The Denver Nuggets took a commanding lead at halftime thanks in large part to Nikola Jokic’s playmaking, who appeared willing to spend much of Friday night assisting on scoring opportunities.
That lead had all but disappeared by the end of the third quarter. The two-time MVP resumed his scoring spree at that point.
Jokic scored 21 points and dished out 16 assists as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 119-111 in a nail-biter. Jokic made a tough layup in heavy traffic with 24.1 seconds remaining.
“That’s another night of just incredible, unselfish basketball,” remarked Michael Malone, coach of the Nuggets. “Everyone is working for the guy sitting next to them, trying to make the right move.”
After falling behind 17 points at halftime, the Suns rallied to get within 94–91 points as the third quarter began—a game in which Kevin Durant surpassed all but nine players in NBA scoring history.
Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. were among several Nuggets players who hit game-winning baskets to preserve Denver’s lead. Phoenix tied the game three times early in the fourth quarter and the game remained within one possession for the majority of the period.
Four consecutive victories for Denver. Jokic, Jackson, Porter, Justin Holiday, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope—all five players who started—scored 15 points or more. Jackson scored twenty-one points. The Nuggets committed only nine turnovers while dishing out 38 assists.
The way we play is our style, Jokic explained. That kind of shot makes it so much simpler for us to win games. I believe that we open doors; now the question is whether we will succeed.
The Suns were led by Jusuf Nurkic’s season-high 31 points; however, Jokic was awarded two free throws after Nurkic fouled out in the last 45 seconds of the game due to a charge that was escalated to a Flagrant 1. This occurred when Devin Booker was sidelined with an injury. Denver kept possession after he converted one of two shots to put them ahead 115–111.
Jokic then put the game away with a difficult layup, capping off the move by dribbling past three Suns players.
“They’re an excellent squad,” Nurkic remarked. “They won, so you have to give them that.”
Even though he scored 30 points, Durant only managed 8 of 25 field goals, including a disastrous 0 for 10 performance in the second half. We made 13 of 22 for Nurkic.
At the end of the second quarter, Durant passed Moses Malone for the tenth spot on the scoring list with a layup after driving the baseline. Ultimately, Durant’s career point total was 27,423 after the game. After spending his first two years as a professional in the ABA, Malone went on to amass 27,409 points in the NBA.
As a result of shooting 79.2 percent (19/24), Denver took a 41-30 edge into halftime. By the end of the first half, the Nuggets had secured a 70-63 lead.
“We were completely careless and lacked determination in the first half,” Vogel said. The defensive half was abysmal. But the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic deserve the credit; that’s why he’s considered a world-class player. He has the ability to transform any four teammates into stunning models. He’s one of a kind.
Important players were absent from both squads. While Booker and Bradley Beal were out with injuries, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon were out with injuries for the Nuggets.
