Australian veteran Joe Ingles has had an impact off the bench to help lift the Orlando Magic to a fifth consecutive NBA win, this time over the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
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Ingles had 12 points and seven rebounds as Franz Wagner (27 points), Paolo Banchero (23) and Cole Anthony (20) all made their presences felt in the Magic's 124-119 home victory on Thursday (AEDT).
The result, which gave the Magic a 10-5 record, came despite a sixth triple-double of the season from Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic - the 111th of his career.
Two-time MVP Jokic racked up 30 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists but the Nuggets (10-5) fell to 4-4 without injured guard Jamal Murray.
They also slid to third in the Western Conference standings, leapfrogged by Australian guard Josh Giddey's red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder (10-4)
Giddey had 10 points and six rebounds in the Thunder's 116-102 home victory over the Chicago Bulls.
It was the Thunder's sixth consecutive win - their first streak of that length since February 2019.
Prolific scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of the show again, compiling 40 points and 12 assists, while Chet Holmgren had 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Thunder fans broke out in "MVP" chants in the final minute as Gilgeous-Alexander put the finishing touches on the win from the free-throw line and moved up to third in the team's all-time scoring list.
Elsewhere, Australian pair Matisse Thybulle (13 points) and Duop Reath (eight) were in the action as Jerami Grant's 30-point haul lifted the Portland Trail Blazers to a 121-105 win over the Utah Jazz.
LeBron James' off-balance attempt at a game-tying three rimmed out as the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 104-101 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luka Doncic (30 points) and Kyrie Irving (28) led the way for the Mavs (10-5), with Australian duo Josh Green (15) and Dante Exum (four) also among the scorers.
Jayson Tatum overcame an illness to lead the Boston Celtics to a 119-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in an early showdown of top Eastern Conference teams.
Tatum had 26 points and 11 rebounds for Boston while Jaylen Brown added 26 points and eight assists in a win that improved the NBA's best record to 12-3.
Brook Lopez (28 points), Damian Lillard (27) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (21) all hit 20-plus for the Bucks, who slipped to 10-5.
The Philadelphia 76ers missed injured reigning MVP Joel Embiid in their 112-99 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were led by Anthony Edwards (31 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (23 points, 11 rebounds).
Embiid missed a game for the first time this season due to hip soreness.
Trae Young scored a season-high 43 points, including 14 in overtime, as the Atlanta Hawks outlasted the Brooklyn Nets 147-145.
Australian guard Dyson Daniels had eight points and seven rebounds in the New Orleans Pelicans' 117-112 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Australian Associated Press
