DENVER >> Nikola Jokic became the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, Jamal Murray hit several clutch shots in his return and the Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-109 on Friday night.

After a slow start offensively, Jokic had his 33rd triple-double with 26 points, 16 rebounds and a dozen assists. He wrapped up a triple-double average with his fourth assist of the night. The other players to average a triple-double for a full season: Russell Westbrook, Jokic’s current Denver teammate, and Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

Aaron Gordon led Denver with 33 points, and Murray chipped in 15 points in his return from a sprained right ankle that sidelined him six games.

Desmond Bane led Memphis with 24 points. Ja Morant added 21 for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 15 in the first half but watched the Nuggets chip away until closing the game on a 14-1 run over the final six minutes.

The Nuggets improved to 49-32, strengthening their bid for home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs, and the Grizzlies fell to 47-34.

Timberwolves 117, Nets 91 >> Rudy Gobert matched his career high with 35 points and had 11 rebounds for Minnesota in a victory over Brooklyn that put the Timberwolves on the brink of a top-six finish that would avoid the play-in games.

Julius Randle added 21 points for the Timberwolves (48-33), who would win the majority of multi-team tiebreakers within the cluster of clubs that have pinballed back and forth for weeks in the Western Conference from third through eighth place.

One problem: Anthony Edwards picked up his 18th technical foul of the season. That prompted an automatic suspension for the next game on Sunday that the Timberwolves will need to win to improve their seed.

Edwards had just nine points while shooting 1 for 7 from 3-point range. He scored 44 points and went 7 for 11 from deep to lead Minnesota’s 141-125 win at Memphis the night before.

Keon Johnson scored 20 points for the Nets (26-55), who will finish with their worst record in eight years.

Cavaliers 108, Knicks 102 >> Darius Garland scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead Cleveland’s comeback from 23 points down for a victory over New York, which finished 0-8 against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks were locked into the No. 3 seed in the East during the game when the Indiana Pacers, resting all five starters, were routed by the Orlando Magic to end their hopes of passing New York.

But no matter where the Knicks finished, they look a step below the teams above them. The top-seeded Cavaliers completed a four-game sweep, just as the No. 2 Boston Celtics did with their overtime victory at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Mavericks 124, Raptors 102 >> Anthony Davis had 23 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth career triple-double, and Dallas beat Toronto to snap a three-game losing streak.

Davis also had a season-high seven blocks.

Reserves Max Christie and Brandon Williams scored 17 points each as the Mavericks pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring the Raptors 31-13. Dallas led by as many as 38 points.

Dallas (39-42) will play Sacramento on Wednesday in the Western Conference play-in elimination game matching the ninth- and 10th-place teams.

Scottie Barnes scored 26 points and Ochai Agbaji added 24, matching a career high with six 3-pointers, for the Raptors (30-51).

Heat 153, Pelicans 104 >> Bam Adebayo had 23 points and 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes, and Miami defeated reeling and injury-depleted New Orleans in what became the Pelicans’ most lopsided regular-season loss in franchise history.

Tyler Herro, who also played just 22 minutes, scored 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and Duncan Robinson scored 21 points in 19 minutes for Miami, which never trailed and led by as many as 52.

Despite the victory, the Heat’s chances of moving up to the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference vanished when Chicago also won to clinch that spot.

Bulls 119, Wizards 89 >> Julian Phillips scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Nikola Vucevic finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and Chicago beat Washington.

Matas Buzelis added 20 points and Coby White scored 16 with nine rebounds for the Bulls.

Hawks 124, 76ers 110 >> Trae Young hit six 3-pointers and had 36 points and 11 assists, Caris LeVert added 31 points and Atlanta beat Philadelphia, securing an Eastern Conference play-in spot.

Magic 129, Pacers 115 >> Trevelin Queen scored a career-high 25 points and Anthony Black added 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help Orlando pull away from Indiana in a battle of backups.

Celtics 130, Hornets 94 >> Payton Pritchard scored 22 points, Sam Hauser had 20 and Boston beat the Charlotte for its 60th victory of the season.

The teams will meet again in Boston on Sunday.

Bucks 125, Pistons 119 >> Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to lead Milwaukee in a win over Detroit, securing the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.