Dec 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) during overtime at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

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NBA Daily Recap, December 22 – Rockets break 5-year Toronto hoodoo, Murray comes clutch and more

Nuggets vs Pelicans headlined the Sunday's NBA fixtures.

It was a quiet night in the NBA, with just three games on the schedule, as the league prepared for the upcoming two-day Christmas bonanza. But even with less games, the entertainment didn’t disappoint. Nuggets vs. Pelicans went to overtime, delivering plenty of drama ahead of the festive frenzy.

Let’s dive into the highlights from a thrilling Sunday in the NBA.

Pacers 122-95 Kings

The Indiana Pacers cruised to their fourth straight win, dominating the second half to beat the Sacramento Kings 122-95.

After a tight first half that ended in a 52-52 tie, the Pacers came alive, outscoring Sacramento 70-43 in the final two quarters.

Pascal Siakam led the charge in the second half with 13 points. Seven Indiana players finished in double digits, including Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton, who added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

JARACE WALKER OFF-THE-BACKBOARD DIME 🎯

Pacers secure the victory in Sacramento! pic.twitter.com/ndnMQDk5Iv
— NBA (@NBA) December 23, 2024

Rockets 114-110 Raptors

The Houston Rockets snapped their five-year winless streak in Toronto with a hard-fought 114-110 win over Raptors . Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points, while Jalen Green added 22.

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For Raptors, rookie Ja’Kobe Walter dropped a career-high 27 points but failed to get the hosts over the line and succumbed to their seventh straight loss.

Ja'Kobe Walter's new career-high has the Raptors keeping it close 👀

Walter has 24 PTS midway through the 4Q!

HOU-TOR | NBA League Pass
📲 https://t.co/ypgQZeuDgG pic.twitter.com/ugQMN1TLYL
— NBA (@NBA) December 23, 2024

Nuggets 132-129 Pelicans (OT)

The Denver Nuggets edged the New Orleans Pelicans 132-129. Despite a quiet start, Nikola Jokic finished with his ninth triple-double of the season, recording 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Jamal Murray contributed 27 points of his own, including the final five points for Denver in overtime. Russell Westbrook chipped in with 21 points as well.

Despite the struggling form this season, the Pelicans fought hard, with Jordan Hawkins posting a season-high 25 points and CJ McCollum adding 24. But it wasn’t enough as the Nuggets pulled away in the overtime to seal the win.

Denver Nuggets

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Jamal Murray

New Orleans Pelicans

Nikola Jokic

Sacramento Kings

Toronto Raptors

Swati Bhatia

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I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.