshall scored 15 points for the Mavericks, who lost their third game in four tries.
Pistons 110, Trail Blazers 102
Jalen Duren scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to help Detroit earn a victory in Portland.
Ausar Thompson recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and three steals as the Pistons notched their eighth win in the last 10 games. Detroit closed the game on an 11-2 run after blowing a 21-point lead in the third quarter.
Shaedon Sharpe had 25 points and a career-high five steals and Deni Avdija added 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Celtics 103, Pacers 95
Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help Boston overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat a reeling Indiana.
The Pacers, who led by 20 early in the third quarter, were held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez off the bench.
Pascal Siakam had 25 points for Indiana and Andrew Nembhard contributed 20. Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, which has lost five in a row.
Warriors 120, Magic 97
Stephen Curry scored 26 points, Quinten Post contributed three hoops to a 19-2 run between the third and fourth quarters, and Golden State ran away from Orlando to San Francisco.
Jimmy Butler III scored 21 points and Moses Moody 20 for the Warriors, whose 23-point margin of victory was their second-largest in a home game this season.
Paolo Banchero had 21 points, Desmond Bane added 20 and Anthony Black 19 for the Magic, who fell to 1-2 in a Western swing that ends in Portland on Tuesday night.
–Field level media
