Nikola Jokic registered his 28th triple-double of the season for Denver Nuggets, who almost led from start to finish and beat Brooklyn Nets 108-102 on Sunday.
Jokic totaled 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in the NBA game played in New York.
Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 28 points to go along with nine boards, as the Nuggets (48-24) won for the second time in seven games after taking a six-point loss to the New York Knicks Saturday afternoon. Jamal Murray added all 25 of his points in the first half as Denver shot 52.5 percent from the field, marking the fifth straight game it shot at least 50 percent.
Jokic made 9 of 12 shots and recorded his 104th career triple-double and second in as many weeks against the Nets. A week ago in Denver, the center totaled 35 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists in a two-point loss.
Jokic, Porter and Murray were a combined 28 of 49 from the floor and also combined for 21 of Denver's 31 assists.
Mikal Bridges scored a team-high 23 points for the Nets (39-32), who dropped their third straight and fell 2 1/2 games behind the fifth-place Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Nic Claxton added 19 points and Cameron Johnson contributed 14 as Brooklyn shot 46.3 percent overall but also missed 23 of 35 3-point tries.
Murray capped a 20-point opening quarter, where the Nuggets shot 59.1 percent, by hitting a 16-footer with 16 seconds left for a 33-21 lead. After Claxton's three-point play moved the Nets within 42-38, the Nuggets outscored Brooklyn 21-10 over the final 6:07 and consecutive hoops by Murray made it 63-48 at halftime.
Jokic scored Denver's final eight points of the third quarter as the Nuggets outscored the Nets 15-5 over the final five-plus minutes of the period to seize a 91-71 lead going into the fourth.
Jokic reached his latest triple-double with 6:05 left when he passed out of a double team to Bruce Brown, who hit an easy layup for a 100-81 lead.
(With agency inputs)
