Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 56 points and had little to celebrate afterward.

Jordan Poole scored 39 points, and the Washington Wizards overcame a career-high 56 by Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-113 and snap their 16-game losing streak.

Denver point guard Jamal Murray was placed in the concussion protocol after a third-quarter collision with Minnesota’s Julius Randle forced him out of the game.

The Denver Nuggets secured another one of their core players by agreeing with forward Aaron Gordon on a four-year, $133 million contract extension Monday night.

Denver coach Michael Malone first broached the subject with his team in training camp, reminding them no NBA champion had won back-to-back titles since the Golden State Warriors did it in 2018.

The Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in two decades Sunday night when they roared back from a 20-point deficit to defeat the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets 98-90.

Anthony Edwards scored 27 points to pull the Minnesota Timberwolves out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets to force a Game 7 in this roller-coaster playoff matchup.

Nikola Jokic was presented with his third NBA MVP award before the game, then scored 40 points and dished out 13 assists in leading the Denver Nuggets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-97 Tuesday night.

Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and Aaron Gordon had 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting to propel the Denver Nuggets to a series-tying 115-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 in the Western Conference semifinals.

Another dominant performance by the Minnesota Timberwolves has the reigning but reeling NBA champion Denver Nuggets on the cusp of a stunning early exit from the playoffs.

The Denver Nuggets moved to the brink of the second round with a 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the first-round series.

Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 16 rebounds and Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Denver Nuggets fended off the undermanned and undersized Minnesota Timberwolves 115-112.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in leading the Denver Nuggets to a 115-109 win over Boston and a season sweep of the Celtics.

Nikola Jokic hit a 40-footer as time expired and the Denver Nuggets stunned the Golden State Warriors 130-127 on Thursday night after trailing by 18 points in the fourth quarter.

A person with knowledge of the situation says Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon needed 21 stitches after suffering lacerations to his face and right hand while being bitten by a family dog on Christmas.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 30 points and the Denver Nuggets rolled past the Houston Rockets 134-124 on Wednesday night in Jamal Murray’s return from a hamstring injury.

An exhausted Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 13 rebounds in more than 36 minutes of action to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the Golden State Warriors 108-105 on Wednesday night.

This season's NBA All-Star Game is going back to its roots with an Eastern Conference-Western Conference format.

Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double and the Denver Nuggets began defense of their first NBA title with a 119-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kevin Durant just got done with his summer vacation.

The Atlanta Hawks have cleared significant salary cap space by agreeing to trade forward John Collins to the Utah Jazz for veteran forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round draft pick, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.

Denver rookie Christian Braun is in rarified air with the Nuggets two wins shy of winning the first NBA championship in franchise history.

Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 of the title series on Thursday night.

The Denver Nuggets are glad they get to stay in Denver for the start of their first NBA Finals appearance but that doesn't mean they're taking the Miami Heat lightly.

It took 3,787 regular-season games and 29 trips to the playoffs, countless ripoffs of rainbow uniforms and even more ‘yeah, buts’ than any city should have to stomach.

The Denver Nuggets played with disruption on their minds in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Devin Booker had 36 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant also had 36 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 129-124 to even their Western Conference semifinal playoff series at two games apiece.

Jamal Murray scored 34 points, hitting six of Denver’s 16 3-pointers, and the Nuggets sprinted past the Phoenix Suns 125-107 in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 114-108 in overtime in Game 4 to avoid elimination.

The Denver Nuggets are the league’s best shooting team with a clean bill of health and the two-time reigning NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic.

Mac McClung was not exactly an unknown.

The rim was bent, nobody seemed to know how to fix it and for 35 minutes Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets players struggled to stay warm in a bizarre scene that left Celtics star Jaylen Brown fuming.

Nikola Jokic had another monster triple-double, Aaron Gordon threw down a pivotal dunk that stood up after a review in overtime and the Denver Nuggets rallied for a 128-125 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Memphis Grizzlies 105-91 in a matchup between the top two teams in the Western Conference.

Nikola Jokic had 40 points and a career-high 27 rebounds in yet another triple-double to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-115 on Sunday night.

Anthony Davis is missing the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets with a right foot injury.

Vlatko Cancar hit a buzzer-beater from near midcourt when the final 2 seconds of the first half were replayed after the break, and the outmanned Denver Nuggets went on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 98-97.

Anfernee Simons had 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, and the Portland Trail Blazers won their fourth straight game to start the season with a 135-110 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Stephen Curry scored 30 points in his return to Golden State’s starting lineup and the Warriors beat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 102-98 to end their first-round playoff series in five games.

The Denver Nuggets avoided a sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors with a 126-121 win Sunday to send the series back to San Francisco for Game 5.

Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points each, Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points and the Golden State Warriors muscled past the Denver Nuggets 118-113 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the playoff series.

Jordan Poole shined in his long-awaited playoff debut scoring 30 points, staying in the starting lineup as Stephen Curry returned from a foot injury by coming off the bench initially, and the Golden State Warriors’ defense smothered Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 123-107 in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

Chris Paul returned from a broken right wrist to help the Phoenix Suns wrap up the top seed in the NBA playoffs with a 140-130 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Stephen Curry scored 24 of his 34 points in the second half, and the Golden State Warriors closed the game with a 13-0 run to beat the Denver Nuggets 113-102.

Nikola Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and the Denver Nuggets held on after blowing an 18-point lead and beat the Sacramento Kings 106-100.

Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 3,000 career 3-pointers on Tuesday night in a game where the Denver Nuggets barely held off the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors 89-86.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says there are no plans to pause the season, even as numbers of players entering the league’s health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus continues to rise.

The NBA has called off five games for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday because of coronavirus-related concerns.

Cam Johnson scored a career-high 22 points, Deandre Ayton added 21 and the fast-starting Phoenix Suns ran their winning streak to 12, routing the short-handed Denver Nuggets 126-97 on Sunday night.

Jamahl Mosley first got noticed as someone with NBA coaching potential when he was hired by the Denver Nuggets as a development coach 16 years ago.

Jamahl Mosley has agreed to become the new coach of the Orlando Magic.

Jamahl Mosley has agreed to become the new coach of the Orlando Magic.

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns spoiled Nikola Jokic’s MVP celebration with a 116-102 victory over Denver on Friday night in Game 3 that put “The Joker” and the rest of the reeling Nuggets on the brink of a quick second-round exit.

Chris Paul had 17 points and 15 assists without a turnover, Devin Booker added 18 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns routed the Denver Nuggets 123-98 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Chris Paul and his rejuvenated right shoulder scored 21 points and dished 11 assists, Mikal Bridges added 23 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Nikola Jokic had 36 points and the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games with a 126-115 victory Thursday night.

Norman Powell matched his career playoff high with 29 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets 115-95 on Saturday in Game 4 to even the first-round series.

Nikola Jokic scored 38 points to overcome a 3-point shooting barrage from Damian Lillard and the Denver Nuggets evened the first-round series by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 128-109 in a chippy Game 2.

Damian Lillard scored 34 points and led Portland’s 3-point barrage that sparked the Trail Blazers’ 123-109 win over the Denver Nuggets in the opener of their first-round playoff series Saturday night.

The Denver Nuggets will be without Jamal Murray indefinitely after the dynamic point guard suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.

Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets held off the San Antonio Spurs for a 121-119 win when DeMar DeRozan’s shot attempt at the buzzer rolled out.

FILE - In this Feb 5, 2021, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Andre Drummond drives the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)LOS ANGELES – Andre Drummond is joining the Los Angeles Lakers for the playoff push. The Lakers announced the signing of the two-time All-Star center less than an hour before Sunday night's game against the Orlando Magic. The Lakers currently rank ninth in the NBA in rebounds per game (45.1), but just 17th in offensive rebounds (9.6). ___AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy in Los Angeles contributed to this reportAd___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrates a three-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. The trade deadline has come and gone. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. But Lowry — a free-agent-to-be and considered perhaps the biggest prize on this year's trade market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Questions swirled around Lowry all the way to the 3 p.m. EST deadline, and there were signs that the Raptors were positioning themselves to make the move.

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, left, drives around Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)ORLANDO, Fla. – Fred VanVleet set a franchise record with 54 points and hit a career-best 11 3-pointers as the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Orlando Magic 123-108 on Tuesday night. AdNorman Powell had 23 points for Toronto, and Kyle Lowry posted a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Orlando, which has lost 12 of 14, tried almost every guard on its roster against the 6-foot-1 VanVleet with little to no success. AdMagic: Orlando was without Gordon, who severely sprained his left ankle later in Sunday’s game against Toronto. Magic: Orlando hosts Chicago on Friday and Saturday in a two-game set.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) passes during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in New York. Durant played just under 24 minutes as Brooklyn beat the Washington Wizards 119-114 on Sunday night in its preseason opener. Durant scored 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting during that stretch while Irving scored 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting to help the Nets take a 30-18 lead. Late in the first half, Irving threw a long pass to Durant, whose reverse layup gave the Nets a 58-35 lead. Danilo Gallinari added 17 points and De’Andre Hunter added 15 for Atlanta, which made 17 3-pointers.

Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford talks to players during a timeout in the first half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, in Atlanta. The NBA preseason — a truncated 49-game, nine-day sprint — opened Friday with a five-game slate, action returning to NBA arenas for the first time in exactly nine months. Friday’s games:KNICKS 90, PISTONS 84At Detroit, R.J. Barrett scored 15 points and Toppin finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in his debut as the Knicks won their preseason opener. Julius Randle scored 11, while Elfrid Payton and Nerlens Noel each scored 10 for New York. Svi Mykhailiuk and Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 14 points apiece.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)It was only a week ago when the sky was falling on the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. The Bucks lead the Orlando Magic 3-1; the Lakers lead the Portland Trail Blazers 3-1. The bottom line is weve come out and competed so much harder.The wake-up call helped the Lakers as well. James teams went 5-5 in his first 10 series-clinching opportunities; theyre 30-5 in those situations since. NEED TO KNOW: If the Bucks win, the Eastern Conference first round would be completed in just 17 games.

Middleton scored 18 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 rebounds after being held to one field goal in the first three quarters on 1-of-9 shooting. Wesley Matthews added 12 points for the Bucks, who can close out the Magic on Wednesday. ... We had to pick up our intensity.Nikola Vucevic continued his strong play for the Magic, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Terrence Ross had 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench. The top-seeded Bucks led by three entering the fourth quarter before Middleton came alive.

But right now it's more hurting the teams that should be playing in front of rowdy fans, not virtual ones. With Domantas Sabonis lost to injury, the Pacers need Turner to do even more on the inside to pick up the slack. Game 2, 9 p.m. ESPN NEED TO KNOW: These teams are seeded No. 8 based on what they did over the entire season, but there is no such difference in the bubble. Vogel said he believes in adjusting when necessary and may decide the Lakers need more speed on the floor and go smaller.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. The Orlando Magic got a big win and a big loss Sunday. But the Magic lost Jonathan Isaac again when he tore the ACL in his left knee, the same one he hurt Jan. 1 that kept him out until the restart. Terrence Ross scored 25 points as the Magic won a season-best fifth straight game going back to before the pandemic-forced shutdown in March. Orlando shot 52% for the game and matched a season high with 18 3 pointers while shooting 47% from long range. Magic: Play Indiana on Tuesday.

So, when it came time to figure out what was getting packed for Disney, Pimental came to a realization. All 22 teams in the NBA restart had to pack more than ever, for a road trip like none other. The challenges for players and coaches are obvious, but the challenge for equipment managers among the unsung heroes of this restart plan arent anywhere near as visible to those watching games from afar. This is what equipment managers were built for, honestly, Orlando Magic equipment manager Jacob Diamond said. ... Were all going to be involved in every aspect of it.Days will be long for equipment managers.