Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Jamal Murray (27) talk in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks of an NBA game at Ball Enviornment. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Pictures
Nikola Jokic scored 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 in the NBA.
The 15 assists were one shy of his season high of 16, which he has done twice.
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Russell Westbrook scored 16 points and 11 assists and Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray contributed 21 points each for the Nuggets, who have surpassed 130 points in four consecutive games.
Denver, which had a season-high 44 assists, swept both games of the season series. The Nuggets won 141-111 in Atlanta on December 8.
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Jokić’s triple-double for the Nuggets was so efficient it was DIZZY
23 points
17 REB
15 AST
IN 29 MINUTESIt’s the FIRST game of 20+p, 15+r and 15+a in less than 30 MIN in NBA HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/Aw1KrpVFhp
—NBA (@NBA) January 2, 2025
Trae Younger led the Hawks with 30 points and nine assists, De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points, Vit Krejci added 14 points, Zaccharie Risacher finished with 13 and David Roddy 10 points.
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The Nuggets scored 40 points in the first quarter, but couldn’t shake Atlanta, which rallied from a nine-point deficit early in the second quarter to take a 62-57 lead with 4:53 left in the period. Denver responded to take a 74-71 lead at halftime.
READ: NBA: Nuggets use star power to face Pistons
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Jokic nearly had a triple-double at halftime with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Nuggets took control with a dominant third quarter. Porter and Murray scored from 3-point range and Westbrook made a layup to quickly extend the lead to 84-75 in the first three minutes. The Hawks responded with two buckets, but then Denver put it away.
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Christian Braun, who scored 15 points, converted a three-point play, Murray hit a technical free throw and Porter hit another 3-pointer to make the score 91-79, forcing Atlanta to call a timeout. That 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 ended his night when he fed Peyton Watson for a layup for his 15th assist of the night. Watson scored 11 points. –Media at field level
