Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 15 assists for his 14th triple-double of the season and third in four games, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Atlanta Hawks, 139-120, on Wednesday night, January 1 (Thursday, January 2, Manila time).
The 15 assists were one shy of his season high of 16, which the reigning MVP has done twice.
Russell Westbrook had 16 points and 11 assists and Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray contributed 21 points each for the Nuggets, who have topped 130 points in four straight games.
Denver, which had a season-high 44 assists, swept the two games of the season series. The Nuggets won 141-111 in Atlanta on December 8.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points and 9 assists, De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points, Vit Krejci added 14 points, Zaccharie Risacher finished with 13 and David Roddy 10 points.
The Nuggets scored 40 points in the first quarter but couldn’t shake Atlanta, which rallied from down nine early in the second quarter to lead 62-57 with 4:53 left in the period. Denver responded to take a 74-71 lead at halftime.
Jokic nearly had a triple-double at intermission with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.
The Nuggets took control with a dominant third quarter. Porter and Murray hit from three-point range and Westbrook made a driving layup to quickly extend the lead to 84-75 in the first three minutes. The Hawks answered with two buckets, but then Denver put it away.
Christian Braun, who had 15 points, converted a three-point play, Murray made a technical free throw and Porter hit another three-pointer to make it 91-79, forcing an Atlanta timeout. It didn’t stop the Nuggets, who continued their 18-3 run that gave them a 20-point lead.
Jokic scored eight points in the final 3:48 and finished his night when he fed Peyton Watson for a layup for his 15th assist of the night. Watson scored 11 points. – Rappler.com