Denver Nuggets defeat Golden State Warriors in tight NBA face-off

It has been quite an eventful week for the National Basketball Association (NBA) as Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, in a thrilling face-off with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, scored 35 points and defeated the opposing team 108-105 in a tight contest.

The Warriors edged in the third quarter, but the Nuggets, the reigning NBA champions, recovered from a five-point deficit to stay top of the Western Conference.

"We don't have the pressure of being a champion, we're just trying to enjoy the moment," Jokic told ESPN. "I'm just trying to play the game the right way. And as long as we're winning, I think I'm doing a good job," added the Serbian, who also had 13 rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and Michael Porter 17 for Denver, while Stephen Curry's 23 points led the scoring for 2022 champions Warriors.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected after a second technical foul in a Milwaukee Bucks win over the Detroit Pistons, despite scoring 15 points. He received a caution in the first quarter and another three minutes into the second half.

Milwaukee's new recruit Damian Lillard posted 34 points.

Additionally, Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid posted 27 points with 10 rebounds and four assists securing a sixth consecutive win with 106-103 against the Boston Celtics.

Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points for Philadelphia, who sit in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Los Angeles Lakers suffered injury-related setbacks as the Houston Rockets defeated them 128-94 in Texas. Rui Hachimura scored 34 points, but the Lakers have lost all five road games this season under coach Darvin Ham.

"It's tough, we're juggling different circumstances with guys being in and out of the line-up," said Ham. "But at the end of the day, no one's [going to] feel sorry for you, especially when you're a Los Angeles Laker."

Furthermore, the San Antonio Spurs lost 126-105 at Madison Square Garden to the New York Knicks because they were unable to recover from their crushing loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday, BBC Sports reported.

Victor Wembanyama, the top draught choice of the Spurs, finished the night with 14 points in the team's fourth straight game in which they had given up 120 points or more.

The Brooklyn Nets triumphed 100-93 in New York, leaving James Harden in search of his first victory since joining the Los Angeles Clippers. With 24 points, Paul George led the Clippers in scoring, but Brooklyn's defence held Harden to only 12 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 43 points to lead the Thunder to a 128-120 victory in Oklahoma City.