The Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a score of 128-95 in the NBA, and the center of attention was Nikola Jokic.
The Serbian center dominated throughout the game, as he indicated right from the start. A very fluid offensive game and a pretty solid defense allowed Mike Malone’s team to reach a double-digit lead at an easy pace and direct the game in the desired direction. That direction turned out to be successful, and the home team, Oklahoma City Thunder, had no solutions to stop the opponent.
Jamal Murray sparked a new surge for the home team in the second quarter, with Jokic finishing it off with consecutive points. The team coached by Mike Daigneault didn’t know where the danger was coming from. They tried various ways to contain the opponent’s duo, but they simply couldn’t. By the end of that period, the Serbian had already scored 22 points, which speaks volumes about his dominance.
In the meantime, Vasilije Micic and Aleksej Pokusevski also got a chance in the home team, but they didn’t get much playing time. Micic managed to score in seven minutes, while Pokusevski fell short of it by three. As time went on, the Denver Nuggets became more and more confident, so they entered the final 12 minutes with a significant 22-point lead.
The visitors didn’t ease off in the fourth quarter. On the contrary, they raised their level and increased their lead. Murray was leading the lineup for the Denver Nuggets, where reserves got their chance. Not even that prevented the reigning champions from dominantly concluding the game and securing their third victory of the season in as many games.
The top performers for the winners were Nikola Jokic with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists, and Michael Porter Jr. with 20 points. On the other hand, Chet Holmgren led the home team with 19 points.
Pokusevski scored one point for the hosts, while Micic ended the game with two points.