Nikola Jokic moved past Oscar Robertson on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list as the Denver Nuggets stopped a three-game losing run with a 136-120 victory against the Chicago Bulls, headlining a night that also saw the Charlotte Hornets and Houston Rockets collect important wins in the NBA.
Jokic delivered 22 points, 17 assists and 14 rebounds, securing his 19th triple-double of this season and the 182nd of Jokic’s career, which pushed Jokic into second place behind Russell Westbrook’s 207. Denver recovered from a shaky third quarter to hand Chicago a fourth straight defeat.
Chicago had appeared in control after closing the third period on a 16-2 burst, which built a seven-point edge. Denver then opened the fourth with a 20-2 response, reversing
the momentum and effectively deciding the contest while the reworked Bulls roster continued to struggle for rhythm after trade deadline changes.
Jamal Murray supported Jokic with 28 points and 11 assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench to score 23 points for Denver. For Chicago, Matas Buzelis led with 21 points and Collin Sexton contributed 17, yet those efforts could not halt the team’s current slide.
The Charlotte Hornets kept their surge going by defeating the Atlanta Hawks 126-119, stretching Charlotte’s winning streak to nine games and moving Charlotte within one victory of the franchise-best run of 10, set in 1998, while also lifting Charlotte into the Eastern Conference’s No. 10 spot.
Miles Bridges paced Charlotte with 26 points, and Kon Knueppel added major outside shooting, hitting six three-pointers on the way to 23 points. LaMelo Ball finished with 19 points and nine assists, Brandon Miller scored 16, while Moussa Diabate produced a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Atlanta, which entered having won six of eight, leaned on Jalen Johnson, who totaled 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, with Zaccharie Risacher scoring 18 and Onyeka Okongwu adding 16. The Hawks cut the deficit to 120-119 in the final 30 seconds before Charlotte closed out a perfect 16-for-16 night at the foul line.
NBA results: Houston Rockets down short-handed Thunder
The Houston Rockets handled an Oklahoma City Thunder side missing several key players, winning 112-106 as Tari Eason delivered a season-high 26 points and Alperen Sengun recorded a triple-double that helped the Rockets maintain control despite several late Thunder scoring bursts in the second half.
Sengun posted 17 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, earning a second triple-double this season, while Jabari Smith Jr. produced 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin Durant added 20 points. For the Thunder, Cason Wallace scored 23 points and Isaiah Joe supplied 21, keeping the margin manageable.
The Thunder again played without reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is sidelined through the All-Star break because of an abdominal strain, while Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell also remained unavailable. Trade deadline addition Jared McCain made a Thunder debut, registering five points and two rebounds across 14 minutes during the NBA schedule.
Across the three games, Jokic’s historic triple-double, Charlotte’s charge toward a franchise record and Houston’s win over an injury-hit Oklahoma City side shaped a night of NBA results that carried clear playoff implications for several teams and highlighted strong individual displays on both winning and losing sides.
