Michael Porter Jr. hits winning jumper in the final seconds and Denver beats Dallas 122-120

DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. hit a mid-range jumper with seven seconds left and the Denver Nuggets won their fifth straight, 122-120 over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists for his fourth straight triple-double and his NBA-best sixth this season. Jamal Murray had 18 points and Porter finished with 17.

Kyrie Irving had a season-high 43 points for Dallas. Luka Doncic added 24 points and Daniel Gafford had 16.

Trailing by three going into the final period, Dallas got three 3-pointers in a row from Irving to take a 105-102 lead with 8:46 left to play. The teams kept trading shots to keep it close the rest of the way. Irving’s bank shot gave Dallas a 120-118 lead with 1:39 left but Jokic then had a tying tip-in and ahead of Porter’s winning shot. Irving missed a 3-point try at the buzzer.

Down by 10 midway through the first quarter, Dallas outscored Denver by nine points in the second period and led 63-60 at halftime.

Mavericks: Irving and Doncic spearheaded the Mavericks’ strong offensive play which just came up short.

Nuggets: Sparked their offense with effective 3-point shooting, making 14 of their 29 attempts (48.3 percent). Peyton Watson was 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

Dallas, already without injured P.J. Washington (knee), Dereck Lively II (shoulder) and Dante Exum (wrist), feared Doncic would be held out with a left groin strain. But he showcased his mobility and shooting in warmups and was cleared to play.

The starting five for both teams all scored in double figures.

Mavericks: Klay Thompson, who joined Dallas last summer as part of an offseason trade with Golden State and four other teams, faces his former team on Tuesday night.

Nuggets: Begin a three-game road trip Friday night in New Orleans.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie, front, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther, center, and forward Zeke Nnaji defend in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, center, passes the ball as he drives between Denver Nuggets guards Christian Braun, left, and Jamal Murray in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, right, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) drives past Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie, top, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, center, celebrates with guard Russell Westbrook (4) and center Nikola Jokic after Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving missed a last-second shot as time ran out in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person who died in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The officials spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Three U.S. officials said Livelsberger was an active-duty Army member who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.

The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.

The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack and police believe the driver was not acting alone.

Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg but one official said so far there is no overlap in their assignments there.

Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."

"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.

Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Wednesday.

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)