Injuries and illness created an opportunity for Vlatko Cancar to show he can make a valuable contribution to the Denver Nuggets. After three years of mop-up minutes, he is showing he belongs in the rotation.

Cancar played a total of 25 minutes through the first month of the season, but with several players missing he has been pushed into service. He is averaging 23.4 minutes over the last four games and has made key contributions on both offense and defense.

He’ll get more quality time when Denver hosts Houston on Monday night in the first of two home games against the Rockets.

Michael Porter Jr. (heel) and Jeff Green (knee) are not expected to play.

Cancar’s expanded role started at Dallas on Nov. 18 when the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Denver lost that game by 28 points but beat the Mavericks two nights later, and a big reason was Cancar’s halfcourt heave that ended the second quarter.

In the last two games he has played 60 minutes, averaging 16 points while playing strong defense. He had three blocks in an overtime win at Oklahoma City on Wednesday and was disruptive in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

“(The Thunder game) gave me a lot of confidence, but at the same time, I’m proud of myself just to stay ready for any given opportunity,” Cancar told The Denver Post. “Just to play simple basketball. When you play simple and play to win, you’re going to get rewarded by that.”

Houston brings a two-game winning streak to Denver and has won three of its last five after starting the season 2-12. The Rockets beat Oklahoma City and rallied to beat Atlanta for their first winning streak.

Houston’s wins have come against good teams, including a win at Dallas on Nov. 16.

“I think we’re just tired of losing in general,” Jalen Green said. “We’re coming together and buying in on the defensive side. I think that’s what’s been helping us out.”

The Rockets made key plays down the stretch in the win over the Hawks. Garrison Mathews stole the ball with Houston up one in the final two minutes and drew a foul to give the Rockets more of a cushion.

“Obviously we’re better than we were last year on defense,” Mathews said. “We got more rim protectors, we got better rebounds, all that stuff. Some more athletic guys, that’s super important when it comes to defense.”

Green has taken on challenges against some of the best guards in the NBA — including Trae Young and Steph Curry — and has held his own.

“Coach (Stephen Silas) has been really trusting me to guard the best players every night,” Green said after the win over Atlanta. “That’s a new thing for me this year. Last year I didn’t even get to do any of that. I was probably one of the players that they would attack in the defense. Now they’re not really wanting to use me as a mismatch this year.”

–Field Level Media

Injuries and illness created an opportunity for Vlatko Cancar to show he can make a valuable contribution to the Denver Nuggets. After three years of mop-up minutes, he is showing he belongs in the rotation.

Cancar played a total of 25 minutes through the first month of the season, but with several players missing he has been pushed into service. He is averaging 23.4 minutes over the last four games and has made key contributions on both offense and defense.

He’ll get more quality time when Denver hosts Houston on Monday night in the first of two home games against the Rockets.

Michael Porter Jr. (heel) and Jeff Green (knee) are not expected to play.

Cancar’s expanded role started at Dallas on Nov. 18 when the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Denver lost that game by 28 points but beat the Mavericks two nights later, and a big reason was Cancar’s halfcourt heave that ended the second quarter.

In the last two games he has played 60 minutes, averaging 16 points while playing strong defense. He had three blocks in an overtime win at Oklahoma City on Wednesday and was disruptive in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

“(The Thunder game) gave me a lot of confidence, but at the same time, I’m proud of myself just to stay ready for any given opportunity,” Cancar told The Denver Post. “Just to play simple basketball. When you play simple and play to win, you’re going to get rewarded by that.”

Houston brings a two-game winning streak to Denver and has won three of its last five after starting the season 2-12. The Rockets beat Oklahoma City and rallied to beat Atlanta for their first winning streak.

Houston’s wins have come against good teams, including a win at Dallas on Nov. 16.

“I think we’re just tired of losing in general,” Jalen Green said. “We’re coming together and buying in on the defensive side. I think that’s what’s been helping us out.”

The Rockets made key plays down the stretch in the win over the Hawks. Garrison Mathews stole the ball with Houston up one in the final two minutes and drew a foul to give the Rockets more of a cushion.

“Obviously we’re better than we were last year on defense,” Mathews said. “We got more rim protectors, we got better rebounds, all that stuff. Some more athletic guys, that’s super important when it comes to defense.”

Green has taken on challenges against some of the best guards in the NBA — including Trae Young and Steph Curry — and has held his own.

“Coach (Stephen Silas) has been really trusting me to guard the best players every night,” Green said after the win over Atlanta. “That’s a new thing for me this year. Last year I didn’t even get to do any of that. I was probably one of the players that they would attack in the defense. Now they’re not really wanting to use me as a mismatch this year.”

–Field Level Media

Stephen Curry heated up quickly with 13 of his team-high 25 points in a first-quarter flurry and the Golden State Warriors coasted to a 137-114 victory over the host Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Jordan Poole went for 24 points and Klay Thompson 21. Draymond Green had 19 points as part of a double-double with a game-high 11 assists for the Warriors, who led by 23 in the game’s ninth minute and ran up a total of 47 points in the first period alone.

Anthony Edwards had a game-high 26 points for the Timberwolves, who lost a second straight after a five-game winning streak.

Curry pieced together two 3-pointers, two 2-point baskets and three free throws in the runaway first quarter, during which four Warriors connected from beyond the arc and eight players scored. Andrew Wiggins had two of Golden State’s six 3-pointers in the period as part of a 10-point contribution.

The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 28 before making a late rally to make things at least a bit interesting.

Still down 118-100 with 7:27 to go, Minnesota got 3-pointers from D’Angelo Russell and Edwards and an interior hoop from Karl-Anthony Towns in an 8-0 burst, prompting Golden State coach Steve Kerr to call a timeout with 5:31 to go.

The break paid dividends when Curry bombed in his fourth 3-pointer of the game on Golden State’s ensuing possession. Thompson connected on his fourth and fifth 3s shortly thereafter and Minnesota never threatened again.

Curry approached a triple-double by adding a game-high 11 rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, which shot 57.5 percent overall and outscored the hosts 60-42 on 3-pointers.

Thompson shot 5 for 8 on 3-pointers to account for a majority of his points. Donte DiVincenzo matched Curry’s output with a season-best four triples, and Poole and Wiggins contributed three apiece to the team’s total of 20.

Wiggins finished with 17 points and DiVincenzo 14 to give the Warriors six scorers in double figures as they won a third straight, recording a season-high point total in the process.

Towns had 21 points, Jaylen Nowell 16, Russell 15 to complement a team-high six assists and Bryn Forbes 10 for Minnesota, which allowed a season-high point total.

Rudy Gobert gathered a team-high 10 rebounds to go with nine points.

–Field Level Media

The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off their worst performance of the season.

And they might not have star forward Brandon Ingram available when they try to bounce back in a game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

Ingram suffered a sprained left big toe in a 132-111 loss at Memphis on Friday night. Coach Willie Green said Sunday that Ingram is day to day.

The Pelicans had won five of six games, but the Grizzlies raced to a 27-9 lead and remained in command throughout.

Green gave credit to Memphis for the way it played from beginning to end.

“They came in right away from the start of the game and just played with more force,” Green said. “They knocked down a lot of shots. They basically got whatever they wanted — 3s, points in the paint, they got to the free-throw line.”

The 44 points that the Grizzlies scored in the first quarter were the most allowed by the Pelicans in any quarter this season.

“We have to come out ready to play,” Green said. “We weren’t. That starts with me having our team prepared, having us ready. Our game-plan discipline wasn’t up to par. They were the better team tonight. Our overall effort just wasn’t there.”

Ingram is averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He is shooting 46.7 percent on 3-pointers. The Pelicans also are missing CJ McCollum, who was placed in the NBA health and safety protocols before Friday’s game.

The Thunder’s last game didn’t go much better than the Pelicans’.

Their 118-105 loss at Houston on Saturday night wasn’t as close as the final score might suggest.

The Rockets seized command in the second quarter in similar fashion to how Memphis seized command against the Pelicans in the first.

Houston made 7 of 11 3-pointers while outscoring Oklahoma City 42-22 in the second quarter on its way to a 65-44 halftime lead.

“They took it to us, they threw the first punch,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They kept coming. I thought they played with great force on offense and they played stout defense. So credit them, they took it to us.”

Houston shot 52.3 percent from the floor for the game, hitting 18 of 36 3-pointers, and led by as many as 27 points.

“Our defense wasn’t what it should have been and needed to be to win a game,” said guard Josh Giddey, who scored 18 points for the Thunder. “They capitalized. Slow starts have been a common theme. We got to flip the switch and come out of the gates ready to go.”

Oklahoma City wasn’t much better on the offensive end, as it lost for the fourth time in five games. It made 10 of 44 (22.7 percent) 3-pointers.

“We didn’t have the energy on that end of the floor, or the defensive end,” Daigneault said, “to create the type of rhythm that Houston was able to create.”

Much of the Thunder’s offensive rhythm came from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as is often the case. Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered Sunday third in the NBA with an average of 31.1 points, had 32, while shooting 12 of 21 from the floor and 7 of 7 from the foul line.

–Field Level Media

Kevin Durant scored 31 points as the Brooklyn Nets opened a seven-game homestand by pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 111-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday afternoon.

Durant made 12 of 20 shots as the Nets completed its first season sweep of Portland since the 2012-13 season. Unlike their two-point win in Portland decided on Royce O’Neale’s tip-in in the final second on Nov. 17, the Nets surged ahead after the game featured 16 lead changes and nine ties through the opening three quarters.

Seth Curry helped the Nets pull away by adding 13 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth when the Nets outscored Portland 27-17. He hit three of his seven 3-pointers in the opening 6:45 of the fourth when Durant rested and finished with his most points since being acquired from Philadelphia at last year’s trade deadline.

Kyrie Irving added 22 as the Nets shot 52.6 percent, made 15 threes and allowed under 100 points for the sixth time this season. Nic Claxton contributed 12 points and seven rebounds while Ben Simmons chipped in 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Jerami Grant followed up his career-high 44 points in Friday’s overtime win over the Knicks by leading Portland with 29 points. Jusuf Nurkic collected 17 points and 14 rebounds, but Anfernee Simons was held to 15 on 4-of-14 shooting after scoring 38 Friday night as Portland shot 44.3 percent.

Brooklyn shot nearly 57 percent and held a 31-24 lead through the opening quarter after Irving hit a 13-footer with 17.6 seconds remaining. Portland began the second with a 16-4 run that gave them a 40-35 lead before Durant returned with 6:14 remaining. Brooklyn took a 58-57 lead at halftime following two free throws by Claxton with 11.4 seconds left.

Durant’s 12-footer snapped a 74-all tie with 4:03 left and Joe Harris converted a four-point play to make it 80-74 with 3:05 before the Nets took an 84-80 lead into the fourth. Curry’s third 3-pointer of the fourth opened a 96-87 lead with 6:45 left and the Nets took their first double-digit lead when Durant’s 3 made it 101-90 with 4:20 to go.

Brooklyn then finished it off when Durant found Irving for an open corner 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 105-92 with 2:37 remaining.

–Field Level Media