AFP and AP, LOS ANGELES and CHICAGO
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131.
The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons.
Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11 rebounds, Jamal Murray had 14 points and Russell Westbrook had 14 points and 11 assists.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr drives to the basket as he is defended by the Chicago Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu during their NBA game in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday.
Photo: AP
Denver outscored the Lakers 70-39 in the second half to run away with the contest, giving Michael Malone his team-record 443 coaching victory with the Nuggets.
“The biggest thing is we won,” Malone said. “I loved how we came out in that third quarter. We got stops. We got out and ran. And then the players — I’m not the coach I am without the guys like Nikola, Jamal … and everybody that has come through that door.”
In Chicago, Pippen — the son of former Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen — scored 30 points and added 10 assists to lead Memphis over the Bulls.
The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic smiles during the first half of their NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / USA Today
“It’s a dream come true. It’s crazy to say I put up 30 and 10 in the gym where my dad had played,” he said after scoring 26 points in the first three quarters to help Memphis win its second straight game. “It means everything to me and my family. I talked to my dad tonight about coming in here and playing. He just told me to go out there and kill it, so that’s what I tried to do.”
Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks survived the Charlotte Hornets 125-119 to stretch their win streak to four games, while French star Victor Wembanyama had 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs over Western Conference leaders the Golden State Warriors 104-94.
Finland’s Lauri Markkanen scored 34 points to lead the Utah Jazz over the visiting New York Knicks 121-106, while the Orlando Magic overcame the Detroit Pistons 111-100 and the Portland Trail Blazers brought down the Houston Rockets 104-98.
Additional reporting by staff writer
