NBA roundup: Nuggets seal playoff bid as Nikola Jokic makes history

Nikola Jokic overcame a gash on his head to finish with 35 points and 16 rebounds while grabbing a piece of NBA history as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-109 on Thursday night to clinch a top-six spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Jokic became the first NBA player to compile 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. He needed 31 points to reach the milestone and returned in the fourth quarter to hit the mark. He cut his head in the first minute of the game due to an inadvertent elbow by the Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. Jokic was bleeding badly before being bandaged, and he wore a red headband the rest of the night.

Aaron Gordon had 22 points, Bones Hyland and Will Barton scored 16 apiece and Monte Morris had 10 for the Nuggets, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

Desmond Bane netted 14 points to lead seven Memphis players in double-figures scoring. The Grizzlies, who are second in the West, have dropped two in a row after an 11-1 stretch.

Timberwolves 127, Spurs 121

Anthony Edwards poured in a career-high 49 points to lead Minnesota over San Antonio in Minneapolis.

Because the Denver Nuggets also won Thursday, the Timberwolves are locked into the seventh spot in the West, which means a home game against the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament on Tuesday. San Antonio is still in the running for the ninth spot (and a home game in the play-in tourney).

Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Keldon Johnson scored 20 points to lead the Spurs, who had won seven of their previous eight games.

Raptors 119, 76ers 114

Pascal Siakam had 37 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds and Toronto defeated visiting Philadelphia.

Gary Trent Jr.