Nikola Jokic posted 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 15 assists for his 14th triple-double of the season, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 139-120 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. This was his third triple-double in the last four games. The 15 assists were just one short of his season-high of 16, which he has reached twice.
Russell Westbrook contributed 16 points and 11 assists, while Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray each scored 21 points for Denver, who have now scored over 130 points in four consecutive games.
The Nuggets recorded a season-high 44 assists and completed the season sweep over the Hawks, having previously won 141-111 in Atlanta on December 8.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points and nine assists. De’Andre Hunter added 20 points, Vit Krejci scored 14, Zaccharie Risacher finished with 13, and David Roddy chipped in 10 points.
Denver started strong with 40 points in the first quarter but couldn’t pull away, as Atlanta rallied from a nine-point deficit early in the second to take a 62-57 lead. However, the Nuggets responded and led 74-71 at halftime. Jokic was close to a triple-double at the break with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.
The Nuggets took control in the third quarter, with Porter and Murray hitting 3-pointers, and Westbrook adding a driving layup to stretch the lead to 84-75 in the first few minutes. After a brief response from the Hawks, Denver went on an 18-3 run to push the lead to 20.
Jokic added eight points in the final 3:48 and finished his night with a 15th assist to Peyton Watson, who scored 11 points.
