Jokic leads Nuggets blowout as road streak continues

Nikola Jokic erupted for 36 points to lead the Denver Nuggets in a 136–105 rout of the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, extending Denver’s road winning streak to 11 games.

Jokic scored 23 points in the first half as Denver built a 77–54 lead that turned the second half into a formality. He finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists, falling just short of adding to his league-leading 11 triple-doubles.

Denver defeated Sacramento for the third time in four meetings this season.

Peyton Watson added 21 points for the Nuggets, marking his third 20-point outing in 13 starts since Denver lost Christian Braun to a sprained ankle last month.

Watson made seven of his 10 shots as part of a Denver offense that shot 64.3 percent in the first half and 59.1 percent overall.

Denver is 9–4 without Braun and 6–3 in the last nine games played without both Braun and Aaron Gordon, who remains out with a hamstring injury.

The Nuggets won their fourth straight game with additional scoring support from Cameron Johnson with 16 points, Jonas Valanciunas with 15 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting clip, and Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. with 11 points apiece. Murray also recorded nine assists.

Denver’s 136-point output tied its highest-scoring performance of the season, and the 31-point margin was its second largest. The blowout contrasted sharply with the first three meetings between the teams, which were decided by a combined 25 points.

Sacramento’s Malik Monk led the Kings with 18 points, while Russell Westbrook — facing Jokic in a matchup of all-time triple-double contenders — tallied 17 points, three rebounds, and five assists.

Rookie Maxime Raynaud, starting in place of the injured Domantas Sabonis, nearly notched his second career double-double with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Keegan Murray and Devin Carter also contributed 15 points each for the Kings, while DeMar DeRozan had 11. Murray added six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

The Kings, who shot 44.8 percent from the field, were also without Zach LaVine due to a sore right thumb.

Pelicans end skid with dominant win over Blazers

Trey Murphy III scored 24 points to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 143–120 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, ending a seven-game losing streak.

Bryce McGowens delivered a career-high 23 points, going 5-for-5 from three-point range, and poured in 10 points in the fourth quarter alone as New Orleans outscored Portland 38–23 to seal the game.

Jordan Poole had 22 points off the bench in his first appearance since Nov. 4 after recovering from a left quad strain. He briefly exited after rolling his ankle but returned to spark the second quarter.

Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with 21 points, while Sidy Cissoko added a career-best 20.

The Pelicans led 39–30 after the first quarter and held a slim 70–68 halftime lead despite losing Herb Jones to an ejection following back-to-back technical fouls.

New Orleans and Portland traded the lead eight times in the third quarter before the Pelicans closed the frame on a 15–6 run, punctuated by McGowens’ buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Portland closed the deficit to 105–101 early in the fourth before New Orleans unleashed a 21–4 surge that put the game out of reach.

Bucks halt Celtics’ win streak behind Kuzma’s big night

Kyle Kuzma dropped a season-high 31 points to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 116–101 victory over the Boston Celtics, snapping Boston’s five-game winning streak despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Bobby Portis delivered 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting, while Kevin Porter Jr. recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown paced Boston with 30 points, and Jordan Walsh added 20 on an efficient 8-for-10 clip.

Boston built multiple double-digit leads early, hitting 7-for-11 from deep in the first quarter, but Milwaukee chipped away to trail just 35–29 entering the second.

The Celtics again stretched the lead to 14 in the second quarter before Milwaukee steadied to trail 67–60 at halftime.

Kuzma stayed hot in the third quarter, scoring 11 of Milwaukee’s first 13 points to spark a 22–6 Bucks run that gave them a five-point lead. Boston missed all 12 of its three-point attempts in the period.

Portis opened the fourth with back-to-back threes to give Milwaukee its first double-digit cushion, and the Bucks never relinquished control.

Boston shot just 3-for-26 from beyond the arc in the second half, while Milwaukee connected on 7-for-12 from deep and shot 62.9 percent overall.

The win ended Milwaukee’s three-game skid against the Celtics after Boston swept last season’s series.