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Jamal Murray scores 39 points to lift Denver to 116-111 win over Houston

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Jamal Murray scores 39 points to lift Denver to 116-111 win over Houston
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Jamal Murray scores 39 points to lift Denver to 116-111 win over Houston

2025-03-24 10:06 Last Updated At:10:10

HOUSTON (AP) — Jamal Murray had 39 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat Houston 116-111 on Sunday night to snap the Rockets' nine-game win streak.

Murray, who scored 17 in the first half, had 17 in the third quarter as Denver outscored the Rockets 39-22 in the quarter to take a 96-79 lead.

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Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Jamal Murray (27) react after a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Jamal Murray (27) react after a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) shoots against Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) shoots against Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) lands on a fan during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) lands on a fan during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) dive after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) dive after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) celebrates with guard Jamal Murray (27) and guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) celebrates with guard Jamal Murray (27) and guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Russell Westbrook had 14 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon scored 13 points with eight assists and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, which shot 51% and were 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.

Jalen Green scored 30 points, and Dillon Brooks added 21 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Steven Adams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, which shot 44% and were 11 of 34 from behind the arc.

Trailing 109-100 with 1 ½ minutes left, Houston used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three on a Sengun layup with 21 seconds left, but Christian Braun made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the lead back to five.

Nuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game with left ankle impingement, and Denver improved to 2-2 with him out of the lineup.

Rockets: Houston remains in second place in the Western Conference with 10 games left, but the Nuggets closed to within a game of Houston.

Sengun made one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, and Murray made two free throws two seconds later to push the lead to 114-108.

Houston finished 22 of 34 from the free throw line, while Denver made 18 of 26.

Denver hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, while Houston hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Jamal Murray (27) react after a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Jamal Murray (27) react after a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) shoots against Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) shoots against Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) lands on a fan during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) lands on a fan during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) dive after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) dive after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) celebrates with guard Jamal Murray (27) and guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) celebrates with guard Jamal Murray (27) and guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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