Nikola Jokic poured in 55 points, tying the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season, along with 12 rebounds, to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 130-116 victory over a short-handed Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, marking Denver’s sixth consecutive win, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also scored 55 in a double-overtime game at Indiana on October 23.
Jokic dominated early, scoring 25 of Denver’s 39 points in the first quarter, eight in the second, and 19 in the third. He sat out most of the fourth, adding three points to finish 18 of 23 from the field, 5 of 6 from three-point range, and 14 of 16 from the free-throw line, while narrowly missing his league-leading sixth triple-double with six assists.
James Harden led the struggling Clippers with 23 points, making all 10 of his free throws, along with eight rebounds and five assists. Los Angeles faced further setbacks as Bradley Beal was ruled out for the season with a fractured hip, and Kawhi Leonard remains sidelined with a sprained ankle and foot.
Jordan Miller contributed a career-high 22 points off the bench, while Ivica Zubac added 18, but the Clippers suffered their sixth consecutive loss to fall to 3-8.
Despite Jokic’s scoring explosion, the Clippers kept the game close in the first half, trailing by 10 after the opening quarter before leading 68-63 at halftime. Jokic then took over in the third, sparking two personal six-point runs to give the Nuggets a 106-90 lead heading into the fourth.
Up Next: