Nikola Jokic scored 28 points, grabbed 13 assists, and pulled down nine rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 137-134 on Friday.
While Jokic made key plays late in the game, Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 31 points and 11 assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points, helping Denver snap a three-game losing streak.
Tyrese Maxey scored 42 points, and Guerschon Yabusele set a career-high with 28 points for Philadelphia, which was still without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (finger). The 76ers had won their last four games.
The Nuggets led 115-111 after Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with just over seven minutes remaining. Porter then dunked, giving the Nuggets a six-point lead.
Soon after, Eric Gordon and Maxey combined for 14 points in less than three minutes, putting the 76ers ahead 125-122 with about three minutes left.
That’s when Jokic took charge.
He tied the game at 125-125 with a 3-pointer, then gave Denver the lead with a three-point play just under a minute left. His second 3-pointer with 39.8 seconds remaining broke a 130-130 tie, and his floater in the lane put the Nuggets up 135-132 with 12.7 seconds left.
Down by three, the 76ers had two chances to tie in the final 10 seconds.
On the first possession, they took a two-point shot, and Kelly Oubre Jr. (27 points) tipped in the miss to cut the deficit to one. After two Murray free throws, Yabusele attempted a long shot from half court, but it fell short as time expired.
Denver led 38-36 after the first quarter and was up 73-69 at halftime. The Nuggets led by as much as eight points in the third quarter and were still ahead by six before Ricky Council IV hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, bringing the 76ers within 103-100 going into the fourth.
Council made another 3-pointer early in the fourth, then stole the ball, leading to Oubre’s transition layup to tie the game at 105.
