Harden scores 37 and Clippers overcome Jokic's triple-double to beat Nuggets 126-122

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — James Harden scored 39 points — making all 13 of his free throws — and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame Nikola Jokic’s triple-double to beat the Denver Nuggets 126-122 on Sunday night.

Jokic finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season.

Harden narrowly missed a triple-double of his own, finishing with nine rebounds and 11 assists.

Norman Powell added 28 points for the Clippers in his return after missing six games because of an injury.

Harden made three 3-pointers in the first half, giving him 3,000 in his career.

The Clippers made three consecutive 3-pointers early in the fourth to lead by seven. Jokic hit a 3-pointer and fed Aaron Gordon for a dunk to draw the Nuggets within one.

After the Clippers went up by seven, Harden turned the ball over under pressure by Gordon in his return from injury. The Nuggets missed their first shot, got the offensive rebound and Christian Braun scored, leaving them trailing 123-121 with 19 seconds remaining.

The Nuggets opened the third with a 21-11 run to put the Clippers down 10. But Los Angeles rallied behind six 3-pointers — three each by Harden and Powell — to lead 92-90 going into the fourth.

Nuggets: They've now lost twice to the Clippers.

Clippers: They twice owned leads of 11 points in the first two quarters only to watch Denver tie it at halftime. But they stayed steady down the stretch, making 8 of 9 free throws.

Jokic was 2 of 4 from the free-throw line, missing a crucial one with 9 seconds to go and the Nuggets down by three.

The Clippers made 17 3-pointers while the Nuggets only attempted 21 from long range.

Nuggets host Golden State and Los Angeles hosts Portland in NBA Cup games on Tuesday night.

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Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, shoots as Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, center, soots as Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann, left, and guard Amir Coffey defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, right, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, right, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden looks toward the scoreboard after making a three-point shot that put him at 2,998 points for three-point shots during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, ties up Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac as Zubac tries to shoot during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear a vaping case on Monday, weighing federal regulators’ decisions blocking sweet vaping products after e-cigarette use spiked among kids.

The high court is taking up an appeal from the Food and Drug Administration, which has denied more than a million applications to sell candy- or fruit-flavored products that appeal to kids.

Those decisions are part of a crackdown that anti-tobacco advocates say helped drive down youth vaping to a decade low after an “epidemic level” peak in 2019.

But vaping companies pushed back in court, arguing that agency unfairly disregarded arguments that their sweet e-liquid products aren’t a big draw for kids but would help adults quit smoking traditional cigarettes.

The case comes shortly before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, whose incoming administration could take a different approach after he vowed in a September social-media post to “save” vaping.

Several lower courts rebuffed vaping company lawsuits, but the Dallas-based company Triton Distribution won at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court tossed out a decision blocking the sale of nicotine-laced liquids like “Jimmy The Juice Man in Peachy Strawberry” that are heated by an e-cigarette to create an inhalable aerosol.

The FDA was slow to regulate the now multibillion-dollar vaping market, and even years into the crackdown flavored vapes that are technically illegal nevertheless remain widely available.

The agency has approved some tobacco-flavored vapes, and recently allowed its first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers.

The block on sweet vapes, combined with stepped up enforcement, has helped drive down youth nicotine use to its lowest level in a decade, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said.

FILE - A high school student uses a vaping device near a school campus in Cambridge, Mass., April 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)