Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists for his 22nd triple-double of the season, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-101 on Sunday to clinch a playoff berth.
Jokic got his 128th career triple-double despite dealing with a sore right wrist that nearly kept him out of Friday’s loss to Minnesota.

Denver guard Jamal Murray missed his fifth straight game due to knee and ankle injuries but has progressed, coach Michael Malone said before the game. He has missed 21 games with various injuries.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added a season-high 22 points, going 6 of 9 shooting from 3-point range, as Denver snapped a two-game home losing streak.

Reggie Jackson had 19 points starting in place of the injured Murray and Michael Porter Jr. also scored 19 points for the Nuggets (52-23), who entered play a half-game behind Minnesota and Oklahoma City for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 23 points, Jarrett Allen had 19, Caris LeVert 15 points and Donovan Mitchell 13 in his second game back after missing six in a row with a broken nose.

The Cavaliers, who have lost eight of their last 12 games, were without forward Dean Wade, who missed his seventh game in a row because of a sprained right knee. He missed a handful of games prior to that due to personal reasons, and he is not on the five-game road trip that continues in Utah on Tuesday night.

Cleveland (45-30) led by four midway through the second quarter before Denver got rolling. Jokic’s three-point play put the Nuggets ahead 46-45, and Braun gave them a lift with seven points in two minutes.

Denver took a 65-56 lead into the intermission.

The Nuggets increased their advantage in the third quarter behind Jokic’s play when he had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Jokic notched the triple-double with a lob pass to Aaron Gordon to give the Nuggets an 85-66 lead with 5:04 left in the third and later hit Jackson with a behind-the-back pass for a layup.

The lead grew to 27 points when Jokic assisted on Justin Holiday’s 3-ponter with 1:35 left, and Denver took a 101-77 lead into the fourth.

Caldwell-Pope got a technical at the end of the third and Gordon picked up another early in the fourth. That allowed Cleveland to make a brief run to start the fourth and get within 101-81, but the Cavaliers never threatened to get back into the game.