UNDATED (AP) — It was a pretty good day for NBA players named Nikola.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 136-100 win over the Bucks. Jokic fell one rebound shy of his 13th triple-double of the season, providing 18 points and 15 assists.
Aaron Gordon scored 24 points, Monte Morris had 18 and Will Barton 15 for the Nuggets, who are 4-0 on their six-game road trip.
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 of his 29 points in the first half.
The Bucks were outscored 71-43 in the second half.
Earlier Sunday, Nikola Vucevic played one of his best games of the season, providing 24 points and 14 rebounds to the Bulls’ 130-116 rout of the Trail Blazers. Vucevic was part of an offensive force that had four Bulls score at least 18 points. DeMar DeRozan added 23 points and 10 assists, Zach LaVine had 20 points and Coby White added 18.
Ayo Dosunmu furnished 11 assists in Chicago’s third win in four games.
Checking out Sunday’s NBA action:
— Devin Booker scored 28 points and the Suns overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win their 10th straight, 115-110 over the Spurs. Booker hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the fourth to turn a two-point deficit into a 112-108 lead with 1:18 left. Mikal Bridges added a season-high 26 points as Phoenix improved to a league-best 40-9.
— The Cavaliers opened on a 15-0 run, received 24 points from Darius Garland and still lost to the lowly Pistons, 115-105. Saddiq Bey scored 31 points and rookie Cade Cunningham had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double. Cunningham was shut out in the first half.
— Franz Wagner scored 18 points, including the tiebreaking layup with 54 seconds remaining in the Magic’s 110-108 triumph over the Mavericks. Chuma Okeke scored 19 points and helped Orlando win consecutive games for just the second time all season. The Mavericks lost for the fourth time in their last 17 games despite Luka Doncic, who had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his seventh triple-double of the season.
— The Timberwolves routed the shorthanded Jazz, 126-106 as Karl-Anthony Towns delivered 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Towns caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 16 straight points as the Wolves pushed their four-point halftime lead to 17 entering the fourth quarter. Jaden McDaniels’ sesaon-high 22 points came on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 3 from deep.
— Trae Young poured in 36 points and the Hawks earned their seventh straight win by rallying past the Lakers, 129-121. John Collins added 20 points with 11 rebounds, and Clint Capela scored 15 points for Atlanta. Malik Monk had 33 points for Los Angeles, who have dropped three straight since LeBron James left the lineup with a sore knee.
— The Clippers are 4-3 on their eight-game road trip after Reggie Jackson and Brandon Boston Jr. each scored 19 points in their 115-90 pounding of the Hornets. Marcus Morris Sr. added 16 points and Luke Kennard had 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Clippers. The Los Angeles reserves outscored the Charlotte bench, 62-21, with Justice Winslow delivering 13 points and eight rebounds in a backup role.
