Jokic has 37, Murray scores 34 and Nuggets beat Pistons, 134-121

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 37 points, Jamal Murray scored 21 of his 34 points in a decisive third period, and the Denver Nuggets survived Detroit's fourth-quarter rally to beat the Pistons 134-121 on Saturday night.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 26 points for Denver, which used an 18-4 run to take the lead for good at halftime and then opened a 25-point lead heading into the fourth. Murray scored 12 points in the final 2:27 of the period to give him his first 30-point game of the season.

Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey scored 17 points each to lead Detroit.

With the starters on the bench in the fourth quarter, the Pistons cut a 25-point deficit to 10 and forced Denver coach Michael Malone to put his starters back in. Ronald Holland’s 3-pointer made it 128-121 with 2:35 left but Jokic closed it out with six straight points.

Pistons: It was a tough end to a road trip but it is hard to be disappointed with the four-game set. Detroit beat Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento to start the trip before falling to a motivated Denver team.

Nuggets: They tightened up their defense after allowing 149 points to Cleveland on Friday night. The Cavaliers had 80 points at halftime but Denver held the Pistons to 61 at the break.

Russell Westbrook was called for an offensive foul with 4:44 left in the third quarter but immediately drew one on Cunningham on the inbounds play. The play energized the Nuggets, who finished the quarter on a 22-8 run.

Denver is now 6-0 on the second game of a back-to-back and 2-4 on the front end.

The Pistons open a four-game homestand against Orlando on Wednesday night while the Nuggets travel to Utah on Monday night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, front, picks up a loose ball as Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, left, confers with forward Tobias Harris in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, looks to pass the ball as Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Hunter Tyson, left, loses control of the ball as Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, front left, pulls in a rebound in front of center Nikola Jokic, right, and Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, back left, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, shoots for a basket as Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, right, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, right, shoots for a basket as Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren dunks the ball for a basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, front, looks to pass the ball as Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile fired toward the country by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, setting off sirens late Monday in central areas including Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have been firing drones and missiles at Israel as well as attacking shipping in the Red Sea corridor — attacks they say won’t stop until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has seen intensified Israeli operations targeting Palestinian hospitals in recent days in the largely isolated north, where a 3-month-old offensive by Israeli forces has cut off nearly all medical or other aid.

In Syria, Ukraine is pledging support for the new government that ousted Bashar Assad, a key Russian ally in the Mideast. The Ukrainian foreign minister met with Syria’s de facto leader on Monday during a visit to Damascus.

Here’s the latest:

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile fired toward the country by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, setting off sirens late Monday in central Israel including Tel Aviv. There were no reports of injuries from Magen David Adom, Israel’s rescue service.

The Houthis have been firing drones and missiles at Israel as well as attacking shipping in the Red Sea corridor — attacks they say won’t stop until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has carried two waves of intense strikes in recent weeks in Yemen in response to the missile attacks. The latest launch raises the likelihood of further Israeli retaliation.

At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon vowed his country will respond decisively to Houthi attacks.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Wounded Palestinians who Israeli soldiers expelled from a northern Gaza hospital over the weekend described harrowing conditions where they were forced to strip down to their underwear in cold winter weather for hours.

“They surrounded the hospital at 4 a.m. and burned all the buildings around the hospital,” said Wissam Warsh, a 45-year-old father of five who spent almost a week at Kamal Adwan Hospital receiving treatment. He said soldiers made the hospital director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, bring all the patients outside before detaining him.

“They told him over the loudspeaker that he had 10 minutes to evacuate them, and they began firing shells around the hospital as a pressure tactic,” Warsh said. He and other patients were recuperating at Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where he spoke to The Associated Press from a hospital bed on Sunday.

Israel’s military says its troops entered the hospital because Hamas militants were using it as a base, and said over 240 militants were detained, including Abu Safiya. Hospital officials have denied those claims.

Other patients said the Israeli army refused to provide them with food or water.

“The most difficult thing was that we were in the cold and winter and we could not find clothes, in addition to the moments of insults. All the moments were difficult,” said Ramadan al-Aswad, who was a patient at the hospital.

Staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital say it has been hit multiple times over the past three months as Israeli forces wage an offensive against Hamas fighters, who the army says have regrouped in northern Gaza. Israel has virtually sealed off the areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya from food or medical aid.

ADRA, Syria — Syria’s new government said it deployed dozens of soldiers in the Damascus suburb of Adra on Monday in search of alleged militiamen loyal to ousted President Bashar Assad, with military police vehicles seen transporting detainees.

“A security campaign was carried out in Adra town which led to the arrest of the militia leaders in the area,” said Abu Yaarub, a security official who did not give his full name in accordance with regulations. He added that five top militiamen were detained.

Clashes erupted last week in several cities across Syria between Assad supporters and the new government, which is led by Islamist rebels.

Since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in acts of revenge, according to activists and monitors, the vast majority of them from the minority Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam to which Assad belongs.

By Leo Correa and Ghaith AlSayed.

JERUSALEM — The family of a hospital director in northern Gaza is pleading with the international community and the Israeli military for his release, after soldiers detained Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya over the weekend.

Abu Safiya's family says he's being denied medical care and kept in the freezing cold in Sde Teiman, an Israeli detention center that been sharply criticized for its inhuman conditions.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Abu Safiya “is currently being questioned regarding his potential involvement in terrorist activity.”

Over the weekend, Israeli soldiers expelled staff and patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital, where it detained 240 people who it said were militants and took them for interrogation in Israel. The military said some militants attempted to pose as patients and hid in ambulances, without providing evidence.

Israel alleged that Hamas had been using the facility, which hospital officials have denied.

Israel’s latest military offensive in northern Gaza has largely isolated the area, with little medical or other aid allowed to reach hospitals there.

On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Israeli operations have “obliterated the health care system in northern Gaza,” noting that Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals are now “completely inoperable.”

DAMASCUS, Syria — Ukraine’s foreign minister met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday, days after Kyiv announced the delivery of a large shipment of wheat flour to the country following the ouster of Bashar Assad, Russia's ally.

Syria is gradually shifting away from Iran and Russia and rekindling ties with Western and Gulf Arab nations that had opposed Assad’s rule, as well as Turkey, which backed opposition forces during the civil war.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will send 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria through the U.N. World Food Program to help improve the country’s food security and economic crisis. About 90% of Syrians live in poverty, while over half don’t know where their next meal will come from, according to the U.N.

"The Ukrainian delegation held important talks with the Syrian administration, leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa and ministers. We support the Syrian people in overcoming decades of dictatorial rule and restoring stability, security, and normal life in Syria,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he hopes “that a new Syria would become a country that respects international law." He said Ukraine is ready to share its experience in gathering evidence and conducting investigations to hold war criminals accountable.

"The Russian and Assad regimes supported each other because their foundation is violence and torture,” he said.

BEIRUT — Syria on Monday appointed its first female interim Central Bank governor, as the country navigates through recovering its battered economy after the downfall of the Assad dynasty’s rule.

Maysaa Sabreen is the second woman appointed in a leadership role under Ahmad al-Sharaa and his Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led Assad's ouster in an offensive in early December.

Sabreen had served as the Central Bank's first deputy governor.

She inherits a dire financial crisis following a decade of civil war, mismanagement and sanctions, which has led to the Syrian pound drastically losing its value against the U.S. dollar. The United Nations estimates that some 90% of Syrians live in poverty.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey is prepared to export electricity to Syria and Lebanon to assist them in addressing power shortages, Turkey’s energy minister said, adding that a Turkish delegation was already in Damascus to evaluate Syria’s energy infrastructure.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar also said Monday that the Turkish delegation included experts who would be assessing how Syria’s oil and natural gas could be used to improve the economy.

“We can see the picture a little more clearly after seeing the situation of the transmission network,” the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Bayraktar as saying.

He said Syria's electricity capacity had dropped significantly due to the civil war.

“The vast majority of the people meet their electricity needs through generators,” he said. “There is a serious need for electricity.”

Turkey has backed insurgents who ousted President Bashar Assad and has expressed readiness to support the new administration.

CORRECTS ID Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, left, and Honorary Consul General Tamer Altounsi, right, pose for a picture next to the Ukrainian flag at the Ukrainian consulate in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A member of the security forces of the newly formed Syrian government looks on as members of Bashar Assad's army, or a pro-government militia, line up to register as part of an "identification and reconciliation" process in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Members of the security forces of the newly formed Syrian government stand in front of a damaged weapons and military infrastructure, following an explosion on Sunday, that the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said was an Israeli airstrike that targeted a weapons depot belonging to Assad's forces, in Adra, in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Wafaa Nasrallah poses for a portrait with her 4-year-old son Ameer and her 2-year-old daughter Ayloul at her tent at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

People attend the funeral of 1st Sgt. Yuval Shoham, who was killed in a combat in the Gaza Strip, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Members of Bashar Assad's army, or pro-government militia, line up to register with the newly formed Syrian government as part of an "identification and reconciliation" process in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A member of Bashar Assad's army, or a pro-government militia, talks to members of the security forces of the newly formed Syrian government as he takes part in an "identification and reconciliation" process in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, left, and his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, right, pose for a picture next to the Ukrainian flag at the Ukrainian consulate in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A member of the security forces of the newly formed Syrian government looks on as members of Bashar Assad's army, or a pro-government militia, line up to register as part of an "identification and reconciliation" process in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Wokers at a tyre shop wait for customers in Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People walk between buildings that were damaged by airstrikes during the Assad rule in Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A man cycles past a building that was damaged by airstrikes during the Assad rule in Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Boys warm up next to a fire on a cold day in Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)