DENVER (AP) – Nikola Jokic may not always dazzle with his athleticism. He sure does with his numbers.
Jokic posted his 19th triple-double of the season by halftime and the Denver Nuggets rode a 49-point first quarter to a 146-112 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday.
Jokic finished with 20 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds. It was the second time in his career the big man has notched a triple-double by halftime. Jokic took a seat late in the third quarter with the Western Conference leaders ahead by a large margin.
“It’s incredible he had a triple-double in the first half,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “LeBron (James) did it with just so much athleticism and Nikola does it with much un-athleticism – but equally as effective.”
Denver led 49-19 after the first quarter – including a 32-2 run – as the Nuggets shot 79.2 per cent from the floor. The 49 points tied for the second-most in a quarter in the franchise’s NBA history. Michael Porter Jr led the way by scoring 19 of his 30 points in the opening period.
Aaron Gordon added 24 for the Nuggets, who set season highs in points and assists (44).
“Everybody who was in today’s game was kind of doing the simple things,” Jokic explained.
“We didn’t do anything complicated. So we didn’t turn the ball over, and we were just playing the right way.”
Anthony Edwards and Luka Garza both had 19 points for Minnesota. D’Angelo Russell was ejected after picking up two technical fouls in the third quarter. He finished with 10 points.
“We didn’t play with a lot of physicality. It wasn’t there early,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Bunch of bad turnovers to start the game, then transition was a disaster.
“Their shot-making, they got hot and it was over.”
It was much different than Sunday in Minnesota, where the Timberwolves cruised past Denver 128-98.
But in that game, the Nuggets were without four starters: Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jamal Murray and Gordon.
