No Jokic, no Murray, no problem for Nuggets

LOS ANGELES  – Aaron Gordon scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their NBA Western Conference rivals on Monday.

A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their line-up.

The absentees were barely felt by Denver though, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game.

The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points to three points, but Denver pulled away in the closing stages to secure a deserved win.

Gordon finished with 38 points, six rebounds and three assists while Michael Porter Jr. provided offensive support with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

The Warriors were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts. Jimmy Butler led the Golden State scorers with 23 points.

Denver improved to 44-25 to remain in third place in the West. The Warriors dropped to 39-29 and are sixth in the standings.

The Los Angeles Lakers are just behind Denver in fourth place in the West after a 125-109 blowout over the San Antonio Spurs.

With LeBron James still injured, Austin Reaves led the Lakers scoring with 30 points while Luka Doncic had 21 points with nine rebounds and 14 assists.

Elsewhere, the in-form Houston Rockets staged an incredible second-half comeback to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, overturning a 25-point third-quarter deficit to win 144-137 in an overtime thriller.

The struggling Sixers – who received another gloomy injury bulletin with news that Paul George would miss the remainder of the regular season – stunned Houston after outscoring the hosts 44-28 in the first quarter.