Nikola Jokic's 23rd triple-double of the season leads Nuggets over Pelicans 125-113

DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 36 points, Nikola Jokic added 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Denver Nuggets overcame a career-high 41 points from Trey Murphy III to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-113 on Monday night.

Jamal Murray had 20 points and eight assists while Julian Strawther scored 15 points off the bench for Denver. In his first start of the season, Zeke Nnaji, filling in for the injured Aaron Gordon, had a season-high 12 points.

The triple-double was Jokic’s NBA-best 23rd of the season and ninth in his past 11 games.

Murphy scored 39 of New Orleans’ first 85 points, helping the Pelicans, who trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half, get within eight entering the fourth quarter. Murphy made 13 of his 21 shots, including eight of his 12 3s, while the rest of his team shot just 37.3% from the field.

CJ McCollum scored 30 points and Zion Williamson added 14 for the Pelicans.

Nuggets: Denver continued its rebound from a three-game losing streak, picking up its third consecutive victory and 11th win in its past 15 games to remain in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Pelicans: After a season-high four-game win streak offered some signs of hope, New Orleans had its sixth consecutive loss in an injury plagued season.

After a Murphy 3 tied the game at 21 in the first quarter, the Nuggets went on a 14-2 run and led for the rest of the night, with the Pelicans never getting closer than six.

With his career performance Monday, Murphy has averaged 37.7 points in his past three games while shooting 70.7% from the field and 63.6% from 3.

The Nuggets and Pelicans will have a rematch on Wednesday in Denver.

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Denver Nuggets forward Hunter Tyson (5) reaches for the ball as New Orleans Pelicans guards Jordan Hawkins (24) and Trey Murphy III (25) defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, dodges New Orleans Pelicans center Karlo Matkovic, left, to pick up the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic argues for a call in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson heads (1) to the bench in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, drives to the basket as New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, drives to the basket as New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, right, defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins (24) looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., center, drives to the basket as New Orleans Pelicans guards Javonte Green, left, and Trey Murphy III, right, defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote Wednesday to try to appease him, rejecting a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed.

Trump harangued GOP senators face-to-face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues.

Also, congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president’s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project continued to roil the capital.

Heres' the latest:

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for President Trump as midterm elections near.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier, the largest annual increase since April 2023. On a monthly basis, inflation was 0.4% last month, matching April’s increase and down from 0.7% in March.

The increase was largely driven by more expensive gas, as well as pricier semiconductors and other computer equipment that are in high demand for the AI buildout. Rising prices have caused the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to keep their key rate unchanged this year, a reversal from January when they had penciled in two cuts. Some economists forecast the central bank could lift rates this year instead.

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Congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president’s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project continued to roil the capital.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate demanded answers about the saga that’s been highlighted in the news cycle for weeks, even as the White House has repeatedly blamed — without evidence — unidentified vandals for peeling paint and other problems. Six people have been arrested, President Donald Trump said, without providing details, and a local wildlife nonprofit conducted necropsies on dead ducks found near the Reflecting Pool. The president has said the pool may need to be drained once again for additional repairs.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, challenged the Trump administration over no-bid contracts for work on the Reflecting Pool, saying they were awarded to vendors with previous relationships to Trump.

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Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote Wednesday to try to appease him, rejecting a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed.

Trump harangued GOP senators face-to-face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure.

Hours later, though, Cassidy was invited to receive a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff. Cassidy then returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate but nearly identical war powers resolution.

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President Donald Trump stands on stage after speaking at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump waves after speaking at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)