Denver Nuggets (9-7, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (12-3, second in the Western Conference)

Phoenix; Sunday, 8 p.m. EST

Denver will attempt to break its three-game road skid when the Nuggets face Phoenix.

The Suns are 10-3 against Western Conference opponents. Phoenix is fourth in the NBA with 110.7 points and is shooting 47.1% from the field.

Chris Paul scored 19 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Devin Booker had 29 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-96 Monday night for their ninth straight win.

Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 12 rebounds in his return to the Suns after missing five games with a right lower leg contusion. Phoenix won a day after a 115-89 victory in Houston.

Booker made one of two foul shots with 16.1 seconds to give the Suns a 98-96 lead.

Stephen Curry exited the court to one last chorus of “MVP! MVP!” chants, a sound that even he thought was weird.

It is, after all, Kevin Durant’s home arena.

It was Curry’s night, though.

Curry had 37 points, easily winning a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers when Durant had his worst night of the season, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-99 on Tuesday.

The New York Knicks were clearly not going to shoot their way out of their slump.

With most of their starters struggling, it was going to have to be done with defense — just the way they like it.

“This is how we win games,” All-Star forward Julius Randle said.

Immanuel Quickley came off the bench to score 16 points, and the Knicks limited the Indiana Pacers to two baskets in the fourth quarter to rally for a 92-84 victory on Monday night.

Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 19 in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks rallied behind a small-ball lineup to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-101 on Monday night.

Dallas opened the fourth period on a 17-6 run that included 3-pointers by Hardaway, Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock to go ahead 98-88 with six minutes left, its largest lead to that point. With Porzingis and All-Star guard Luka Doncic on the bench, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd opened the quarter with a four-guard lineup plus the 6-foot-7 Finney-Smith against an opponent finishing a back-to-back with its smaller second unit on the floor.

Trae Young and John Collins each scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 129-111 on Monday night for their second straight win.

Clint Capela finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Bogdan Bogdanovich added 20 points for Atlanta, which snapped a six-game skid with a 20-point win over defending NBA champion Milwaukee on Sunday.

“Tonight we were obviously a little gassed early on in the game, and they were making shots,” Young said. “I don’t think there was a dead ball for the first 6½ minutes. We were just tired, but then we were able to catch our wind and get back to playing. We played hard and fast.”

Ja Morant had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat Houston 136-102 Monday night, sending the Rockets to their 12th straight loss.

Dillon Brooks finished with 16 points, and Kyle Anderson added 15 as Memphis snapped a three-game losing streak. The 136 points was a season-high for the Grizzlies. Brooks and other Grizzlies said a renewed energy meant better defense.

“That should never die,” Brooks said. “The energy every single game, every single day at practice. …We should never lack energy.”

Anthony Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-106 on Sunday.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored 17 points in his season debut for the Lakers, and Carmelo Anthony and Wayne Ellington each had 15 points.

Los Angeles led by 14 points in the second half, then held on improve to 3-3 since LeBron James was sidelined Nov. 4 because of an abdominal strain. The Lakers have won four overall games this season without James, one a 125-121 overtime victory in San Antonio on Oct. 26.