Jokic scores 40, leads Nuggets past Trail Blazers, 116-113
DENVER (AP) Nikola Jokic wanted to set an example for his teammates with high-energy, physical play.
He did that and much more.
Jokic scored a season-high 40 points, Jamal Murray fought through a bloody lip to add 24 and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 116-113 on Sunday night.
''He was really aggressive from the jump,'' Murray said of Jokic. ''Whether it was Nurk (Jusuf Nurkic, Al-Farouq) Aminu, whoever was on him, he was going at them and they had no answer for him. He just kept scoring and took over the load for a while. We need those nights from him. So it was a huge, great night, but that's not going to be his only 40-point performance.''
Jokic, who was serenaded at times with chants of ''MVP!'' from the crowd, said he sensed during pregame warmups that the team was a little flat and he determined he should go out and play aggressively to help set the tone for his teammates.
''I thought during warmups we were kind of loose and not focused, so I tried to pick up the energy,'' Jokic said.
Jokic finished a point off his career high. He added 10 rebounds and eight assists, just missing his sixth triple-double of the season.
''Jokic is a hell of a player,'' Portland coach Terry Stotts said. ''He is a difficult guy to guard. He scores inside, scores outside and he passes. We didn't do a very good job with him tonight, no matter who was on him.''
Murray's lip was bloodied when he took an elbow to the mouth from Nurkic on a drive to the basket early in the third quarter. Murray hit both free throws before heading to the locker room. He was back in the game within minutes, and grabbed a rebound off his own missed shot in the final moments, hitting both free throws after he was fouled.
''It wouldn't stop bleeding, obviously being warm and being in the game,'' Murray said. ''They just put some Vaseline on it but it was a task to stay on it.''
Denver rebounded from a loss at Phoenix on Saturday night for its 12th home win in a row.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 26 points, and CJ McCollum had 18 points. The Trail Blazers had won four straight.
Lillard put in a reverse layup to put the Trail Blazers up by two with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. But the Nuggets closed the period on a 17-10 run to take a 93-88 lead into the fourth. Jokic had 15 points in the period, including two 3-pointers during the Nuggets' surge and also added an assist on an alley-oop pass that Mason Plumlee finished with a one-handed dunk.
Portland, though, scored the first six points of the fourth, moving in front by a point on Evan Turner's jumper.
It was tied at 108 when Jokic hit a floater in the lane to put the Nuggets on top with 1:07 left to play. He added a pair of free throws moments later only to see Lillard drive to the basket for a dunk. With 30.6 seconds, Murray hit a jumper, but McCollum connected on 3-pointer to pull Portland within one with 27.7 seconds left.
Denver ran the clock down and Murray let a jumper fly that hit the back of the rim and bounced out. Murray grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws with 3 seconds left. Portland had just enough time for a long 3-point try by Lillard at the buzzer, but it was off the mark.
''When I saw how they were trying to line up around the 3-point line, we knew we had to put up a 3,'' Lillard said. ''We didn't have enough time to get a quick two without timeouts. I knew it would be a tough look. I just missed the rim.''
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: F Maurice Harkless remains sidelined by a left knee injury.
Nuggets: G Gary Harris missed a fourth straight game with left hamstring tightness. ... F Trey Lyles missed his second game in a row with a right wrist sprain. ... Jokic scored a career-best 41 points against Brooklyn on Nov. 7, 2017.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Sacramento on Monday night.
Nuggets: Host Golden State on Tuesday night.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Jumpball | |||
11:43 | +2 | Jake Layman made alley-oop shot, assist by Jusuf Nurkic | 2-0 | |
11:32 | Personal foul on Jusuf Nurkic | |||
11:24 | Bad pass turnover on Jamal Murray, stolen by Al-Farouq Aminu | |||
11:16 | +3 | Damian Lillard made 3-pt. jump shot | 5-0 | |
10:33 | Defensive rebound by Paul Millsap | |||
10:10 | Offensive rebound by Nikola Jokic | |||
10:09 | +2 | Nikola Jokic made reverse layup | 5-4 | |
9:47 | Shooting foul on Paul Millsap | |||
9:47 | +1 | Jusuf Nurkic made 1st of 2 free throws | 6-4 | |
9:47 | +1 | Jusuf Nurkic made 2nd of 2 free throws | 7-4 | |
9:31 | Nikola Jokic missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
9:28 | Defensive rebound by Jusuf Nurkic | |||
9:16 | Defensive rebound by Torrey Craig | |||
8:44 | Bad pass turnover on Al-Farouq Aminu, stolen by Malik Beasley | |||
8:34 | Nikola Jokic missed floating jump shot | |||
8:30 | Defensive rebound by Al-Farouq Aminu | |||
8:25 | +2 | CJ McCollum made floating jump shot | 9-6 | |
8:03 | +2 | Paul Millsap made fade-away jump shot | 9-8 | |
7:47 | +3 | Damian Lillard made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by CJ McCollum | 12-8 | |
7:28 | Defensive rebound by Al-Farouq Aminu | |||
7:22 | Damian Lillard missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
7:19 | Defensive rebound by Jamal Murray | |||
7:15 | Torrey Craig missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
7:12 | Defensive rebound by CJ McCollum | |||
7:03 | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic made jump shot, assist by CJ McCollum | 14-8 | |
6:44 | Defensive rebound by Al-Farouq Aminu | |||
6:37 | +3 | Jake Layman made 3-pt. jump shot | 17-8 | |
6:18 | Lost ball turnover on Paul Millsap, stolen by Jusuf Nurkic | |||
6:12 | Offensive foul on Jusuf Nurkic | |||
6:12 | Offensive foul on Jusuf Nurkic | |||
6:01 | +2 | Jamal Murray made floating jump shot, assist by Torrey Craig | 17-10 | |
5:41 | Defensive rebound by Paul Millsap | |||
5:36 | +2 | Paul Millsap made running Jump Shot | 17-12 | |
5:36 | Shooting foul on Jake Layman | |||
5:36 | +1 | Paul Millsap made free throw | 17-13 | |
5:26 | Unsportsmanlike technical foul | |||
5:26 | +1 | Damian Lillard made free throw | 18-13 | |
5:19 | CJ McCollum missed floating jump shot | |||
5:16 | Defensive rebound by Nikola Jokic | |||
5:12 | +3 | Malik Beasley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Torrey Craig | 18-16 | |
4:52 | +3 | Meyers Leonard made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Damian Lillard | 21-16 | |
4:37 | Mason Plumlee missed hook shot | |||
4:35 | Defensive rebound by Meyers Leonard | |||
4:27 | +2 | Damian Lillard made fade-away jump shot | 23-16 | |
4:08 | +2 | Nikola Jokic made hook shot | 23-18 | |
3:55 | CJ McCollum missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
3:53 | Defensive rebound by Mason Plumlee | |||
3:42 | Offensive foul on Torrey Craig | |||
3:28 | Damian Lillard missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
3:25 | Defensive rebound by Nikola Jokic | |||
3:22 | +2 | Torrey Craig made layup, assist by Nikola Jokic | 23-20 | |
3:22 | Shooting foul on Evan Turner | |||
3:22 | +1 | Torrey Craig made free throw | 23-21 | |
3:13 | Damian Lillard missed jump shot | |||
3:10 | Defensive rebound by Nikola Jokic | |||
3:01 | Malik Beasley missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
2:58 | Defensive rebound by Seth Curry | |||
2:47 | +2 | Evan Turner made jump shot | 25-21 | |
2:32 | +2 | Nikola Jokic made floating jump shot, assist by Malik Beasley | 25-23 | |
2:13 | Lost ball turnover on Damian Lillard, stolen by Monte Morris | |||
2:09 | +2 | Monte Morris made layup | 25-25 | |
1:47 | Seth Curry missed jump shot | |||
1:43 | Defensive rebound by Mason Plumlee | |||
1:37 | +3 | Nikola Jokic made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Monte Morris | 25-28 | |
1:17 | Personal foul on Nikola Jokic | |||
1:12 | Personal foul on Torrey Craig | |||
1:12 | +1 | Damian Lillard made 1st of 2 free throws | 26-28 | |
1:12 | +1 | Damian Lillard made 2nd of 2 free throws | 27-28 | |
1:04 | +2 | Will Barton made jump shot | 27-30 | |
0:44 | +3 | Zach Collins made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Damian Lillard | 30-30 | |
0:35 | +2 | Monte Morris made fade-away jump shot | 30-32 | |
0:28 | Shooting foul on Torrey Craig | |||
0:28 | +1 | Damian Lillard made 1st of 2 free throws | 31-32 | |
0:28 | +1 | Damian Lillard made 2nd of 2 free throws | 32-32 | |
0:09 | +2 | Monte Morris made jump shot | 32-34 | |
0:00 | POR team rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:52 | +2 | Mason Plumlee made hook shot, assist by Monte Morris | 32-36 | |
11:52 | Shooting foul on Zach Collins | |||
11:52 | Mason Plumlee missed free throw | |||
11:52 | Personal foul on Tyler Lydon | |||
11:52 | POR team rebound | |||
11:35 | +2 | Evan Turner made layup, assist by Meyers Leonard | 34-36 | |
11:18 | Will Barton missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
11:15 | Defensive rebound by Zach Collins | |||
11:09 | Meyers Leonard missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
11:06 | Defensive rebound by Monte Morris | |||
11:00 | Juancho Hernangomez missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
10:56 | Defensive rebound by Seth Curry | |||
10:45 | Evan Turner missed fade-away jump shot | |||
10:41 | Defensive rebound by Mason Plumlee | |||
10:22 | +2 | Mason Plumlee made hook shot, assist by Juancho Hernangomez | 34-38 | |
9:57 | +2 | Meyers Leonard made jump shot, assist by Evan Turner | 36-38 | |
9:46 | Shooting foul on Zach Collins | |||
9:46 | +1 | Will Barton made 1st of 2 free throws | 36-39 | |
9:46 | +1 | Will Barton made 2nd of 2 free throws | 36-40 | |
9:27 | Nik Stauskas missed jump shot | |||
9:19 | +2 | Mason Plumlee made alley-oop shot, assist by Monte Morris | 36-42 | |
9:00 | Nik Stauskas missed jump shot | |||
8:58 | Defensive rebound by Mason Plumlee | |||
8:48 | Defensive rebound by Nik Stauskas | |||
8:42 | +2 | Evan Turner made jump shot | 38-42 | |
8:22 | Mason Plumlee missed jump shot | |||
8:17 | Defensive rebound by Meyers Leonard | |||
8:12 | +3 | Zach Collins made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Evan Turner | 41-42 | |
8:01 | Offensive foul on Paul Millsap | |||
8:01 | Offensive foul on Paul Millsap | |||
7:42 | Defensive rebound by Juancho Hernangomez | |||
7:40 | Lost ball turnover on Juancho Hernangomez, stolen by Seth Curry | |||
7:36 | +3 | Nik Stauskas made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Seth Curry | 44-42 | |
7:10 | +2 | Jamal Murray made jump shot | 44-44 | |
6:49 | +2 | Zach Collins made layup, assist by Nik Stauskas | 46-44 | |
6:39 | +2 | Jamal Murray made jump shot | 46-46 | |
6:25 | Personal foul on Will Barton | |||
6:12 | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic made dunk, assist by Zach Collins | 48-46 | |
6:00 | +3 | Nikola Jokic made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Jamal Murray | 48-49 | |
5:38 | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic made hook shot | 50-49 | |
5:21 | Personal foul on Seth Curry | |||
5:09 | +2 | Jamal Murray made reverse layup, assist by Nikola Jokic | 50-51 | |
4:58 | Damian Lillard missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
4:54 | Defensive rebound by Torrey Craig | |||
4:50 | Personal foul on Damian Lillard | |||
4:35 | Torrey Craig missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
4:33 | Defensive rebound by Damian Lillard | |||
4:16 | Jusuf Nurkic missed hook shot | |||
4:14 | Defensive rebound by Jamal Murray | |||
4:11 | +2 | Malik Beasley made layup, assist by Jamal Murray | 50-53 | |
3:56 | Jusuf Nurkic missed layup | |||
3:53 | Defensive rebound by Nikola Jokic | |||
3:50 | Jamal Murray missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
3:47 | Defensive rebound by Al-Farouq Aminu | |||
3:41 | CJ McCollum missed jump shot | |||
3:38 | Defensive rebound by Nikola Jokic | |||
3:32 | Out of bounds turnover on Nikola Jokic | |||
3:10 | Damian Lillard missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
3:10 | DEN team rebound | |||
2:54 | Defensive rebound by Jusuf Nurkic | |||
2:52 | Shooting foul on Torrey Craig | |||
2:52 | +1 | Evan Turner made 1st of 2 free throws | 51-53 | |
2:52 | Evan Turner missed 2nd of 2 free throws | |||
2:50 | Defensive rebound by Paul Millsap | |||
2:39 | Jamal Murray missed finger-roll layup | |||
2:38 | Defensive rebound by Evan Turner | |||
2:23 | Jusuf Nurkic missed jump shot | |||
2:21 | Offensive rebound by Al-Farouq Aminu | |||
2:16 | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic made layup, assist by Al-Farouq Aminu | 53-53 | |
1:54 | Paul Millsap missed jump shot | |||
1:51 | Defensive rebound by Jusuf Nurkic | |||
1:42 | Damian Lillard missed reverse layup | |||
1:38 | +2 | Damian Lillard made dunk | 55-53 | |
1:28 | Shooting foul on Evan Turner | |||
1:28 | DEN team rebound | |||
1:28 | Nikola Jokic missed 1st of 2 free throws | |||
1:28 | +1 | Nikola Jokic made 2nd of 2 free throws | 55-54 | |
1:14 | Jusuf Nurkic missed hook shot | |||
1:14 | DEN team rebound | |||
0:59 | CJ McCollum missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
0:57 | Offensive rebound by Jusuf Nurkic | |||
0:57 | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic made dunk | 57-54 | |
0:36 | Shooting foul on CJ McCollum | |||
0:36 | +1 | Paul Millsap made 1st of 2 free throws | 57-55 | |
0:36 | +1 | Paul Millsap made 2nd of 2 free throws | 57-56 | |
0:24 | +3 | Al-Farouq Aminu made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Damian Lillard | 60-56 | |
0:04 | +2 | Paul Millsap made dunk | 60-58 | |
0:04 | Offensive rebound by Paul Millsap | |||
0:00 | POR team rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |