Stephen Curry urged the Golden State Warriors not to run before they can walk after his 42-point haul inspired them to victory over the Indiana Pacers.

The Warriors won for the fifth time in six games on Thursday, claiming an emphatic 131-109 win over Indiana.

Curry was in scintillating form, with 29 of his points coming in the first half. The four-time NBA champion has now recorded three 40+ point games across his last seven outings.

Golden State are 11th in the Western Conference, with a 24-25 record, but are now looking up as they aim to secure a playoff place.

But they must keep their feet on the ground.

"The challenge is to not get too far ahead of yourself, thinking you can just show up and win games," Curry said.

"We've got a long way to go to get some security."

Coach Steve Kerr believes the Warriors are beginning to show what they are truly made of.

He added: "We had a great start to the season and then things, obviously, went kind of haywire for a while.

"But this feels like the best version of us, with the starting lineup, playing they are, bringing guys off the bench who are giving great energy and effort.

"And then, Steph was just scalding hot there early."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle offered up few excuses, simply pointing to the quality of Curry's performance.

"Well, he was making shots, but we got beat by their hard play — and our lack of hard play," he said.

"Simple as that. It was ugly. I think we lost every quarter."

Prior to January, the Cleveland Cavaliers only had one winning streak of eight games in the last five seasons.

They now have two winning streaks of eight games in the last five weeks.

Donovon Mitchell scored 27 points and the Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-95 on Thursday for their eighth straight victory and 16th win in 17 games.

Cleveland led 59-51 when Ben Simmons shoved Jarrett Allen to the floor just 14 seconds into the second half. Allen retaliated by pushing Simmons back, and both players received technical fouls.

The altercation seemed to inspire the Cavs (34-16), as they responded with a 21-0 run to grab an 80-51 lead.

Allen finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Evan Mobley added 14 points and 12 boards.

The Cavs, who also won eight consecutive games last season, haven't had a longer winning streak since winning a franchise record-tying 13 in a row in 2017-18 - LeBron James' last season in Cleveland.

Brooklyn kept it close through two quarters despite being a bit undermanned after sending Spencer Dinwiddie to Toronto and Royce O'Neale to Phoenix before the trade deadline.

Mikal Bridges had a team-high 26 points for the Nets (20-31), who lost their third straight game.

Curry hits 11 3s as Warriors win again

Just 24 hours after one of his lowest-scoring outputs of the season, Stephen Curry dazzled in the Golden State Warriors' 131-109 rout of the Indiana Pacers.

Curry made his first seven 3-point tries and drained a season-high 11 3s on 16 attempts, scoring 42 points to help the Warriors win their third straight game.

His fifth 40-point game of the season came one night after he scored just nine points in a 127-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Golden State (24-25) has now won five of six to move within one game of .500 following a 4-10 stretch.

Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton struggled to get going offensively, finishing with just five points in 26 minutes, though he did dish out 11 assists.

Pascal Siakam had team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds for Indiana (29-24), while Myles Turner added 15 points and seven boards.

Timberwolves trounce slumping Bucks

The hot-shooting Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 129-105 win at Milwaukee to spoil the home debut of Bucks coach Doc Rivers.

Anthony Edwards had 26 points, and the Timberwolves made 21-of-41 3-pointers, with Mike Conley leading the 3-point barrage by making 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc.

Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each made four 3-pointers for Western Conference-leading Minnesota (36-16), which pulled away in the third quarter with a 17-3 run.

The Bucks (33-19) were without both Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton due to sprained ankles and reserve AJ Green paced the team with 27 points while making 7-of-8 3-pointers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 17 - his fewest since December 19 - after averaging 38.3 points in his previous three games as the Bucks lost for the fifth time in six games.

It was the first home game for Rivers after his Milwaukee coaching tenure began with a 1-4 road trip.

The New York Knicks have made another big move in an attempt to ascend in the Eastern Conference, acquiring scorers Bogdan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons in one of the headline deals commenced prior to Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

New York will send guards Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono along with two second-round draft picks to Detroit in exchange for two players who are both shooting over 40 per cent from 3-point range this season.

Bogdanovic is averaging 20.2 points per game after establishing a career best in that category last season, when the Croatian averaged a team-leading 21.6 points in 59 games.

Burks, who previously spent two seasons with the Knicks from 2020-22, has shot better than 40 per cent on 3-point attempts in four straight seasons and is averaging 12.6 points in 43 games in 2023-24.

New York is presently tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for third in the East and is 16-3 since Jan. 1, two days after it secured defensive standout OG Anunoby in a blockbuster five-player trade with the Toronto Raptors.

The team right behind the Knicks and Bucks in the East race added a sharpshooter of its own on Thursday, as the Philadelphia 76ers landed guard Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for forward Marcus Morris, guard Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks.

Hield, a career 40.1 per cent 3-pointer shooter who is averaging 12 points in 52 games this season, will be asked to help stabilise a reeling 76ers team that has lost seven of its last eight games and will be without Joel Embiid for at least four more weeks after the reigning NBA MVP recently underwent surgery on his left knee. 

Indiana, which sits two games back of Philadelphia in sixth place, later traded Morris to the San Antonio Spurs for outside shooting specialist Doug McDermott.

Milwaukee's lone deadline move came via a trade with the 76ers for veteran defensive stopper Patrick Beverley, in which the Bucks sent fellow point guard Cameron Payne to Philadelphia.

The most active team in the Western Conference was the Dallas Mavericks, who swung two deals to bolster their frontcourt by obtaining center Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards and forward P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets.

Gafford, whose 2.16 blocks per game ranks seventh among qualified NBA players, heads to Dallas for forward RIchaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick the Mavs acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Mavericks also sent a 2027 first-round selection, along with forward Grant Williams and guard Seth Curry, to rebuilding Charlotte for Washington, who's averaged 14.9 points and five rebounds per game over the past two seasons and is under contract for two more years.

Dallas currently sits in eighth in the West but is just two games behind the fifth-place Phoenix Suns, who traded four role players in a three-team deal with Brooklyn and Memphis to add perimeter-shooting forward Royce O'Neale from the Nets and second-year forward David Roddy from the Grizzlies.

Three teams - the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets - entered deadline day tied atop the West. The Thunder were the only one of that group to make a significant move on Thursday, as they acquired former All-Star Gordon Hayward from the Hornets for guards Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic, forward Davis Bertans and a pair of second-round picks.

The 33-year-old Hayward is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 25 games this season but has been sidelined since late December by a calf strain. 

One player who did stay put with the Hornets is Miles Bridges, the team's second-leading scorer at 21.9 points per game and an unrestricted free agent next season. Bridges had the right to veto any trade as part of the one-year contract he signed during the offseason to stay in Charlotte.

Steve Kerr and Klay Thompson both spoke with confidence about the Golden State Warriors’ prospects this season after they recorded a big win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Golden State won 127-104 on Wednesday for its second-largest victory of the NBA season.

The Warriors have now won four in five, helped by Draymond Green returning from suspension last month, with the only loss in that span being a double overtime defeat against the Atlanta Hawks, in which Stephen Curry poured in 60 points.

Despite that improvement, Kerr’s squad remain outside the playoff standings and have been subject to huge trade speculation ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

But Kerr was optimistic and watched his side move to 23-25 with a road win against a 76ers team struggling without Joel Embiid.

"If we don't do anything [before the deadline], I feel like we have got a good group that we can push through with," Kerr said, per ESPN.

"The guys who are here, they are an incredibly accomplished group and we have got some exciting young players.

"Every guy on our team has really overcome a lot, individually, this year. Taken out of the starting lineup, to injuries, young players have emerged through hard work and patience.

"I enjoy coaching this team. It is a long haul, but I feel like this team could be something special."

Andrew Wiggins had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors to victory.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 18 points and Thompson also had 18 two nights after being benched for the final seven minutes against the Brooklyn Nets. The four-time NBA champion has been mentioned in trade talk but wants to stay with the Warriors, as does Wiggins.

"You see Steph Curry, you see Draymond," Thompson said. "Go home and check our playoff record of our trio. 

"We are champions and I believe [in us]. It is a long season and I will always believe we can always make a run, especially when we are all suited up.

"That is correct [that I want to stay with the Warriors]. I don't partake in NBA discourse. I think it's such a waste of energy. 

"At the end of the day, whether I'm wearing a Dubs uniform or another uniform, I'm going to be myself. I'm going to be KT."

Wiggins added: "I love it here – the organization, the coaches, all of my teammates.

"I feel like we've been finding something good and it's been working for us. As long everyone buys into what we've got going on and always makes it about the team, we'll be good."

The Warriors are back in action on the road against the Indiana Pacers (29-23) on Thursday.

Donovan Mitchell scored 14 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and Evan Mobley added 22 on 9-of-10 shooting as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their seventh straight game Wednesday, 114-106 over the Washington Wizards.

Mitchell, who had eight rebounds and five assists, scored at least 40 for the fifth time this season. He is averaging 34 points on 56 percent shooting over his last five games.

Cleveland survived a game with nine ties and 17 lead changes to win for the 15th time in 16 tries. The Cavs moved a game ahead of Milwaukee and New York in second place in the Eastern Conference.

Mitchell scored five points during a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave Cleveland the lead for good and his fifth and final 3-pointer of the night made it 104-97 with 2:19 to play.

Kyle Kuzma scored 28 points and Corey Kispert had 23 on 9-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost four in a row overall and 12 straight at home.

Pelicans cool Clippers for fourth straight win

CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Zion Williamson had 21 with a career-high 11 assists as the New Orleans Pelicans slowed the Los Angeles Clippers, 117-106.

Brandon Ingram had 15 points and eight rebounds and Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III each added 13 points to help the Pelicans open a four-game road trip with their fourth straight win.

James Harden scored 19 points and Norman Powell had 18 for the Clippers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped in their first game back from a 6-1 road trip.

Los Angeles was playing its eighth game in 13 days and lost for only the sixth time in 32 games since the start of December.

Porzingis propels Celtics past Hawks

Kristaps Porzingis had 31 points and Derrick White scored 12 of his 21 in the fourth quarter to power the Boston Celtics to a 125-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Jayson Tatum tallied 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Jaylen Brown scored 15 for the Celtics, who made 9 of their 17 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to make it seven consecutive wins over the Hawks.

Saddiq Bey scored 25 points and Trae Young added 20 with 10 assists as Atlanta dropped its second straight following a four-game winning streak.

Kyrie Irving described himself as "at peace" over his time with the Nets after scoring 36 points in a stellar return to Brooklyn as the Dallas Mavericks won 119-107 on Tuesday.

Irving, acquired from the Nets exactly one year ago, shot 15 of 24 from the field, was 4 of 11 on 3-pointers and handed out five assists.

Luka Doncic fell just short of a 10th triple-double this season with 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.

Dallas improved to 28-23 with its second straight win before Thursday's road game in New York.

After the win, Irving faced a string of questions over his time spent with the Nets, with his return coming after Kevin Durant also made a winning return to Brooklyn last week.

"I don’t think about it too often now, I’m pretty much at peace with what happened and the time I spent here," said Irving.

"I wish a lot of the guys well. Obviously, it was emotional and you could see my emotions running on out there but after that, I was just pretty much focused on winning the basketball game.

"It was just like any other basketball game, but it felt like I was home."

Pressed on his Brooklyn exit after impressing in his second game back after missing six with a sprained right thumb, Irving added: "It was time to get my own peace of mind and go somewhere where I was able to thrive.

"I did not want to be in a situation where I didn't have to worry about behind-the-back talk or the media talk or not knowing how to handle real-life circumstances that has nothing to do with the game of basketball. 

"While I was here, I learned a lot of lessons. I've made my peace again and I just want to move forward."

The Nets only won one playoff series with Durant and Irving, who spent three-and-a-half years in Brooklyn.

However, they almost defeated the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2021, a battle that took place while James Harden and Irving were both short of full fitness.

Irving said: "Things could have changed, and you look back at the past and you have 20-20 vision then this could've gone right or if this would've happened…

"If I didn't get injured versus the Bucks, do I still ask for a trade? If KD's foot wasn't on the 3-point line, are we talking about a different legacy here? If James doesn't ask for a trade – all of the woulda, coulda, shoulda, wouldas.

"Everything that I've learned about myself has come from being in the city and being in Jersey. It was a childhood dream to play for the Nets.

"Obviously I fell short in terms of the championship aspirations, but for me, I think it was bigger than a championship here.

"I had to really take some moral stances. There were some political things that were going on here as well and there were some things that I did on my accord that I look back on and they were mistakes. And I have to be accountable for those things. 

"I'm not perfect. But one thing I can say is I've been able to learn from things and continue to push forward."

Mikal Bridges scored 28 points and Royce O’Neal added 18 for Brooklyn, which cut a 23-point deficit to 107-101 with roughly five minutes left before Irving hit two straight 3s for a 113-101 advantage.

The Mavericks are eighth in the highly competitive Western Conference standings.

Irving added: "Hopefully after this night, we can just put that to rest, just move forward and I can look forward to the rest of my career and just handle it in Dallas and going after my second championship."

Kyrie Irving scored 36 points in a stellar return to Brooklyn and Luka Doncic fell just short of a triple-double in the Dallas Mavericks’ 119-107 win over the Nets on Tuesday.

Irving, acquired from the Nets exactly one year ago, shot 15 of 24 from the field, was 4 of 11 on 3-pointers and handed out five assists in his second game back after missing six with a sprained right thumb.

Doncic had 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists to come up short for his 10th triple-double of the season.

Mikal Bridges scored 28 points and Royce O’Neal added 18 for Brooklyn, which cut a 23-point deficit to 107-101 with roughly five minutes left before Irving hit two straight 3s for a 113-101 advantage.

Brunson hurts ankle in Knicks’ win

Jalen Brunson had 27 points and eight assists before leaving with an ankle injury and Donte DiVincenzo had 32 points as the New York Knicks held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 123-113.

Brunson appeared to injure his ankle when he was fouled by G.G. Jackson with 5:31 remaining. The Knicks did not have an update postgame.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 17 points and eight rebounds and Precious Achiuwa added 17 as the Knicks won for the 10th time in 11 games to move to 16-3 in their last 19.

Vince Williams Jr. led seven players in double figures with 19 points, but Memphis lost its sixth straight game to match a season high.

Suns’ star trio delivers in win

Devin Booker scored 32 points and Kevin Durant had 28 and 10 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns pushed past the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, 114-106.

Bradley Beal added 25 points and 10 rebounds and Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points with 10 boards as the Suns won their third in four games despite missing 20 of 28 from 3-point range.

Giannis Antetokoumpo led Milwaukee with 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but the Bucks dropped to 1-4 since hiring coach Doc Rivers.

Damian Lillard missed the game with a sprained ankle and starting center Brook Lopez was out for personal reasons. Forward Khris Middleton left in the first quarter with a sprained ankle.

Ricky Rubio has rejoined Barcelona having left Cleveland Cavaliers in January after revealing he had been suffering from mental ill health.

The 33-year-old Spaniard won the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague in his previous stint at Barca, before moving to the NBA and featuring for Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and the Cavaliers.

He announced he was retiring from the NBA in January and was open about his mental health battles.

Now Rubio has returned to Barcelona until the end of the season, with the club confirming his return to action will come when the point guard feels ready.

“FC Barcelona and Ricky Rubio have reached an agreement for the Catalan guard to join the club until the end of the season,” a statement read.

“This agreement depends on the player’s progress as he finds himself in the final stages of his recovery.

“Barca have registered the player in the ACB and Euroleague after he underwent the usual medical tests at the Ciutat Esportiva and the Hospital de Barcelona.

“Ricky Rubio’s return to competition will come when the player himself decides the time is right.”

LeBron James says he loves the players in the current Los Angeles Lakers locker room as speculation about roster changes swirls ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

The Lakers won 124-118 against the short-handed Charlotte Hornets on Monday, with their third straight victory marking their best run since winning the NBA Cup in Las Vegas.

There is still much debate over how different Los Angeles' team will look by the time it takes to the court at home to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

D'Angelo Russell is one of the players mentioned in trade talks and he led the team with 28 points and six assists in Charlotte.

Anthony Davis had his third career triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, while LeBron had 26 points on 12-for-22 shooting.

LeBron was asked after the game whether the current roster was good enough to win a championship or if he felt changes should be made.

"It's not a question for me," he said, per ESPN. "I love who we have in the locker room and that's all I worry about.

"We are going to go out and prepare ourselves every single night no matter what it is, no matter who's out there on this team. No matter what.

"This is who we have, so there's nothing else to talk about."

Russell is also completely blocking out the speculation after producing an impressive run of performances. The Lakers are 10-6 since he returned from injury in January.

"Show up to work," he said about how he was coping with the trade debates. "That's it. Just play. You can't control that. I don't care at all [about trade speculation].

"Obviously I've been here before, I played for the Lakers before, so I know what the requirements are to be successful here are. 

"So, if you're part of the future here you'll be successful. If you're not, you'll get traded. And I've been traded before here. So, my approach is just a little different.

"I really just genuinely, humbly don't care because I know I can't control it, one. And, two, I just won't allow my mind to go there. 

"I like to focus on this and you can see how I've been focusing on basketball and not comments and what's trending on social."

Miles Bridges produced a career-high 41 points and rookie Brandon Miller scored 33 points for the Hornets, but it was not enough to prevent them from suffering their eighth straight loss since trading Terry Rozier.

The Lakers are 27-25, ninth in the Western Conference, and would need to improve to at least sixth to avoid the play-in tournament.

After going 4-2 on their six-game road trip, Los Angeles now has three straight home games against Denver, New Orleans and Detroit.

"When we put our minds to it, we can beat any team in this league," added Davis.

"We lost two we felt like we should have won, and we won two that the people in Nevada thought we should lose. When we buckle down defensively and play the right way we are a tough team to beat."

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and led a torrid shooting performance from 3-point range that carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to a sixth consecutive win, a 136-110 rout of the Sacramento Kings on Monday. 

Cleveland rolled to its 14th victory in 15 games by going 23 of 41 (56.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Mitchell finished 5 of 11 on 3-point tries and Max Strus was 6 for 10 while adding 22 points.

The Kings got 12 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists from Domantas Sabonis - his 15th triple-double of the season - but couldn't match the Cavaliers' prolific perimeter shooting as Cleveland began pulling away early in the second quarter.

Cleveland scored five straight points to stretch its lead to 46-36 less than two minutes into the second quarter and went into the half owning a comfortable 74-59 advantage behind Mitchell's 19 points.

The Cavaliers remained up by double digits the rest of the way, with their lead expanding to as many as 29 points late.

Harrison Barnes led Sacramento with 22 points while finishing 6 of 10 from 3-point range. The Kings closed out a seven-game road trip in which they had won five of their first six outings and six of seven overall coming into Monday's clash.

Irving, Doncic lead Mavericks past ailing 76ers

Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić combined for 42 points in the duo's first appearance together in two weeks to propel the Dallas Mavericks to a 118-102 win over the staggering Philadelphia 76ers.

Irving racked up 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with eight assists in his return from a six-game absence caused by a sprained right thumb. Doncic had 19 points and eight assists to help Dallas end a two-game skid and deal the ailing 76ers their sixth loss in seven games.

It was just the 23rd time in the Mavericks' 50 games this season they had a healthy Irving and Doncic together in the lineup.

Playing their third straight game without reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who will undergo left knee surgery and is out indefinitely, the Sixers received 19 points from Kelly Oubre Jr. and 17 from Tobias Harris.

All-Star Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia's second-leading scorer behind Embiid, had 15 points but was just 6 of 16 from the field.

The 76ers did manage to lead 33-26 after one quarter and 57-53 at the half, but Doncic hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:57 left in the third quarter to spark an 8-2 run that gave the Mavericks a 77-72 edge near the end of the period.

Dallas then dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the 76ers by a 41-28 margin with its bench providing most of the offence, as reserves Jaden Hardy and Grant Williams each recorded 10 points in the final 12 minutes. 

Leonard's 36 points help Clippers cap trip with win over Hawks

Kawhi Leonard scored 13 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Clippers outlasted the Atlanta Hawks and completed a successful road trip with a 149-144 victory.

James Harden added 30 points and 10 assists as he and Leonard powered Los Angeles to a ninth win in 10 games. The Clippers went 6-1 on an 11-day trek away from Crypto.com Arena while the venue hosted the Grammy Awards. 

In a fast-paced fourth quarter that saw both teams combine for 90 points, the Clippers outscored Atlanta by a 21-10 margin over a late stretch to move ahead for good.

Leonard began the run with a putback of his own miss that gave Los Angeles a 124-123 lead with 4:52 left, and Harden capped it when he was fouled after hitting a 26-foot jumper with 1:06 to go. He made the free throw to complete the 4-point play and extend the margin to 143-133.

The Hawks put forth a late rally and got to within 147-144 on Bogdan Bogdanović's 3-pointer with 26.7 seconds remaining, but Harden sunk two free throws on the ensuing possession to keep Atlanta at bay.

De'Andre Hunter had 27 points and seven rebounds off the bench to lead Atlanta, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Trae Young finished with 25 points and 12 assists in the loss. 

Tyronn Lue and Kawhi Leonard both hailed the Los Angeles Clippers' mindset after a hard-fought 103-95 win over the Miami Heat.

The Clippers won for an eighth time in nine games as they moved to 33-15, and kept hold of third place in a fiercely contested Western Conference.

Leonard's double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds led the Clippers, while James Harden contributed 21 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

"It's just having that mindset that we're going to try to win every game," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said as his team improved to 25-5 since the start of December.

"I give guys credit. They've been doing that. We have a lot of talent.

"We have a lot of guys willing to sacrifice to do whatever it takes to win, and that's what we did."

Leonard suggested the Clippers were not at their very best, but still managed to get the job done.

"You get those mental blocks at this stage but we've been staying afloat," he said.

"Appreciate everybody coming out and playing and staying locked-in. Those are the things that I'm happy about."

The Heat, meanwhile, have lost eight of their last 10 outings. They have scored less than 100 points on 12 occasions this season.

"We have to figure out how to make it flow," Bam Adebayo said. "You have to make it flow or it's not going to work. We've been in worse situations."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra added: "There are some things offensively you can do with better pace and better intention.

"That's not exclusive to us. And we'll work on that and we'll get better."

The Denver Nuggets must be at their best from the first minute as they aim to defend their NBA title, so says Jamal Murray.

Denver, led by the imperious Nikola Jokic (29 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) overturned a double-digit deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 112-103 on Sunday.

The reigning NBA champions are fourth in a competitive Western Conference, in which three of the top four teams are all on 35 wins.

However, Murray, who chipped in with 21 points and 10 assists, wants to see the Nuggets sharpen up from the off, and not have to work their way back into games as often.

"I think we should just be a little bit more on point to start the game, not to have to kick it into another gear," Murray said.

"I think we've just got to be a little more conscious, a little more aware of the task at hand each and every night that we're going to get their best shot.

"We can give our best shot, as well, from the start."

It was a sentiment echoed by coach Michael Malone, who pointed out his team's defensive improvement throughout the game.

"Our defense got better as the game went along," Malone said.

"We had zero defense. We had a little bit of defense. We got a lot more defense. And we had great defense."

While the Trail Blazers sit next to last in the West, with a 15-35 record, Anfernee Simons - who contributed 26 points to their total - took plenty of positives.

"I thought we played well for the majority of the game, all the game, to be honest with you," Simons said.

"They're a good team. They made runs. They’re a championship team. They're a veteran team.

"We rolled out with a lot of young guys and sometimes that's just what happens.

"So, I'm just glad that we stuck with it and continued to play hard. Overall, I'm pretty happy about how we played today."

Bradley Beal delivered his best game with his new team in his first encounter with his old one.

Beal poured in a season-high 43 points to lead the visiting Phoenix Suns to a 140-112 blowout of the Washington Wizards on Sunday in the three-time All-Star's return to the arena he called home for 11 seasons.

The veteran guard was facing the rebuilding Wizards for the first time since being traded by Washington to the Suns in June. Beal missed the Suns' win over the Wizards in Phoenix in December due to a sprained ankle.

Beal was selected by the Wizards with the third overall pick in the 2012 draft and ranks second in franchise history in points and third in games played.

The 30-year-old had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first quarter to help stake Phoenix to an early 42-28 lead, then added 12 more in the second as the Suns opened up a commanding 79-58 advantage at half-time.

Phoenix's lead never got to under 19 points in the second half as it coasted to its 10th win in 13 games. The Suns also received 18 points each from Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic, who added 13 rebounds and eight assists. 

Deni Avdija had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead Washington, which lost its third straight game to drop to 9-40 on the season.

Jazz beat Bucks behind dominant fourth quarter

Lauri Markkanen led a balanced Utah attack with 21 points and the Jazz dominated the fourth quarter to rally for a 123-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Utah trailed by 16 points late in the third quarter before outscoring Milwaukee by a whopping 40-13 margin in the fourth to halt a three-game losing streak and drop the Bucks to 1-3 since head coach Doc Rivers took over the team last week.

Playing for the second time in as many nights, Milwaukee ran out of gas in the final period as it missed 13 of 17 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. The Jazz, meanwhile, shot 60 per cent over the final 12 minutes.

Keyonte George had 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and was one of seven Utah players to score in double figures. The rookie added 10 rebounds, while John Collins also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Down 95-83 after three quarters, the Jazz began the fourth on a 21-7 run to take a 104-102 lead on Markkanen's 3-pointer with 6:26 left. They put the game away soon afterward with an 18-3 flurry that staked Utah to a 122-108 advantage with under two minutes to go. George had eight points during that spurt.

The Bucks lost despite a 33-point, 13-assist effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo and a 27-point performance from Bobby Portis.

Clippers stay hot by extending Heat's woes

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away late to hand the still-slumping Miami Heat a 103-95 loss.

James Harden scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 assists as the red-hot Clippers won for the eighth time in nine games. Los Angeles is an NBA-best 25-5 since Dec. 1.

After breaking out of a seven-game losing streak by winning their previous two games, the Heat struggled to an 8-for-30 shooting effort from 3-point range on a night they were without one of their best outside shooters in Tyler Herro, who was scratched due to a headache.

The Clippers, meanwhile, went 16 of 39 (41 per cent) from beyond the arc with Harden leading the way by hitting five of his nine 3-point tries.

Despite its shooting woes, Miami held a 72-71 edge with nine minutes left before the Clippers took control. Los Angeles broke open the game with a 20-6 run, capped by back-to-back Harden 3-pointers, to take a 91-78 lead with five minutes remaining.

The Heat fought back and got to within 99-95 on Jimmy Butler's 3-point play with 13.3 seconds left, but Paul George and Leonard each made two free throws in the closing stages to end any comeback hopes. 

Butler had 21 points and Terry Rozier scored 17 for Miami, which also received 14 points and 13 rebounds from Bam Adebayo.

Joel Embiid's availability for the remainder of this season is in question after the Philadelphia 76ers announced Sunday that the reigning NBA MVP will undergo surgery to repair a meniscus injury to his left knee.

The Athletic reported Saturday that Embiid suffered a displaced flap in his meniscus when he was injured in the 76ers' 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

The typical recovery time for such an injury is usually several months, meaning Philadelphia may need a deep run in the playoffs for their superstar center to return this season.

That doesn't seem likely given the Sixers' struggles when Embiid hasn't been available. Philadelphia is 26-8 when Embiid has played this season but 4-10 in games he has missed.

The injury also makes it all but certain that Embiid, who leads the NBA in scoring at 35.3 points per game, will not capture a second consecutive MVP award. Under terms of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, players must appear in a minimum of 65 regular-season games to be eligible for honours such as the MVP or All-NBA teams.

Philadelphia currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-18 record and trails the rival Boston Celtics by seven games in the race for the No. 1 seed.

The NBA's scoring champion in each of the previous two seasons, Embiid finished second to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić in NBA MVP voting in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 before claiming the award last season after averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 games and leading the Sixers to the third-best record in the East.

Embiid was putting up even better numbers when healthy in 2023-24, as his scoring and assist (5.7) averages were both career highs and his 11.3 rebounds per game ranks sixth among qualified players.

The 29-year-old has also often been beset by injuries since being selected by Philadelphia with the third overall pick of the 2014 draft. Embiid missed the entire 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns recovering from a broken foot and was limited to 31 games the following season due to a left knee injury. He has never played in more than 68 games in a regular season.

Paul Reed, who's averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a starter this season, will take over as the 76ers' primary center for the time being. Philadelphia may look for additional help prior to Thursday's league trade deadline. 

The Chicago Bulls will be without Zach LaVine for the rest of the campaign.

LaVine, who has had a stop-start season, will undergo surgery on a foot issue next week.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan confirmed on Saturday that LaVine, who has not played since mid-January due to an ankle sprain, had elected to go under the knife and will miss between four and six months.

"He made a decision he felt was best for his health," Donovan said.

"I really feel like he did everything he could to try to get himself back to playing.

"The discomfort in his foot was at a place where I think he didn't feel like he had any chance to be himself. That was the really frustrating part of it.

"He's kind of been in and out, but certainly you'd like to have a player of his calibre available.

"Now with the news coming out we'll have to play without him. I've always said when you lose really good players, it impacts your team."