Keldon Johnson had 27 points, Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-91 on Wednesday night.

San Antonio moved into second place in the Western Conference despite shooting 4 for 25 on 3-pointers.

LeBron James didn't play due to arthritis and sciatica as Los Angeles' three-game winning streak came to an end. Calf strains also sidelined Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura for the Lakers.

Jake LaRavia, with 16 points, and Jaxson Hayes, with 10, were the only other Lakers to score in double figures against the Spurs.

Wembanyama was listed as questionable after returning Tuesday from a two-game absence due to a hyperextended left knee. He had 30 points in 20 minutes in a 106-105 loss at Memphis and followed that up with his 15th double-double this season.

San Antonio went on an 11-4 run midway through the third quarter for a 71-59 lead. Johnson and Stephon Castle combined for nine points in the run.

 

KJ with the honors tonight! pic.twitter.com/aTrcahYtib

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 8, 2026

Gilgeous-Alexander stars as Thunder bounce back

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 46 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Utah Jazz 129-125 in overtime to snap a two-game losing skid.

Gilgeous-Alexander calmly made a shot from near the free-throw line at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, then scored nine points in the extra period. The reigning MVP increased his streak of games with at least 20 points to 109, the second-longest run in NBA history.

Chet Holmgren had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Williams scored 17 points and Ajay Mitchell added 16 for defending champion Oklahoma City.

The Thunder had dropped six of their previous 12 after starting the season 24-1. The most significant recent blemish was a 124-97 loss to struggling Charlotte on Tuesday for their second straight loss. The Thunder haven't lost three consecutive regular-season games since April 2024.

Lauri Markkanen had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Utah. Keyonte George added 25 points and 11 assists and Jusuf Nurkic chipped in 15 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz lost their fifth straight.

 

Goodnight you pic.twitter.com/HM7GQmfWFL

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 8, 2026

Nuggets rally to cool Celtics

Jamal Murray had 22 points and 17 assists and Peyton Watson scored 30 for the Denver Nuggets, who went on a 14-0 run to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit and pull away to beat the Boston Celtics 114-110.

In a game missing its two biggest stars – Denver’s three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Boston All-Star Jayson Tatum – the teams played through 26 lead changes and another nine ties before Denver turned a three-point deficit midway through the fourth into a 101-90 lead.

Boston trailed 107-95 and cut it to three points in the final seconds, but it was too late.

Jaylen Brown scored 33 and Neemias Queta grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds for Boston, which had won five in a row.

Heading home on a high note pic.twitter.com/86N7ifAUFt

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 8, 2026

Denver had lost six of its last 10 since opening the season 20-6, losing ground on the defending champion Thunder in the Western Conference race. They are 3-2 since Jokic went out with a hyperextended left knee. Murray and Christian Braun returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Monday’s overtime loss to Philadelphia, the second game of a back-to-back.