Durant scores 31, Sheppard has 28 as Rockets end Nuggets' 6-game win streak

DENVER (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Reed Sheppard scored the final 11 points of the third quarter to blow open a close game, and the Houston Rockets rolled past the Denver Nuggets 115-101 on Saturday.

Sheppard was 6 for 9 from long range and scored 28 points. His last bucket came on a steal and a slam after the Nuggets reserves had trimmed a 21-point deficit to 107-97 in the closing minutes.

The Rockets avenged a loss earlier in the week at Denver and snapped the Nuggets’ six-game winning streak. Durant was 5 for 6 from 3-point range and Jabari Smith was 5 for 11 from long range for 22 points.

The Rockets shot 19 of 35 from long range (54%) to Denver’s 8 of 29 (27%).

Nikola Jokic led Denver with 25 points and Jamal Murray scored 16.

76ERS 121, MAVERICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 38 points, including seven during a key fourth-quarter stretch, and VJ Edgecombe added 26 as Philadelphia defeated.

Dominick Barlow added 21 points for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid (illness/right knee injury management) and Paul George (left knee injury management). Embiid missed his second consecutive game and 16th of the season.

The 76ers have won six of eight.

Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis each scored 24 points for Dallas.

CELTICS 112, RAPTORS 69

TORONTO (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, Derrick White and Anfernee Simons each had 15, and short-handed Boston beat Toronto.

Neemias Queta scored 14 points, Luka Garza had 12 and Hugo Gonzalez added 10 as the Celtics won their third straight meeting with Toronto.

Boston’s Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 points in Friday’s home win over the Miami Heat, sat out because of an illness.

Pritchard shot eight for 10 in the third, making two of four attempts from 3-point range. He finished 13 for 24, making four of nine from distance.

Pritchard led Boston with 10 assists, matching his season-high. He also had eight rebounds.

Garza and Gonzalez each had 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won seven of their last nine games.

PELICANS 128, PACERS 109

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson came off the bench for the third consecutive game and matched his season high with 29 points as New Orleans beat Indiana for their season-high fourth straight win.

Williamson, who did not play during the fourth quarter and overtime of the Pelicans’ 133-128 victory over Houston on Thursday, scored 18 points in the first half as the Pelicans raced to a 64-49 lead. Williamson made 9 of 14 shots from the floor and 11 of 13 free throws and grabbed seven rebounds.

Saddiq Bey scored 18 points, Trey Murphy III and Derik Queen each had 17 and Jordan Poole 16 for New Orleans. Queen also had 10 rebounds. The New Orleans reserves accounted for a season-high 66 points.

Pascal Siakam scored 22 points to lead the Pacers. Johnny Furphy had 18 and T.J. McConnell 16 as Indiana lost its fourth in row.

PISTONS 112, HORNETS 86

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had a triple-double and Jalen Duren added 19 points and 11 rebounds as Detroit beat Charlotte.

Cunningham finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists despite sitting out the last four minutes as each coach emptied his bench.

Tobias Harris scored 19 points for Detroit, which won for the seventh time in nine games. Duncan Robinson had 15 points and Ausar Thompson added 14 as ll five starters finished in double figures for the Pistons, who shot 21.4% (6 for 28) on 3-pointers.

Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges each scored 19 points for Charlotte, which had won five of its last nine after a 4-14 start. Brandon Miller finished with 14 points, but LaMelo Ball fouled out with eight points on 3-for-14 shooting.

WIZARDS 130, GRIZZLIES 122

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — CJ McCollum and Kyshawn George scored 28 points each keying a second-half comeback as Washington erased a 20-point deficit and defeated Memphis.

Alex Sarr added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Washington. The Wizards snapped a seven-game losing streak in Memphis, where they hadn’t won since Jan. 5, 2018. Marvin Bagley had 16 points. McCollum was 4 of 5 from outside the arc in the second half. George added seven assists and seven rebounds.

Santi Aldama led Memphis with a career-high 37 points and 10 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 22 and Cam Spencer added 19 for Memphis.

WARRIORS 119, SUNS 116

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry had 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, and Golden State snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Phoenix.

Jordan Goodwin’s 3-pointer with 1:10 left made it a two-point game before Butler answered on the other end with a driving layup and three-point play. Collin Gillespie missed baseline 3 with 18 seconds remaining and Curry converted a pair of free throws before Gillespie connected from deep with 10 seconds to go — and Curry scored again to go 5 of 6 for 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Devin Booker scored 38 points for the Suns. Dillon Brooks scored 22 points and made his first five shots as Phoenix was a sizzling 70.8% in the opening quarter for a 44-32 lead, but dealt with foul trouble late.

MAGIC 128, JAZZ 127, OT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 32 points, including the winning layup with 0.9 seconds left in overtime, to help Orlando edge Utah.

Bane drove for the finger-roll layup after Keyonte George completed a four-point play to put Utah ahead with 4.1 seconds remaining.

Paolo Banchero added 23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and blocked two shots to help Orlando snap a two-game losing streak on the road. Anthony Black chipped in 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

George led Utah with 27 points and nine assists. Svi Mykhailiuk added 23 points while Isaiah Collier had 18 points and nine assists. Kevin Love added 16 points and a season-high 16 rebounds off the bench.

TRAIL BLAZERS 98, KINGS 93

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Deni Avdija had 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and Portland beat Sacramento to sweep a home-and-home series.

The Trail Blazers beat the Kings 134-133 in overtime at home Thursday night on Avdija’s late free throws. He has scored 20 or more points in all but five games this season.

Shadedon Sharpe added 23 points, Toumani Camara had 15 points and Donovan Clingan finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Portland has won three in a row to improve to 12-16.

Dennis Schroder had 21 points for Sacramento, and rookie Maxime Raynaud had 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Kings have lost five in a row and nine of 10 to fall to 6-22.

CLIPPERS 103, LAKERS 88

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 32 points and the slumping Los Angeles Clippers rode their 3-point shooting to a victory over LeBron James and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers, snapping a five-game skid.

Luka Doncic, the NBA’s scoring leader, didn’t return for the Lakers after halftime because of a lower leg contusion. He had 12 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes after missing his first six shots. Doncic was coming off a triple-double of 45 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists at Utah on Thursday.

James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, led the Lakers with a season-high 36 points.

James Harden had 21 points and 10 assists for the Clippers. John Collins added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson, right, blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić as Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr. looks on in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

PHOENIX (AP) — When Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest convention reached its halfway point, Erika Kirk tried to put a smiling face on things.

“Say what you want about AmFest, but it’s definitely not boring,” said Kirk, who has led the influential conservative organization since her husband Charlie was assassinated in September. “Feels like a Thanksgiving dinner where your family’s hashing out the family business.”

That's one way to put it.

Some of the biggest names in conservative media took turns torching each other on the main stage, spending more time targeting right-wing rivals than their left-wing opponents.

The feuds could ultimately define the boundaries of the Republican Party and determine the future of President Donald Trump's fractious coalition, which appears primed for more schisms in the months and years ahead.

Here are some of the most notable moments from the four-day conference.

Ben Shapiro, co-founder of the conservative media outlet Daily Wire, set the tone with the first speech after Erika Kirk opened the convention. He attacked fellow commentators in deeply personal terms, saying some of the right's most popular figures are morally bankrupt.

Candace Owens “has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years,” he said.

Megyn Kelly is “guilty of cowardice" because she's refused to condemn Owens for spreading unsubstantiated theories about Kirk's death.

And Tucker Carlson's decision to host antisemite Nick Fuentes on his podcast was “an act of moral imbecility.”

Barely an hour later, Carlson took the same stage and mocked Shapiro’s attempt to “deplatform and denounce” people who disagree with him.

“I watched it,” he said. “I laughed.”

Others had their chance the next night.

“Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads,” said Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser.

Kelly belittled Shapiro as a marginal figure in the conservative movement and said their friendship is over.

“I resent that he thinks he’s in a position to decide who must say what, to whom, and when,” Kelly said.

Owens, who has spread unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's death, wasn't welcome at the convention. But she responded on her podcast, calling Shapiro a “miserable imp."

Israel came up repeatedly during the conference.

Some on the right have questioned whether the Republican Party's historically steadfast support for Israel conflicts with Trump's “America First” platform. Carlson criticized civilian deaths in Gaza in remarks that wouldn't have been out of place in progressive circles.

Some attendees dug deep into history, highlighting Israel's attack on the USS Liberty off the Sinai Peninsula in 1967. Israel said it mistook the ship for an Egyptian vessel during the Six Day War, while critics have argued that it was a deliberate strike.

Bannon accused Shapiro, who is Jewish, and others who staunchly support Israel of being part of “the Israel first crowd.” Kelly said criticism from Shapiro and Bari Weiss, the newly installed head of CBS News, “is about Israel."

Erika Kirk pledged Turning Point’s support for Vice President JD Vance to be the next Republican presidential nominee.

“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said on the first night of the convention. Vance would be the 48th president if he takes office after Trump.

Turning Point is a major force on the right, with a massive volunteer network around the country that can be especially helpful in early primary states.

Vance was close with Charlie Kirk, whose backing helped enable his rapid political rise. The vice president is scheduled to close out the convention as the final speaker on Sunday.

The Make America Healthy Again movement had a big presence at Turning Point, signaling its quick rise in the right-wing ecosystem.

MAHA is spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy, who leads the Department of Health and Human Services. However, there has been friction with other parts of the Make America Great Again coalition, particularly when it comes to rolling back environmental regulations.

Wellness influencer Alex Clark, whose podcast is sponsored by Turning Point, asked the crowd whether the Environmental Protection Agency is “with us or against us?”

“Big chemical, big ag and big food are trying to split MAGA from MAHA so things can go back to business as usual, but we don’t want that, do we?” Clark said.

Clark and others have asked for Trump to fire EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who responded by reaching out to MAHA activists. The EPA also said it would release a MAHA agenda for the agency.

“The Trump EPA wants to partner with the MAHA community and make sure everyone has a seat at the table,” EPA press secretary Carolyn Holran said in response to Clark's speech.

Erika Kirk smiles at a question and answer session during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Benny Johnson speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Attendees sing and pray during Faith Night worship events at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Benny Johnson speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Megyn Kelly, center, speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Ben Shapiro speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Erika Kirk, center, speaks as Jack Posobiec, left, and Megyn Kelly look on during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)