Westbrook and Jokic help Nuggets erase double-digit deficit in 112-101 win over Mavericks

DALLAS (AP) — Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Nikola Jokic added 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-101 on Sunday.

The Nuggets trailed by 19 points late in the third period and by 12 early in the fourth. They outscored the Mavericks in the fourth period 33-12. After hitting only four of 25 3-pointers through three quarters, Denver shot 3 for 7 down the stretch while the Mavs missed all 11 3-point tries in the fourth.

The Nuggets won for the 12th time in 17 games.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points to lead the Mavericks, who are 2-5 playing without All-Star guards Luka Doncic (calf strain) and Kyrie Irving (back sprain). Thompson was scoreless on four shots, all 3-pointers, in the fourth period.

Nuggets: At 23-15, they’re eight games over .500 for the first time this season and 12-3 with Jokic and Westbrook in the starting lineup. Their 21.9% shooting on 3’s (7 of 32) was their poorest this season. Aaron Gordon returned for the first time since Christmas and had 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor and six rebounds in 18 minutes.

Mavericks: Doncic placed third in last season’s MVP balloting, but is ineligible this season as of Sunday, unable to reach the threshold of playing in at least 65 regular-season games.

With Mavericks center Dereck Lively II playing with five fouls, Jokic spun inside against forward P.J. Washington for a finger-roll basket with 4:28 to play. That gave the Nuggets a 99-96 lead, their first lead of more than one point.

The Nuggets outscored the Mavericks 68-40 in the paint.

The teams will meet again in Dallas on Tuesday night in their final regular-season meeting of the season.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie works the floor against the Denver Nuggets during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic looks over notes during a timeout in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, left, goes up for a shot against Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) shoots against Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie reacts after coming in contact with Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. on a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gestures toward guard Russell Westbrook, not visible, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) blocks a shot by Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. The Nuggets won 112-101. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook dribbles up court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Dallas. The Nuggets won 112-101. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

HONG KONG (AP) — Fireworks are typically a celebratory centerpiece of Hong Kong's New Year celebrations. Not this year.

The territory will ring in 2026 without spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor after a massive fire in November that killed at least 161 people.

The city’s tourism board will instead host a music show Wednesday night featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district that also is home to the famous nightlife hub Lan Kwai Fong. The facades of eight landmarks will turn into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

Fireworks have long been part of the city’s celebrations for the New Year, Lunar New Year and National Day. The pyrotechnic displays against Hong Kong’s world-famous skyline of skyscrapers typically draw hundreds of thousands of people including many tourists to both sides of the promenade.

Rosanna Law, the territory's secretary for culture, sports and tourism, acknowledged Tuesday that having no fireworks would affect some hotel and restaurant businesses.

The financial hub’s worst blaze since 1948 broke out at Wang Fuk Court, in the northern suburban district of Tai Po, in late November. The apartment complex was undergoing a monthslong renovation project with buildings covered by bamboo scaffolding and green netting.

Authorities have pointed to the substandard netting and foam boards installed on windows as contributing factors in the fire’s rapid spread. Thousands of affected residents have moved to transitional homes, hotels and youth hostels, struggling to recover from the loss of lives and homes that took them years to buy. The casualties pained many residents across the city.

Past tragedies in Hong Kong have forced similar cancellations of fireworks. They include the 2013 National Day festivities following a vessel collision that killed 39 people on Oct. 1, 2012, and the 2018 Lunar New Year celebration after a bus crash that left 19 dead. During the 2019 anti-government protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple displays also were scrapped.

The origin of fireworks is believed to date to China in the second century B.C., when someone discovered bamboo stalks exploded with loud bangs when thrown into fire, creating the first natural “firecrackers,” according to the American Pyrotechnics Association, a U.S. trade group.

The Guinness World Records organization says the first accurately documented firework, the Chinese firecracker, was created by Li Tian, a monk from China’s Tang dynasty dating to around 618 to 907 C.E. Li discovered that putting gunpowder in enclosed hollow bamboo stems created loud explosions and bound crackers together to create the traditional New Year firecrackers to drive out evil spirits, Guinness said.

People gather at Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate the start of 2026 in the Central district of Hong Kong, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People attend the New Year countdown event to celebrate the start of 2026 in the Central district of Hong Kong, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People take selfies at Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate the start of 2026 in the Central district of Hong Kong, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People pose for photographs at Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate the start of 2026 in the Central district of Hong Kong, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

FILE - Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour to celebrate the start of 2025 at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)