Washington (AFP) – Nikola Jokic posted his 23rd triple double of the season on Sunday, sparking the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets to a 130-101 home victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 29-year-old Serbian center, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, scored 26 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and passed off 16 assists for his 128th career NBA triple double.
“I’m so glad he’s wearing a Nuggets uniform,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “I would hate to play against him and game plan against him.”
The Nuggets, who have won 14 consecutive games when Jokic has a triple double, sank a season-high 21 3-point shots and clinched a playoff berth.
“It feels great. We’ve still got a lot to do,” said Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored 22 points. “Tonight we came out and really showed who we are, just getting after it defensively, rebounding, making shots. I thought we played amazing basketball tonight as far as team basketball. It was a team effort.”
Caldwell-Pope made 7-of-10 shots, 6-of-9 from 3-point range, while Reggie Jackson scored 19 points on 5-of-5 3-point shooting and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 points. The Nuggets hit 50-of-87 from the floor overall (57.5%) and 21-of-33 (63.6%) from 3-point range while outrebounding the Cavaliers 51-28.
“Just sharing the ball,” said Caldwell-Pope of the accuracy from beyond the arc. “Being confident when you get the ball and when you have open shots shooting it, not forcing it.”
The Nuggets improved to 52-23, percentage points behind Minnesota and Oklahoma City in a three-team fight for the Western Conference lead. Denver snapped a two-game losing skid following defeats at the hands of Phoenix and Minnesota.
“It was real urgency. We wanted to get the win by any means,” said Caldwell-Pope. “We needed it to get our confidence back up. Going into the playoffs, we need to be ready.”
Denver dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Cavs 36-21 in the period in the battle of third-place clubs from each conference. Jokic had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in the third quarter, completing his triple double seven minutes after halftime. Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 23 points.
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