Jokic's triple-double draws Denver into contention
· Yahoo Sports
Nikola Jokic scored a triple-double to keep the Denver Nuggets' play-off hopes alive with a 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Serbia's Jokic, 31, was the joint top scorer with 27 points but also chipped in with 12 rebounds and 16 assists.
The Nuggets trailed 3-1 as they welcomed Minnesota to Ball Arena, Colorado, and defeat would have seen them eliminated.
Jamal Murray scored a game-high 24 points to help Denver get back on track after three successive defeats.
"We had to play like we was down 3-1," Murray said.
"I think we did a good job of bringing energy into the game and playing for 48 minutes, not letting up off the gas. That was a great team win."
Game six of the best-of-seven series takes place on Thursday in Minneapolis.
Elsewhere, Cade Cunningham scored a game-high 25 points as his Detroit Pistons lost 94-88 against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center, Florida.
Top seeds Detroit trail 3-1 in the series and are on the brink of elimination from the play-offs.
The Magic, who finished eighth in the Eastern Conference, have not reached the second round of the play-offs since 2010 - losing six times in the first round and failing to qualify for the post-season on nine occasions.
Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City Thunder booked their place in the second round courtesy of a 131-122 win against the Phoenix Suns.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to seal Thunder's 4-0 series shutout at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
"We just came in ready," said Gilgeous-Alexander.
"We do it for each other. None of us are selfish. We all want the next man to succeed and when you have those three things and put them together you get success."
Oklahoma will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets in the second round, with the Lakers leading that series 3-1.
Flagg claims Rookie of the Year award
Cooper Flagg won the National college Player of the Year award in 2025 [Getty Images]Teenager Cooper Flagg was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, narrowly beating former Duke University room-mate Kon Knueppel to the award.
The 19-year-old is the second youngest player to win the award behind LeBron James.
"I think you talk about pressure and things like that, this season was a lot different going into it and what I was expecting and how the season ended up turning out," Flagg said.
"I think dealing with that and adjusting and kind of getting thrown in on the fly right away like that helped me long-term and throughout the season, just getting really comfortable. I think I grew in a lot of different areas."
Flagg was selected as the number one pick in last year's draft by the Dallas Mavericks and has repaid their faith.
The American averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists - joining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic as the only rookies to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the 50 seasons since the NBA-ABA merger.
Flagg beat Knueppel by just 26 points in the voting - the second smallest gap between the top-two finishers for the rookie awards since the current format began in 2002-03.