Jamal Murray scored 28 points, Nikola Jokić overcame an off day from the field by going 18 of 18 from the free throw line and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to five games by holding off the Golden State Warriors 120-114 on Monday.
Jokić finished with 26 points despite going 4 of 12 from the floor. He set a career-high with his 18 made free throws. Jokić also had 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Last Christmas, the Nuggets big man erupted for 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in an overtime win over Phoenix.
It was a back-and-forth game that featured nine lead changes in the second half. Denver took a lead for good on Jokić’s left-handed hook shot with 5:16 remaining.
Andrew Wiggins gave the Warriors a boost by scoring 22 points as he returned to the floor after missing two games with an illness. Stephen Curry took a bit to warm up, not scoring until midway through the second quarter, but heated up late to finish with 18 points.
Golden State played on Christmas for an 11th straight year.
The Warriors moved to 5-2 since the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green after striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game that Green has mostly stayed away during his suspension. Kerr added that he has been in contact with the training staff and the coaches.
The combination of Kevon Looney and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis took turns trying to frustrate Jokić, who didn’t have his customary touch around the basket. All five Denver starters scored in double figures, with Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon both posting double-doubles.
Denver coach Michael Malone showed up for his pregame media interview wearing a Nuggets-themed Christmas sweater. Being the son of a longtime NBA coach, Malone said some of his fondest memories were going to games on 25 December, particularly when his father was an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.
“No present under that tree would even match going to the Garden to watch Michael Jordan,” Malone said. “Every time he stepped foot in that arena, it was just magical.”
Milwaukee Bucks 122-129 New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson scored 38 points and the New York Knicks snapped Milwaukee’s seven-game winning streak, ending their lengthy skid against the Bucks with a 129-122 victory Monday.
The Knicks had dropped nine straight meetings, including a 130-111 loss on Saturday in the opener of this two-game series. The Bucks had handled New York easily twice while rolling through their December schedule, but they haven’t solved Brunson all season, and the point guard got plenty of help from his teammates this time.
Julius Randle added 24 points and nine rebounds, RJ Barrett bounced back from a poor game Saturday with 21 points and Immanuel Quickley came off the bench for 20.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored 32 points for the Bucks, who fell to 9-2 this month. Khris Middleton added 24.
The Bucks rang up 146 points against the Knicks in the quarter-finals of the In-Season Tournament on 5 December and didn’t cool off much Saturday. But they seemed short on energy Monday in the middle of an extended Christmas stay in New York, with still another game remaining in the city when they visit Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Milwaukee came in averaging 132.4 points in December but couldn’t even break 40 until there were less than four minutes remaining in the first half. The Bucks trailed by 16 with four and a half minutes remaining in the game before a late flurry that made the scorer closer than the game felt.
Brunson went 15 for 28 from the field, following up games of 45 and 36 points against the Bucks this season. Isaiah Hartenstein had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Josh Hart came off the bench for 10 points and nine rebounds.
Antetokounmpo had 13 rebounds and six assists, but the Bucks fell to 3-3 in their sixth straight Christmas appearance.
