Nikola Jokic scored 48 points to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Atlanta Hawks 141-111 on Sunday, ending the Hawks’ six-game winning streak.
Jokic made 17 of 29 shots, adding 14 rebounds and eight assists. After scoring a career-high 56 points against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Jokic set the tone by scoring 13 points in the first quarter and 25 points by halftime.
The Nuggets also got 26 points and seven rebounds from Michael Porter Jr. and 17 points with eight rebounds from Christian Braun. Denver has now won four straight games against Atlanta.
The top scorers for Atlanta were De’Andre Hunter, who scored 20 points, and Dyson Daniels, who had 18 points and five steals. Trae Young was held to 15 points and made only one point from four shots in the first half. Young had recently posted 31 points and 20 assists against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak and bounced back from a tough loss to Washington, a team that had lost 16 games in a row. Unlike that game, where the Nuggets trailed by as many as 15 points, Denver took control early against the short-handed Hawks and led 38-23 after the first quarter.
Atlanta made a run to cut Denver’s lead to 11 points in the second quarter, mainly when Jokic was off the floor. The Nuggets finished the half strong, with Jokic hitting a 3-pointer from just inside half court with 1.1 seconds left, giving Denver a 71-48 lead at halftime.
The Nuggets led by as many as 30 points in the third quarter and took a 106-84 lead into the fourth.
The Hawks had a scare when Hunter was hit with an elbow to the head midway through the third quarter. He was taken to the locker room for examination but returned to the game later.
Atlanta played without two key players, second-leading scorer Jalen Johnson (right shoulder soreness) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (left quad contusion).
