DENVER — Jamal Murray scored nine of his 27 points in the final 2:26, and the Nuggets spoiled Michael Porter Jr.’s return to Denver with a 107-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

Porter had a season-high 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which has lost seven straight.

Tim Hardaway Jr. tied a season high with seven 3-pointers on his way to 25 points and Peyton Watson scored 19 for Denver, which snapped a three-game home losing streak.

Porter was drafted 14th overall by the Nuggets in 2018 and played six seasons in Denver, helping the franchise win its first NBA title in 2023. He was traded to Brooklyn in the offseason and leads the Nets in scoring.

The Nuggets honored Porter with a video tribute at the first timeout and he acknowledged the fans, who gave him a standing ovation.

Both teams had several players sitting with injuries. Denver was without four starters and Nets forward Ziaire Williams was sidelined with a left calf contusion suffered in a scuffle at the end of Tuesday’s loss at Phoenix.

Brooklyn erased a 15-point halftime deficit in the third quarter and trailed 79-76 heading into the fourth. The Nuggets built an 87-79 lead with 8:43 left but Porter’s steal and layup tied it at 90 midway through the period.

Nolan Traore’s layup gave the Nets their first lead since early in the game, but Murray hit a turnaround jumper, converted a three-point play and drained a pair of free throws in the final 2:26.

Leading 105-100, Watson fouled Terance Mann on a 3-point attempt with 4.4 seconds left. He made all three free throws but Jonas Valanciunas made a pair with 2.6 seconds left.

SUNS 114, PISTONS 96

PHOENIX — Dillon Brooks scored a career-high 40 points, Grayson Allen added 24 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons 114-96 on Thursday night.

The Suns kept a comfortable lead through much of the fourth, winning for the fifth time in seven games. They are 10 games above .500 for the first time this season at 29-19.

Brooks sliced through the lane for a layup for a 105-89 lead with 5:43 left, scoring the last of his 40 points. He finished 13 of 22 from the field and had eight rebounds on a night the team gave the first 5,000 fans who entered the arena a shirt that read “Dillon The Villain” — a nod to his combustible personality.

The Pistons lost for just the third time in 12 games. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 26 points, and Jalen Duran had 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Brooks had 38 points through three quarters, which was already a career high. The 6-foot-7 forward’s previous best was a 37-point performance for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021.

The 30-year-old Canadian is in the midst of a career year, averaging more than 20 points per game to become a dark horse candidate to make his first All-Star game. He came to the Suns during the offseason as part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston.

Detroit trailed 72-56 at halftime but cut it to 77-74 midway through the third. Phoenix recovered to take a 93-81 advantage into the fourth.

The Suns made their first four 3-pointers and rode the hot shooting to a 72-56 halftime advantage. Brooks scored 24 points before the break, making 8 of 11 shots on an array of turnaround jumpers and threes.

Suns star guard Devin Booker missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle.

HEAT 116, BULLS 113

CHICAGO — Norman Powell scored 21 points, Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Miami Heat held on for a 116-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Ayo Dosunmu had 23 points to lead the Bulls, who trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter and were down 104-92 with 8:02 remaining before outscoring the Heat 21-12 the rest of the way to make it close.

With Chicago trailing 110-100, Dosunmu made two layups and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 3 with 2:05 left. After a layup by Powell, Nikola Vucevic’s turnaround hook shot made it 112-109 with 54 seconds remaining.

Dosunmu and Powell each made two free throws and after being fouled by Pelle Larsson, Coby White hit both of his foul shots to make it a one-point game with 7 seconds left. Larsson dunked 2 seconds later to give Miami a three-point lead and White missed a 3-point attempt to seal the win for the Heat.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Chicago. Larsson had 15 points.

Vucevic had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Matas Buzelis finished with 16 points, Kevin Huerter had 15 and White 14 for the Bulls.

ROCKETS 104, HAWKS 86

ATLANTA — Kevin Durant scored 31 points and the Houston Rockets beat short-handed Atlanta 104-86 on Thursday night, ending the Hawks’ four-game winning streak.

The Rockets dominated the second half after leading only 43-42 at halftime. Jabari Smith had 14 points and Reed Sheppard added 13. Sheppard’s 3-pointer gave the Rockets their first 20-point lead, 90-70.

The Hawks held out two frontline starters with injuries. Center Onyeka Okongwu suffered a dental fracture when he was elbowed in the mouth in Atlanta’s 117-106 win at Boston on Wednesday night. Forward Jalen Johnson was ruled out with left calf tightness.

The Hawks said Okongwu had a successful dental procedure on Thursday and also will miss Saturday’s game at Indiana.

The Hawks already were missing center Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and forward Zaccharie Risacher (left knee, bone contusion). Two-way rookie Asa Newell was recalled from G League College Park before the game. Center Christian Koloko, who signed with Atlanta on Jan. 17, made his first start in his fifth game with the Hawks.

CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 23 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 and Corey Kispert added 17.

Rockets center Alperen Sengun (right ankle sprain) had nine points and 13 rebounds after being listed as questionable.

Houston outscored Atlanta 35-24 in the third period and continued to stretch the lead in the final period.

Houston center Clint Capela scored 10 points in his first return to Atlanta since he was traded to the Rockets on July 6, 2025. Capela held up both hands in a wave to the fans after he was honored with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout.

76ERS 113, KINGS 111

PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points, including the winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, Joel Embiid had 37 points and the Philadelphia 76ers rallied to edge the Sacramento Kings 113-111 on Thursday night.

Paul George added 15 points for Philadelphia, which came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth-quarter.

Dennis Schroder scored 27 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 for the Kings, who have lost seven in a row.

After DeRozan missed a 14-footer that would have put the Kings in front, Embiid grabbed the rebound with 5.2 seconds left and Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse called a timeout. On the 76ers’ second attempt to inbound the ball on their ensuing possession, Kelly Oubre Jr. passed to Embiid at the top of the arc, and Maxey sprinted from half-court. He took the pass from Embiid and converted a driving, left-handed layup and was fouled by Precious Achiuwa.

Sacramento outscored the 76ers 38-28 in the third quarter to take a 92-88 advantage into the fourth. Zach LaVine’s three-point play with 7:44 remaining put Sacramento up 103-92. But Philadelphia rallied to score 13 of the next 15 points, tying the game at 105 on two free throws by Maxey to set the stage for the finish.

Sacramento dropped to 3-21 on the road and 0-4 on its six-game road trip.

The 76ers played their second straight game with a healthy Embiid and George, who each were listed as probable entering the contest. George tied a Philadelphia single-game record with nine 3-pointers in Tuesday’s 139-122 win over Milwaukee, a game in which Embiid had 29 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness), Malik Monk (right ankle soreness) and Keegan Murray (left ankle sprain) were sidelined for the Kings. Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes (right ankle sprain) missed his second straight game.

WIZARDS 109, BUCKS 99

WASHINGTON — Kyshawn George scored 23 points, Alex Sarr added 16 points and 17 rebounds, and the Washington Wizards beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 109-99 on Thursday night.

Amid swirling trade rumors, Milwaukee’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a second straight game with a calf strain.

Khris Middleton and Bub Carrington each added 13 points for Washington, which held a 61-43 rebounding advantage in its second straight win.

Myles Turner scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its fourth straight and seventh out of its last eight games.

Bobby Portis Jr. and Kyle Porter each added 19 points for the Bucks, who began the day in 12th in the Eastern Conference and four games out of the last play-in spot.

Wizards rookie Tre Johnson rolled his left ankle while sinking a jumper with 11:10 left in the second quarter. He left the game about three minutes later and did not return.

Washington led by 18 in the second quarter and took a 57-43 lead into halftime. The Wizards held the Bucks to 34.6% shooting and 21.7% from 3-point range in their stingiest defensive first half of the season.

It was still an eight-point lead late in the fourth before Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins hit a 3-pointer and Kuzma followed with a turnaround jumper to close it to three. A few possessions later, Turner’s 3-pointer from Kuzma’s feed made it 101-99 with 1:30 left.

Sarr answered with a runner, Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly each sank a pair of free throws, and the Wizards held the Bucks scoreless on their final four possessions.

HORNETS 123, MAVERICKS 121

DALLAS — Kon Knueppel made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left for a career-high 34 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-121 on Thursday night, spoiling Duke roommate Cooper Flagg’s 49-point game.

Flagg, who turned 19 in December, broke the NBA record for points in a game by a teen. Cliff Robinson set the previous record of 45 at age 19 for New Jersey in a game against Detroit on March 9, 1980.

Flagg set career highs with 20 field goals on 29 shots, and also had 10 rebounds.

Knueppel grabbed an errant pass by Flagg near midcourt with seven seconds left and the score tied. He drove to the basket and was fouled by Flagg as the ball lodged between the rim and the backboard. Flagg’s shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime hit the back of the rim.

Knueppel made eight 3-pointers to set a rookie record for the Hornets, who have won five consecutive games for their longest winning streak since a five-game run in February 2023.

Brandon Miller scored 23 points, his ninth straight game with at least 20 points, for Charlotte. LaMelo added 22, hitting six 3-pointers.

Klay Thompson scored 16 points off the bench for Dallas, shooting 4 of 11 on 3s. The Mavericks have lost three straight — all at home — following a season-best, four-game winning streak.

The Hornets swept a road back-to-back while the Mavericks were swept in a home back-to-back.

The game was the first NBA meeting between Flagg and Knueppel, the 2024-25 Duke freshmen.

Mark Aguirre, Dallas’ only previous first-overall draftee after the franchise initial season in 1980-81, became the team’s fifth player to have his jersey retired during a halftime ceremony.

TIMBERWOLVES 123, THUNDER 111

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves matched a season high with 22 3-pointers in a 123-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.

Jaden McDaniels scored 21 points including 5 of 5 from 3-point range for the Timberwolves. Naz Reid added 18 points off the bench for Minnesota and connected four times from behind the arc.

Minnesota’s 22 3-pointers equaled the second-most surrendered by the Thunder this season. The Wolves shot 46.8% (22 of 47) from deep.

Minnesota has won three straight after snapping its season-long five-game losing streak. Oklahoma City has lost three of its last four games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 30 points for Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren added 15 points, while center Isaiah Hartenstein scored 11 points in his return to action after missing 16 games with a calf injury.

Despite getting leading rebounder Hartenstein back, the Thunder were outrebounded 46-36.

Minnesota was without veteran point guard Mike Conley. Bones Hyland saw extended playing time with Conley out, scoring nine points in 23 minutes.

A handful of careless turnovers by Minnesota allowed the Thunder to get back to within 13 points at 105-92. Donte DiVincenzo’s 3-pointer stopped the run, and both teams eventually emptied their benches.

The Timberwolves turned 16 Thunder turnovers into 30 points. Minnesota turned the ball over 20 times.

Minnesota found a rhythm from deep in the first quarter. The Wolves connected on 8 of 15 shots from 3-point range to take a 14-point lead after one. Edwards scored 12 of his 26 points in the first quarter.

Timberwolves players wore black T-shirts reading “STAND FOR MINNESOTA” during the pregame warmups in response to the fatal shootings by federal agents that have occurred in Minneapolis in recent weeks.