The Denver Nuggets took down the Indiana Pacers, 114-102, on Saturday. This helped Denver improve to 5-3 on the season.
The game was held in Mexico City, Mexico, to celebrate the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival. The Nuggets are now 2-0 in regular-season international play after winning Saturday’s Mexico City Game. They’ve played in 10 international games if we include the preseason.
Denver’s defense was the big story versus Indiana. They limited the Pacers to just an 86.0 offensive rating in the half-court, good for the 26th percentile. Closing out to Indiana’s shooters paid dividends, as the Pacers shot just 31.3 percent from distance.
Now, let’s get into some individual standouts.
Nikola Jokić recorded a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. He also tacked on eight assists, one steal, and one block.
Cam Johnson was highly efficient against Indiana, making eight of his 12 total shots for 18 points. He also contributed four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Off the bench, Marvin Bagley III played with tremendous energy and tallied 10 points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Lastly, Spencer Jones made his season debut in Mexico City. He was previously out with a hamstring injury. Jones produced in his minutes, putting up 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field and 3-for-3 from distance. He also grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes.
Denver was plus-14 in Jones’ minutes, a high for any Nugget on Saturday.