The Denver Nuggets secured a 125-116 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, led by Aaron Gordon’s 25-point performance and Nikola Jokic’s career-best 19 assists.
Denver (38-20) bounced back after its nine-game winning streak was snapped by the Los Angeles Lakers, maintaining its position as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Indiana (32-24) saw its three-game winning streak end despite a strong effort from Myles Turner, who finished with 23 points.
Jokic nearly recorded a triple-double, adding 18 points and nine rebounds to his 19-assist night. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Christian Braun chipped in 17 points. Jamal Murray had 16 points and six assists.
Tyrese Haliburton posted a double-double for the Pacers with 19 points and 15 assists. Pascal Siakam also had 19 points, and Aaron Nesmith finished with 17. Indiana shot 47% but struggled to contain Denver’s interior scoring.
The Nuggets dominated the paint, outscoring Indiana 74-46 in that area. Denver also held a 46-32 rebounding advantage and shot 56% from the field. The Pacers attempted 43 three-pointers but converted only 14, while the Nuggets hit 8-of-21 from deep.
Denver led by as many as 13 points in the first half but saw its lead shrink to one when Obi Toppin’s fast-break dunk made it 56-55 late in the second quarter. The Nuggets responded with a 6-0 run and took a 64-58 lead into halftime.
Indiana made a late push in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 115-108. Gordon answered with a mid-range jumper, and Braun followed with an alley-oop layup from Jokic to help seal the win.
