Nikola Jokic recorded his 28th triple-double of the season as the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets rediscovered some form with a 108-102 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

The Nuggets had lost five of their past six games, but improved to 48-24 with the triumph, maintaining a sizeable buffer at the top of the West from the second-placed Sacramento Kings (43-27).

Serbian center Jokic starred with 22 points on nine-of-12 shooting with 17 rebounds and 10 assists, while Michael Porter scored a team-high 28 points with five-of-nine three-point attempts.

Jamal Murray added 25 points, nailing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc, and he posted 20 of his haul in the opening quarter as Denver got a fast start to lead 33-21 at the first break.

The Nuggets were coasting to victory with a 91-71 lead at three-quarter time before the Nets rallied in the fourth, with Porter settling the game with one of his five triples.

The defeat dents Brooklyn's aspirations to claim a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference, falling to 39-32, marginally ahead of the seventh-placed Miami Heat (39-34).

Mikal Bridges top scored for the home side with 23 points on eight-of-18 shooting from the field, while Nic Claxton chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds.

Giannis records triple-double in Bucks win

The Milwaukee Bucks stormed past the Toronto Raptors 118-111 on a 29-16 fourth-quarter charge as Giannis Antetokounmpo brought up his 33d career triple-double.

Antetokounmpo finished with 22 points on 100 per cent shooting from the field with 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while Brook Lopez added a team-high 26 points with Khris Middleton scoring 20.

Lopez scored 17 of his 26 points in the final period, including the first eight of the quarter, with the Bucks going on a game-changing 15-2 run. The NBA-best Bucks are now 51-20.

SGA leads OKC past Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alezander scored 40 points, came up clutch down the stretch and garnered M-V-P chants as the Oklahoma City Thunder boosted their play-in hopes with a 124-120 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Gilgeous-Thunder hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to hold off the Suns, who had Devin Booker score 46 points, including 30 in the second half, having led 69-57 at half-time. Chris Paul scored 14 points with 13 assists.

OKC (35-36) have four wins from their past five games to stay in the play-in hunt, thanks in large part to Gilgeous-Alexander's perfect 11-of-11 free throws in the second half, while Luguentz Dort added 20 points.

Michael Malone suggested complacency is behind the Denver Nuggets' four-game losing streak.

The Nuggets went down 125-110 to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, and are now winless since March 6.

Denver are still hold a four-game lead at the top of the Western Conference, with a 46-23 record for the season, but coach Malone is far from happy.

"Right now we're just in chill mode," said Malone. "And you can't be in chill mode with 13 games to go in the season.

"We've got to try to find a way to get our swagger back. Maybe we've gotten a little soft with success.

"We've been on cruise control for so long, number one in the West since like December 15.

"I just told our players we've gotten away from who we are."

Denver never led on Tuesday after allowing 49 points in the first quarter, going on to concede at least 100 points for the fifth consecutive game. Indeed, they have conceded over 120 in each of their past three games.

"We just dug too much of a big hole and couldn't climb the mountain from there," said Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.

Toronto led 88-64 after Pascal Siakam found the net with eight minutes remaining in the third, before Denver went on a run to cut the gap to 98-92, but they struggled to maintain that momentum in the final quarter.

Malone added: "When you expend so much energy getting back in the game you have nothing left to finish."

The Nuggets remain on the road for their next four games starting with Detroit Pistons (16-54) on Thursday, before a home meeting against the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks (50-19) on March 26.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says his side have been in "cruise control" after Sunday's 122-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets marked three straight defeats.

The Nuggets remain clear atop the West with a 46-22 record, with the second-placed Sacramento Kings back at 40-26, inviting a level of complacency.

Denver were unable to win despite reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic managing a 35-point triple-double with 20 rebounds and 11 assists.

"We've been on cruise control for a really long time, making it look easy," Malone told reporters. "We've spoilt a lot of people, like we're going to win our last 15 games, we're great. It doesn’t work like that.

"What do you think [2022 NBA champions] Golden State's record was after the All-Star break last year. It was 11-12. It happens.

"Is it ideal? Hell, no. We don’t want to lose three in a row and now we're going one a very demanding and difficult five-game road trip. 

"I think the most important for me as head coach is the delicate balance of coaching, holding guys accountable, teaching but also not panicking.

"Losing sucks, we all realise that, but let's stay together, stay poised and find a way to put 48 minutes together."

Denver have blown double-digit leads in all of their past three defeats, with Malone lamenting their inability to play a full four quarters.

The Nets took control of Sunday's game on the back of a 37-18 third quarter, with Malone pointing to similar periods in their previous two games.

"Everybody in that third quarter played poorly," Malone said. "Looking at the last game and looking at tonight, one quarter has cost us the game.

"San Antonio, it was the second quarter, we gave up 42 points. Tonight it was the third quarter, 37-18. In this league, against a team that's fifth in the East, you can't play three quarters and expect to win."

The Nuggets were not helped by Jamal Murray's poor shooting night, finishing five-of-19 from the field for his 16 points. Murray sat out the fourth quarter with left knee soreness.

"I haven’t had a chance to speak with Jamal or our trainers yet," Malone said. "We'll see how it is."

The Brooklyn Nets produced the biggest comeback of the NBA season led by Mikal Bridges as they stunned the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday.

The Nets trailed by 28 points in the second quarter but rallied back with a 34-20 third quarter, eclipsing the previous largest comeback this season, set by the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week, fighting back from 27 points down against the Dallas Mavericks.

Brooklyn outscored Boston 74-47 across the second and third quarters, claiming a three-quarter time lead before running away with their best victory since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's departures.

The Nets, sixth in the Eastern Conference, improve their record to 35-28, halting a four-game losing streak.

Bridges, who came in from the Phoenix Suns as part of the exchange for Durant, top scored with 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting with 10 rebounds and four assists.

New acquisitions Cam Johnson, who also joined in that trade from the Suns, Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 20, 17 and 17 points respectively.

Jayson Tatum went none-of-eight from beyond the arc, scoring 22 points with 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

Jaylen Brown top scored for the Celtics with 35 points on 15-of-27 shooting from the field, but Boston shot nine-of-30 from three-point range.

Nugs down Grizz in west top-two clash

The Denver Nuggets rallied back from 11 points down in a clash against the top two teams in the Western Conference, winning 113-97 over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nikola Jokic recorded another triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, but it was Michael Porter Jr who top scored with 26 points. Jamal Murray added 22 points with four three-pointers.

Ja Morant scored a game-high 27 points for the Grizzlies, who led by seven points with six minutes remaining in the third quarter, before the Nuggets stormed home, winning the fourth period 33-17.

The Nuggets' win, combined with the Celtics' loss, means Denver have the second-best record in the NBA, improving to 45-19. Memphis falls to 38-24.

Knicks stay hot after clutch Randle triple

The New York Knicks extended their winning streak to eight games as Julius Randle scored 43 points with eight three-pointers in their 122-120 triumph over the Miami Heat.

Randle's eight triples included a game-winning clutch three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining, underlining an outstanding individual display, helping the Knicks improve their record to 38-27 to close in on the east's top four.

Tyler Herro, who finished with 29 points had put the Heat up with a layup with 23.1 seconds left, before Randle made the crucial score, albeit in a broken play under pressure from Jimmy Butler. Butler had a team-high 33 points with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The surging Denver Nuggets (44-19) host the struggling Memphis Grizzlies (38-23) on Friday in a clash between the top two teams in the Western Conference.

Since the turn of the year, only the 22-5 Milwaukee Bucks have boasted a better record than Denver's 21-7, and the Nuggets have surged to a five-game lead atop the West.

Their closest challengers are the Grizzlies, who have been flailing since starting center Steven Adams suffered a knee injury on January 22, going 7-8 in the 15 games since.

Adams is only averaging 8.6 points per game in his 27 minutes of action, while shooting a league-worst 36.4 per cent from the free-throw line, but his impact on the Grizzlies' success has proven to be immense.

During the first 46 games of the season – prior to Adams' injury – the Grizzlies owned the best defensive rating in the NBA, while also boasting the second-best rebounding rate, and a top-10 offense.

Since then, Memphis have held up surprisingly well defensively and have been fourth in defense over the past 15 games, but their offense has cratered – becoming the 24th-ranked unit – and their ability to rebound has fallen off a cliff.

Adams leads the team at 11.5 rebounds per game, but his value goes far beyond just the rebounds he hauls down himself, as he is almost universally considered the physically strongest player in the league, and he uses that to wreak havoc on the offensive boards.

The Grizzlies have been 27th in rebounding rate since his injury, falling from the second-best offensive rebounding team to 18th in that category, while also dropping from 15th in defensive rebounding to 28th.

While it is easy to point to some recent cold shooting from Memphis as the reason for their recent struggles – 29th in three-point percentage (31.7 per cent) since Adams' injury – it is their failure in the rebounding department that is ruining a lot of their good work.

It is great to have a top-five defense, but when you are only gathering 68.2 per cent of opponents' misses, it means that even your strength is no longer a strength.

It goes to show that while Jaren Jackson Jr is Memphis' best defensive player – and a strong favourite to win Defensive Player of the Year – Adams may be their most important piece on that end. 

That is even more true when the other team rolls out a center like Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, the reigning back-to-back league MVP and favourite to earn the first three-peat since Larry Bird from 1984-86, is essentially unguardable, but it is incredibly helpful to have a physical presence like Adams who is impossible to push around and can at least dictate Jokic's catch positions.

With Adams out, Jackson will likely assume the responsibility, and while that is a mouth-watering matchup between arguably the league's most gifted players on each side of the ball, the Grizzlies ace will need to be on his most disciplined behaviour.

Leading the league with 3.3 blocks per game, Jackson also sits sixth in fouls per game (3.4), and could leave his team without an anchor on the defensive end if the crafty Jokic draws a couple of early calls and puts his opponent in foul trouble.

But Jokic, while almost flawless on the offensive end, still has his own exploitable warts defensively.

The Serbian has shed the reputation of being a poor defender – leading all centers with 1.3 steals per game – but remains a liability when it comes to protecting the rim, with Denver ranking 25th when it comes to preventing points in the paint.

That is where the Grizzlies will see their greatest advantage as the league leaders for points in the paint, with Ja Morant's 14.8 points per game in that area trailing only Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15.5) for the most among all guards.

Denver's plan of attack will likely be the complete opposite, as Memphis are the fourth-best team at preventing points in the paint but allow the fourth-most made three-pointers per game, while the Nuggets lead the league in three-point percentage (39.2 percent).

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant

Sometimes it is complicated to see whose impact will have the greatest effect on their team's success, and sometimes it is painfully obvious.

Morant is the Grizzlies' franchise player, leading scorer (27.1 points per game), leader in assists (8.2) and the heartbeat of their fast-paced, rim-attacking offense.

It will be his responsibility to exploit Jokic's defensive deficiency and generate high-quality looks inside for himself and team-mates, as Memphis are likely doomed if they have to rely on outside shooting (24th in three-point percentage).

Denver Nuggets – Jamal Murray

The Nuggets know what they are going to get from the metronomically consistent Jokic on a nightly basis, but the contributions from second star Jamal Murray are often what make or break their results.

In the 35 wins he has played in this season, Murray is averaging 21.7 points and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 48.3 per cent from the field, 41.6 per cent from deep and 85.5 per cent from the free-throw line.

In 14 losses, those figures plummet to 16.3 points and 5.5 assists on dismal shooting splits of 38.2/29.7/76.9 – illustrating that when it is not Murray's night, it is usually not the Nuggets' night either.

KEY BATTLE – Can Denver capitalise on the absence of Adams?

While Jokic is one of the best defensive rebounders in the league, having the third-best rate among players averaging at least 20 minutes, he is not even close to the same kind of threat on the offensive boards, where Adams' absence will be felt.

If Memphis can figure out how to limit Denver to one shot per possession and secure the defensive glass, it will not just limit second opportunities, but it will ignite the Grizzlies' fast-break offense and allow Morant to operate in the open floor with a runway.

Another key factor is that while Denver have been shooting the lights out, and Memphis have been struggling from distance, three-point percentage is often a stat that regresses to the mean over time, meaning at some point their fortunes will likely reverse.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These sides have split their two meetings this season, with Denver securing a 14-point home win in December, before Memphis evened the ledger with an 18-point home win of their own in January.

It fits with their evenly matched recent history, with a 2-2 record from their past four meetings, and a 5-5 record dating back to January 2020.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone believes his side should have been rewarded with more than one All-Star selection after building such a commanding lead in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets came into Monday's play at 39-18, owners of a 4.5-game lead atop the West, but their only All-Star is reigning back-to-back league MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, the favourite to win again this year and earn the first three-peat since Larry Bird from 1984-86, was an obvious selection, but the Nuggets had been campaigning for Aaron Gordon's first selection early in the season, before Jamal Murray also found his footing in the past couple months after an injury-impacted start to the campaign.

Gordon has started 49 of his side's 57 games – the same number as Jokic – while functioning as the team's top defender and averaging 17.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists on career-best efficiency. In fact, his field goal percentage of 58.7 per cent is the fifth highest in the league among players attempting at least 10 shots per game.

Meanwhile, after a slow start, Murray is averaging 25.9 points, 7.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals on shooting splits of 49/41/91 across his past 15 games.

Speaking to the media ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Heat, Malone said he would have liked to see the best team get rewarded in the All-Star Game for their dominance.

"It definitely bothers you, when you are in first place in the West by four games and you have the second-best record in the NBA," he said. 

"Yes, Nikola is a great player and he's on his way to potentially winning three MVPs in a row, but we have other great players as well. 

"A guy like Aaron Gordon, like Jamal Murray, you would hope they would be given some respect, if you will.

"But we're not going to focus on that because I know for Aaron, for Jamal, for everybody in that locker room, our goals are much bigger than the All-Star game."

There have already been two replacement All-Stars named in the West after it became clear Zion Williamson and Stephen Curry were not going to be able to participate, but those reserve selections went to Minnesota Timberwolves rising star Anthony Edwards and Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox.

Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic will miss his third game from the past four due to a tight left hamstring when the Denver Nuggets face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Jokic returned with a triple-double including the game-winner in Tuesday's 98-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans after missing two games with the same hamstring issue.

The Serbian center is averaging 25.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists this season, putting him in contention to be first player to win three MVPs in a row since Larry Bird (1984-86).

Jokic's absence comes as the Western Conference-leading Nuggets (34-14) take on the Bucks (30-17), who are third in the Eastern Conference.

The Nuggets will also be without Jamal Murray (left knee), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sprained right wrist) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons) for the game.

Bobby Portis will be absent for Milwaukee due to right MCL and right ankle sprains, with the injuries to be reevaluated in two weeks.

Portis sustained the injuries in Monday's 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons where both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton returned after injuries.

The Golden State Warriors blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead at home as the Brooklyn Nets prevailed 120-116 after 38 points from Kyrie Irving on Sunday.

The Nets outscored the Warriors 22-6 after the reigning NBA champions had led by 12 with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Irving scored a game-high 38 points, making five-of-seven three-point attempts, with seven rebounds and nine assists. Irving's performance was his third 30-point game in his past four.

Nic Claxton added a career-high 24 points with 15 rebounds and three blocks, while Ben Simmons contributed a game-high 11 assists. Royce O'Neale, who had 16 points, scored a go-ahead three-pointer with 27.1 seconds remaining.

Stephen Curry top scored for Golden State with 26 points, making four-of-eight from beyond the arc, along with six rebounds and seven assists.

Jonathan Kuminga added 20 points off the bench, while center Draymond Green had 11 rebounds and seven assists.

The Warriors' home loss means their record at the Chase Center falls to 17-6, having managed 3-2 on their recent road trip where they have struggled throughout this season.

Lakers complete stunning second-half turnaround

LeBron James scored 37 points with 11 rebounds while Thomas Bryant added 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers stormed home for a 121-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Lakers had trailed 71-46 at halftime after the Blazers put up 45 second-quarter points, but rallied in a remarkable second-half turnaround to improve to 22-25.

Bryant had 14 rebounds to go with his 31 points, while Dennis Schroder contributed 24 points. Anfernee Simons scored 31 points for Portland, with Damian Lillard adding 24.

OKC snap Nuggets' win streak

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit an eight-footer with 9.2 seconds remaining to end the Denver Nuggets' nine-game win streak as the Oklahoma City Thunder won 101-99. 

The Nuggets were without back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic for the second straight game with tightness in his left hamstring, with Jamal Murray top scoring in his absence with 26 points and nine assists. Murray missed an attempt on the buzzer to force overtime.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting with five rebounds, five assists and two blocks, while Josh Giddey added 18 points and nine rebounds. The result also ended Denver's 17th game win streak at home.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray collected the first triple-double of his career as he filled in as his side's top option during Friday's 134-111 home victory against the Indiana Pacers.

The Nuggets were without reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic for the fifth time this season as he sat out with hamstring tightness, allowing Murray to slide in as the primary initiator in what was Denver's ninth consecutive win.

Murray made the most of his opportunity, producing a Jokic-like performance as he attempted only eight field goal attempts on his way to 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

He was not alone as the Nuggets shot 61 per cent from the field and 50 per cent from three-point range, with Aaron Gordon also dominating on his way to 28 points (11-of-15 shooting), six assists and five rebounds. 

Michael Porter Jr chipped in 19 points (eight-of-14 shooting) and eight rebounds, while Bruce Brown was everywhere on his way to 17 points (seven-of-11), five assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block.

As a team, the Nuggets finished with 38 assists, which was just four away from the league's best total this season, which was set at 42 by the Brooklyn Nets in December.

Speaking after the game, Murray joked he would have more triple-doubles if he did not play with Jokic.

"He steals a lot of my triple-doubles," he said. "It was nice to finally get one on the board.

"I was just playing our game, playing aggressive. We were just having fun out there, the ball was hopping."

Fill-in head coach David Adelman – who is 3-0 while standing in for Michael Malone – spoke about how Murray's game changes with Jokic out of the team.

"I think sometimes you have to [take into consideration] that Jamal plays with Nikola – his job is to score," he said. "The facilitating has gotten better, but we're a unique team in that sense.

"Our guards are out there to cut, move, make plays and score baskets off Nikola, but there are nights where the coverage is what it is and he takes advantage of it.

"We've talked a lot about Aaron Gordon being a possible All-Star – we're the number one team in the West – if Jamal Murray is not in the conversation, then you don't value winning.

"All three of those guys have been so consistent throughout the year, they deserve the accolades they're getting."

The Nuggets are now 33-13, and sit one-and-a-half games clear atop the Western Conference.

Nikola Jokic wants to be remembered as a "really good team player" after making franchise history in the Denver Nuggets' 122-118 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The two-time reigning NBA MVP contributed 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as the Nuggets improved to 32-13 on the season to sit top of the Western Conference.

Jokic now has 3,686 career assists, surpassing the tally of Alex English who had 3,679 in Nuggets colours. Moreover, he has reached his tally in 568 games as opposed to English's 837.

English himself paid tribute to Jokic's achievement, intimating he foresees a third MVP accolade in the near future, posting on Twitter: "I knew that eventually my all-time assist record would be broken. I'm honored to see that it's 2 time, I mean 3 time MVP of the NBA do it. Congrats big fella."

Jokic was typically humble when asked what it meant to earn a piece of Nuggets history.

"When you have a lot of assists, it just shows that you're a good team player," he said.

"That's something I want to be. I want everybody to remember me as a guy who was a really good team player."

Team-mate Jamal Murray, who nailed a game-tying three-pointer with a little over two minutes remaining, then hit the bucket that put the Nuggets into a lead they did not let go of, said of Jokic: "We clapped a little bit. That's a lot of passes. That's pretty impressive."

The Nuggets are next in action against the Indiana Pacers, who are 23-23 and ninth in the Eastern Conference, on Friday.

The Memphis Grizzlies' achieved a franchise record 11th straight win with Desmond Bane and Ja Morant starring in a thrilling 115-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Darius Garland had a three-point shot on the buzzer blocked by Dillon Brooks, after Steven Adams tipped in with 16 seconds left after Morant's miss.

Bane top scored for the Grizzlies with 25 points, including five-of-eight three-point shooting. Morant added 24 points with eight assists for Memphis, who improved to 31-13, along with 20-3 at home.

Morant had spent time in the locker room in the first quarter after copping a knee to his neck, but re-entered the game in the second quarter.

Game-winner Adams scored 13 points with 10 rebounds and four assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr had an excellent all-round game with 15 points, seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks.

Memphis also managed an 11th consecutive game with 115 or more points.

The Cavs were missing Donovan Mitchell due to a groin strain, with Garland top scoring with 24 points on five-of-11 three-point shooting along with 14 assists.

Caris LeVert added 23 points with four rebounds and six assists, with power forward Evan Mobley scoring 18 points and bringing down 15 rebounds with two blocks. The Cavs are now 28-18.

Trae downs Doncic as Hawks win fourth straight

The Atlanta Hawks continued their run of momentum with their fourth straight win in a 130-122 victory over Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks.

Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, making four-of-six three-pointers, while John Collins added 19 along with 18 from Trae Young plus 12 assists, as the Hawks secured a season-best four-game winning streak to move above .500 at 23-22.

Doncic, who was traded as a top-five pick for Young at the 2018 NBA Draft, scored 30 points for the Mavs, but only 11 after quarter-time, while he gave up seven turnovers.

Jokic adds another franchise record in Nuggets win

Nikola Jokic recorded his 14th triple-double of the season as he surpassed Alex English for the most assists in franchise history in the Denver Nuggets' 122-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The MVP candidate finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, going past English's 3,680-assist franchise record with a dime for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Jamal Murray added 28 points for the Nuggets, who secured their eighth straight win and 15th successive victory at home to remain top in the west, at 32-13.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone described the qualities that make reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic so unique after his selfless performance on Monday.

The 27-year-old Serbian dished 16 assists while only attempting five field goals – hitting all five – for his 14 points and 11 rebounds as his Nuggets beat the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers 122-109.

It improves his career-high assist average to 9.7 per game, which places him third in the league behind only Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton (10.3) and Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young (9.8).

His field goal attempts are the lowest they have been since the 2019-20 season at 15.2 per game – leaving him outside of the top-50 – while being efficient enough to score 25.0 points per game, the 20th-best average.

Speaking to reporters after the win, Malone said it is rare to find a star player so unfazed by their shot attempts.

"I tell you man, we always talk about it, I've been around the league a long time," he said. "I know a lot of players that, if they took five shots in 35 minutes, would be p***** off right now, I'm being serious.

"Nikola doesn't care – whether he takes five [shots] or 25. There's not many guys like him that I've ever been around, and I've been around the game a long time myself, and with my father when he was an assistant coach and a head coach in the NBA.

"It just speaks to – another triple-double – but, a truly selfless superstar. Five shots, no complaints, no pouting, no bad body-language. Let's just play the game the right way, that's all he cares about."

When asked a question about Jokic's ability to throw pinpoint bullet passes, Malone expanded on the craft of the near seven-footer.

"He will throw a bullet if a bullet is needed to be thrown, he will also throw a lob pass when it needs to be thrown, or he will just feather a bounce-pass through traffic if it needs to be thrown," he said.

"That's the beautiful thing about it, he can read the situation, and make the appropriate pass at the right time."

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham echoed those sentiments, sharing admiration for his opponent.

"Man, his ability to play-make, bringing the ball up, out of the post, the mid-post, the nail," he said. "His touch on his passes, his touch on his shots. He's one of those once-in-a-generation type bigs who just does it all.

"So his impact is not based on – he can put up big numbers – but it's not solely based on his scoring output. The way he puts his fingerprints all over the game – that's a rarity.

"Especially at his size, it's only a few of those guys in the league that are able to do that."

With the win, the Nuggets are tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 27-13.

Michael Malone will always allow his Denver Nuggets team to enjoy the wins but said "I'm not going to party and celebrate" after a rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

Jamal Murray top scored with 18 points as the high-flying Nuggets ran out 122-91 winners at Ball Arena to improve to 25-13 on the season and 15-3 on home court.

It was another statement victory in a season full of excellent performance and leaves the Nuggets top of the Western Conference, with an identical record to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Head coach Malone encouraged his players to enjoy the moment, while also emphasising there is plenty of work still to be done.

"I've been around people who would not allow themselves to enjoy the wins, to enjoy the moment. I'm not that guy," Malone said.

"But I'm also not going to party and celebrate.

"That was a hell of a win for us. A convincing win, from beginning to end. Everybody contributed. 

"We're in first place in the Western Conference. We're not there yet. But we're on our way. I like where we're at and, more importantly, I like who I'm going there with."

Murray scored 13 of his 18 points in a blistering first quarter and it was a welcome performance considering his hit-and-miss form since returning from an ACL injury that ruled him out of last season.

Following a 124-111 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves last time out, Malone said with Murray on the plan ride home for a heart-to-heart.

"He takes ownership. He has to help himself as well," Malone said of Murray.

Murray added that the win shows the level the Nuggets have to aspire to on a consistent performance.

He said: "Wins like this give us a lot of confidence and build a lot of chemistry. Sets a standard for us."

Jayson Tatum registered his second career triple-double as the Boston Celtics ended the Dallas Mavericks' seven-game winning streak with a 124-95 victory on Thursday.

Tatum finished the game with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists plus one steal and two blocks. The MVP candidate shot eight-of-22 from the field and two-of-eight from beyond the arc, scoring 11-of-12 from the stripe.

The Celtics improved to 27-12 with their merciless display, which comes amid a tough stretch for the Eastern Conference leaders, who had dropped seven of their past 12 games, including giving up 150 points last game to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Doncic was kept to only 23 points for the Mavs, after a five-game run averaging 44.5 points. Doncic, who shot none-of-six from three-point range, was benched in the fourth quarter amid the blowout.

Tatum also struggled from beyond the arc, but Marcus Smart made up for it with four-of-nine triples in his 15 points, while Malcolm Brogdon hit three-of-five three-pointers in his 15 points off the bench.

Jaylen Brown scored 19 points with two three-pointers with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Nuggets rout Clippers despite Jokic being quiet

The Denver Nuggets re-claimed top spot in the Western Conference with a 122-91 domination of the Los Angeles Clippers, who slumped to their fourth straight defeat.

The Nuggets, who secured their 10th straight home win, prevailed without a great contribution from MVP Nikola Jokic, who managed 12 points with six rebounds and nine assists.

Jamal Murray top scored with 18 points, including four three-pointers for Denver, who led by as much as 43 points. The Clippers shuffled their deck ahead of a back-to-back with Kawhi Leonard scoring six points in 18 minutes.

The Nuggets lead the west with a 25-13 record ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, also 25-13, who won 123-115 over the Orlando Magic with Ja Morant scoring 32 points.

Lauri's career-high ends Jazz's five-game skid

Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points as the Utah Jazz snapped their five-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Markkanen posted 18 points in the first quarter on his way to the equal 15th highest single-game scoring performance this season.

The Finnish forward sparked a 14-0 fourth-quarter run which put the game to bed. Jalen Green scored 30 points for Houston, while Kevin Porter Jr added 23.

Jamal Murray earned plaudits for his "complete basketball game" after hitting the last-gasp three-pointer that earned the Denver Nuggets a 121-120 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The impressive road win saw the Nuggets improve to 15-10 for the season and halt a streak of three defeats.

Murray's step-back game-winner came with less than a second remaining, capping a 21-point game, two nights after he shot just 2-of-11 from the field against the Dallas Mavericks.

Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic was also a force for the Nuggets with 33 points (14-of-25), 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Damian Lillard scored a game-high 40 points for Portland.

Lillard put the home team two points ahead with a stunning three-pointer with nine seconds remaining, but Murray brought the late twist.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said: "It was great to see Jamal find his rhythm. Coming off a game against Dallas where I think he was really frustrated with his offense, not making shots the way he knows he's capable of making shots.

"I started him in that fourth quarter, and I was planning on taking him out to bring him back, but once Jamal sees the ball go in it doesn't take many for him to catch fire, and he ran the whole fourth quarter, obviously. [He had] 21 points, eight assists, only two turnovers, five rebounds – a complete basketball game.

"It was an understatement to say a much-needed win after losing three in a row. I thought our fourth-quarter defense was outstanding, 21 points allowed. As I told our players, when we don't turn the ball over and we defend, we're a really good team. Now the challenge is to do that a lot more consistently. A lot of guys stepped up and played well."

DeAndre Jordan played the 1,000th game of his NBA career, and Malone paid tribute to that achievement, saying of the 34-year-old center: "I'm really thankful that he's here and a part of our family."

Murray, meanwhile, felt the Trail Blazers, who dominated the third quarter 35-26, were brilliantly reined in by the Nuggets in the closing stages.

He told Altitude TV: "They came out hot in the second half, but we knew if we wanted to win the game we had to play defense together as a unit, especially with this crowd, so I think we did a good job of that.

"Dame got hot. It was our defense down the stretch. We were able to stay together, keep our unit together and get some stops down the stretch.

"We know they're going to make shots, especially on their home floor. We couldn't get down on ourselves and keep that negative energy. Go to the next play and figure it out."