DENVER — In a thrilling matchup on Friday night, Nikola Jokic made a spectacular return to the court, finishing with 35 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets to a convincing 124-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. This impressive performance marked Jokic’s 145th career triple-double, after he had missed the previous two games due to an illness.
Russell Westbrook also shone brightly, contributing a triple-double of his own with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was Westbrook’s 202nd career triple-double. Remarkably, this was the second instance this season where both players recorded triple-doubles in the same game, making them the first teammates in NBA history to achieve this feat multiple times in a single season.
In the all-time rankings for triple-doubles, Westbrook holds the top position, while Jokic stands at third, with only Oscar Robertson sitting in between them at second place with 181 triple-doubles.
On the Nets’ side, Ben Simmons returned to play for the first time since January 1, scoring 10 points and providing six assists. However, the team extended its losing streak to four games and has now lost 12 out of its last 15. Keon Johnson made a notable contribution with 22 points, while Tyrese Martin added 19 points for Brooklyn.
The Nuggets built momentum with a strong late-second quarter performance, taking control of the game and starting the second half with a decisive 25-9 run, pushing their lead to 90-68. The Nets managed to narrow the gap to 97-92, but Denver responded decisively to pull away.
Takeaways from the game highlight the Nets’ struggles, as they fielded just eight players against Detroit earlier in the week, though Simmons’ return was a boost. Cam Johnson, dealing with a right ankle sprain, and D’Angelo Russell, who is nursing a right shin contusion, remained unavailable for Brooklyn. On the Nuggets’ side, Jamal Murray did not play in the second half due to a right knee issue. Notably, Jokic entered the game leading the NBA in scoring at an average of 31.5 points per game.
A key moment occurred when Johnson’s three-pointer from the corner cut Denver’s lead to 101-95 in the fourth quarter. However, the Nuggets quickly regrouped and went on a scoring run of 16-5, putting the game out of reach with a 117-100 advantage with just 2:48 remaining.
A critical statistic from the game revealed that while the Nuggets committed nine turnovers within the first half of the second quarter, they tightened their play and had only five turnovers in the remaining 35:51 of the game.
Looking ahead, the Nets will continue their six-game road trip with a game in Utah on Sunday night. The Nuggets will be heading to Dallas for a pair of games starting on the same day.
