Nikola Jokic poured 23 of his game-high 36 points into a first-half runaway as the visiting Denver Nuggets crushed the Sacramento Kings 136-105 on Thursday night.
Despite failing to add to his league-league total of 11 triple-doubles, Jokic also found time for a game-high 12 rebounds and eight assists, helping Denver beat Sacramento for a third time in four meetings this season.
Peyton Watson chipped in with 21 points for the Nuggets, who have won 11 consecutive road games.
Malik Monk had a team-high 18 points for the Kings, who lost for the sixth time in their past seven games.
In a head-to-head with Jokic, one of his primary challengers for all-time triple-double leadership, Sacramento’s Russell Westbrook had 17 points but just three rebounds and five assists.
Jokic made eight of his nine shots during a 77-54 first-half blitz that reduced the final 24 minutes to box score stuffing. The Nuggets hit 64.3% of their shots in the opening half and 59.1% for the game.
Watson dropped in seven of his 10 shots en route to his third 20-point performance in 13 starts since the Nuggets lost Christian Braun to a sprained ankle last month.
Denver has also played the last nine games without Aaron Gordon, sidelined due to a hamstring injury. The are 9-4 without Braun, 6-3 without both starters.
In winning their fourth in a row overall, the Nuggets also got 16 points from Cameron Johnson, 15 on 7-for-7 shooting from Jonas Valanciunas, and 11 apiece from Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Murray dished out nine assists.
The 136-point total equaled the Nuggets’ largest of the season. The 31-point margin of victory was Denver’s second-biggest of the year and completed a season series in which the first three games were decided by a total of 25 points.
Subbing for injured Domantas Sabonis, rookie Maxime Raynaud just missed his second double-double for the Kings with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Keegan Murray and Devin Carter also had 15 points apiece for Sacramento, while DeMar DeRozan totaled 11. Murray found time for six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
The Kings, who shot 44.8%, were also without Zach LaVine, who is nursing a sore right thumb.
–Field Level Media
