Nuggets rally to beat Celtics 114-110

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

BOSTON (AP) — Jamal Murray had 22 points and 17 assists and Peyton Watson scored 30 for the Denver Nuggets, who went on a 14-0 run to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit and pull away to beat the Boston Celtics 114-110 on Wednesday night.

In a game missing its two biggest stars — Denver’s three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Boston All-Star Jayson Tatum — the teams played through 26 lead changes and another nine ties before Denver turn a three-point deficit midway through the fourth into a 101-90 lead.

Boston trailed 107-95 and cut it to three points in the final seconds, but it was too late.

Jaylen Brown scored 33 and Neemias Queta grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds for Boston, which had won five in a row.

Denver had lost six of its last 10 since opening the season 20-6, losing ground on the defending champion Thunder in the Western Conference race. They are 3-2 since Jokic went out with a hyperextended left knee. Murray and Christian Braun returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Monday’s overtime loss to Philadelphia, the second game of a back-to-back.

Denver trailed 90-87 before scoring 14 straight, getting nine points from Watson and eight from Zeke Nnaji in the fourth.

PISTONS 108, BULLS 93

DETROIT (AP) — Isaiah Stewart scored a career-high 31 points to help short-handed Detroit beat Chicago.

Detroit won for the fourth time in five games despite playing without All-Star Cade Cunningham (wrist) and fellow starters Tobias Harris (hip) and Jalen Duren (ankle).

Stewart, who had his previous best of 26 points against Memphis on Nov. 3, scored 11 points in the first quarter. Two-way player Daniss Jenkins added six rebounds and a career-high 15 assists.

Ayo Dosunmu had 24 points for Chicago, which has lost three straight. Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Matas Buzelis also had 20 points.

Chicago led 77-76 at the end of the third quarter, but Detroit scored the first seven points of the fourth to go up 83-77.

The Bulls were unable to get anything going offensively in the fourth quarter. They missed 12 of their first 16 shots, including eight of 10 3-pointers, and turned the ball over three times.

76ERS 131, WIZARDS 110

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 28 points, Paul George added 23 and all of Philadelphia’s starters scored in double-figures as it beat Washington.

Tyrese Maxey contributed 22 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who have won four of five.

Tre Johnson had a team-high 20 points for Washington, which played without several key players on the second night of a back-to-back. CJ McCollum (right quad soreness) and Khris Middleton (right knee injury) were among the Washington players sidelined.

Embiid played in his fifth consecutive game contest since being slowed by early season injuries. The 2023 MVP shot 10 for 14 from the field and 7 of 8 from the line, and added seven rebounds.

Philadelphia took control early behind Embiid’s 16 points in the first quarter. The 76ers were up 92-80 entering the fourth before opening the final period with an 11-0 run, capped by a Quentin Grimes dunk to take a 23-point lead. Grimes finished with 16 points.

RAPTORS 97, HORNETS 96

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Immanuel Quickley hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer and Toronto rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Charlotte.

RJ Barrett finished with 28 points and seven rebounds, while Quickley added 21 points. Scottie Barnes chipped in with 17 points as the Raptors won for the fifth time in six games.

Collin Sexton led the Hornets with 22 points.

LaMelo Ball, who scored 15 points, made a driving left-handed layup with 1.6 seconds left to give the Hornets a 96-94 lead. But Quickley got free off of a side-inbounds play and drilled his third 3 of the game, drawing a loud collective moan from the home crowd.

Charlotte had 18 turnovers to Toronto’s six.

KNICKS 123, CLIPPERS 111

NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and New York snapped its four-game losing streak with a victory over Los Angeles.

Towns bounced back from a quiet game Monday in Detroit, when he took just four shots and had only six points and six turnovers in the Knicks’ 121-90 loss that gave them their longest losing streak of the season. This time, the center had 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks break open the game.

OG Anunoby added 20 points and Deuce McBride had 16 for the Knicks, who had a 24-7 run starting late in the third quarter and extending into the fourth to turn a four-point deficit into a 105-92 advantage.

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points for the Clippers, who lost for just the second time in nine games. James Harden had 23 points and nine assists after sitting out Monday against Golden State because of right shoulder soreness.

HAWKS 117, PELICANS 110

ATLANTA (AP) — Zaccharie Risacher scored 25 points, Jalen Johnson added 19 and seven Atlanta players scored in double figures in a win over New Orleans as the Hawks traded four-time All-Star Trae Young to Washington.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 17 points, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard and Dyson Daniels added 13 points apiece, and Mouhamed Gueye finished with 10 as the Hawks snapped a two-game skid after losing consecutive games to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and Monday.

The Hawks agreed to trade Young, who was listed out for the game against New Orleans due to a quad contusion, to the Wizards for a package including veteran CJ McCollum, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press. Corey Kispert is also headed from Washington to Atlanta, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade had not received the required league approval.

Young, who was on the bench in street clothes, is 10th in points, 12th in points per game, first in assists and first in assists per game since entering the NBA as the No. 5 pick in the 2018 draft.

Zion Williamson overcame a scoreless first quarter and led the Pelicans with 22 points on 10-for-15 shooting with eight rebounds and six assists. Jordan Poole added 21 points, Bryce McGowens had 20 and Micah Peavy and Jeremiah Fears each score 11 as the Pelicans lost their ninth straight game.

MAGIC 104, NETS 103, OT

NEW YORK (AP) — Paolo Banchero banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the overtime buzzer to give Orlando a victory over Brooklyn.

Two nights after falling at lowly Washington, the Magic beat the Nets for the eighth straight time to improve to 21-17.

Banchero scored 30 points to lead Orlando. Wendell Carter Jr. added 20, Tristan da Silva had 14 and Noah Penda 13.

In overtime, Egor Demin made a 3-pointer with 1:07 left to give Brooklyn a 100-99 lead. Carter put Orlando back in front on a dunk with 16 seconds remaining. Demin countered with another 3 with 3.6 seconds left to make it 103-101, and Banchero ended it with the 26-footer that banked in.

After Brooklyn pulled to 91-90 in regulation on Noah Clowney’s jumper, da Sila scored on a dunk for Orlando with 17 seconds left. Demin hit a 3-pointer with six seconds to go to tie it, and Banchero missed a 30-footer at the buzzer.

Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 34 points. and Demin had 18.

SUNS 117, GRIZZLIES 98

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 21 points, fellow former Memphis player Grayson Allen added 19 and Phoenix routed the Grizzlies.

Brooks, who played his first six seasons with the Grizzlies, scored 18 of his points in the first half as the Suns built an early advantage. Allen, who also played two seasons with Memphis, was 7 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 10 3-pointers. Devin Booker finished with 13 points, but was 6 of 15 from the field.

Phoenix, which was coming off a 100-97 loss to Houston on Monday night, has won seven of its last nine.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the short-handed Grizzlies with 19 points, while Cam Spencer, Javon Small and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 14 points each. Memphis shot 42% and committed 18 turnovers, leading to 25 Phoenix points.

The Suns’ lead stretched to 22 early in the third quarter and even a 10-2 Memphis rally only put a dent in the advantage. The Grizzlies’ turnovers continued to mount in the third, and Phoenix carried a 91-68 lead into the fourth.

THUNDER 129, JAZZ 125, OT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 46 points and Oklahoma City beat Utah in overtime to snap a two-game losing skid.

Gilgeous-Alexander calmly made a shot from near the free-throw line at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, then scored nine points in the extra period. The reigning MVP increased his streak of games with at least 20 points to 109, the second-longest run in NBA history.

Chet Holmgren had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Williams scored 17 points and Ajay Mitchell added 16 for defending champion Oklahoma City.

The Thunder had dropped six of their previous 12 after starting the season 24-1. The most significant recent blemish was a 124-97 loss to struggling Charlotte on Tuesday for their second straight loss. The Thunder haven’t lost three consecutive regular-season games since April 2024.

Lauri Markkanen had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Utah. Keyonte George added 25 points and 11 assists and Jusuf Nurkic chipped in 15 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz lost their fifth straight.

The Associated Press