ALMOST PERFECT
Jokic records triple-double as Nuggets extend season-high win streak to six
Perfect games occur only on the baseball diamond, but the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic came mighty close on a basketball court Thursday night.
The beefy center with the soft touch and magical court vision was a perfect 11 for 11 from the field and 3 for 3 from the foul line en route to 26 points as the Nuggets destroyed Memphis, 142-105, at Ball Arena.
Jokick left the game late in the third quarter — with the crowd chanting “MVP” — shortly after he dished off a fastbreak assist to Christian Braun to secure a triple- double. Jokic had 10 assists and 14 rebounds. The only blemishes in his 30 minutes on the floor were three turnovers.
The win extended a season-best sixgame win streak for the Nuggets (23-10), who also scored a season-high 142 points.
Denver’s lead blew up to 32 points in the third quarter with Jamal Murray and Jokic putting on a clinic of fundamental, two-man basketball.
Murray scored 23 on 9- of-12 shooting, including 4 for 6 on 3-pointers. He added nine assists.
The Grizzlies came to town riding a four- game winning streak, sparked by the return of star point guard Ja Morant, who came back after serving his 25-game suspension. But Morant was scratched because of illness. His presence wouldn’t have made much difference Thursday night.
Denver shot 57.3% from the floor vs. 42.5% for Memphis. The Nuggets had a season-high 43 assists and committed just 12 turnovers.
Jokic led Denver to a 65- 48 halftime lead when it was clear that the Grizzlies were going to get blown out. He scored 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting, including knocking down a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to end the first quarter.
The only other game in which Jokic shot 100% from the field in a game when he shot at least 10 times was on Oct. 20, 2018, vs. the Suns. He scored 35 points on 11- of-11 shooting (including three 3-pointers) and finished with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Thursday marked the third time in Jokic’s career that he posted a triple- double when he didn’t miss a shot from the field. He and Wilt Chamberlain are the only players in NBA history to have multi
ple triple-doubles on 100% field goal shooting.
Peyton Watson got the start at forward for Denver, replacing Aaron Gordon, who suffered lacerations to his face and hand from a dog bite on Christmas. The injuries to Gordon’s shooting hand and face required 21 stitches.
Watson, who’s still
evolving as an offensive player, was given scant respect by the Grizzlies, who left him wide open on the perimeter. He finished with 20 points on 6- of14 shooting. He drained four of his 10 3- point shots.
The Nuggets, winners of nine of their last 10 games, host Oklahoma City on Friday night.