By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his 25th triple-double of the season, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Houston Rockets, 129-93, in a Western Conference showdown Wednesday night, March 11.
Jamal Murray scored 30 points for Denver, which holds the tiebreaker over the Rockets after winning the season series 3-1. The Nuggets moved within a half-game of Houston in the bunched-up Western Conference standings.
It was the first time since mid-November Denver has won with its opening-night lineup together. The Nuggets had lost six of 10 out of the All-Star break as head coach David Adelman practices caution with workloads as players return to the lineup.
Jokic completed his 187th career triple-double with his 10th rebound with 4:14 left in the third. It is the 15th time this season he has secured a triple-double before the fourth quarter.
The Rockets, who finished 4 of 33 from behind the arc, were outscored 40-22 in the third. Kevin Durant finished with just 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, his fewest field goal attempts this season.
The Nuggets led by six at halftime and opened a 82-63 lead late in the third.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson scored 28 points, Jordan Clarkson had 27 and the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Utah Jazz, 134-117, to snap a two-game losing streak.
Brunson also had eight assists and three steals in a game the Knicks trailed 49-31 early in the second quarter. OG Anunoby added 22 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. New York made 17 3-pointers and shot 52% from the field.
Brice Sensabaugh led Utah with 29 points. Ace Bailey added 21, and Keyonte George had 14 points and five assists before leaving midway through the third quarter with a right hamstring injury.
Utah made 11 of its first 13 3-pointers to take the early lead. Sensabaugh, Bailey, and Kevin Love teamed for seven 3s in the first 14 minutes. The Jazz finished 18 of 36 from 3-point range.
The Knicks cut it to single digits before halftime, then took the lead with a 20-4 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Clarkson punctuated the run with back-to-back baskets to put the Knicks up 101-94 less than a minute into the fourth.
Clarkson scored or assisted on four baskets and added two free throws to fuel the go-ahead run. Brunson gave New York the lead for good on a 3-point play with 1.6 seconds left in the third, and the Knicks pushed the advantage to 22.
