Nikola Jokic dominated early with 27 points and 14 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets (47-28) cruised to a 129-93 victory over the Utah Jazz (16-59) on Friday night.
Denver strengthened its hold on the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, staying two games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies while trailing the Houston Rockets by 1.5 games for the second spot.
Jokic controlled the glass from the start, grabbing 11 rebounds in the first quarter, nearly matching his season average of 12.8. He sat out the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach.
Michael Porter Jr. contributed 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Christian Braun added 16 for a Nuggets team that shot 57.8% from the field.
Jamal Murray missed the game due to a right hamstring issue. Peyton Watson and Braun started in the backcourt, while Russell Westbrook came off the bench.
Jokic continued his streak of improbable shots, sinking a long-range heave from beyond half-court to beat the halftime buzzer.
The Nuggets broke the game open with an 11-2 run to end the third quarter and outscored the Jazz 25-8 to start the fourth. Denver finished with a 43-point final period, sealing its largest margin of victory this season.
Utah struggled offensively, shooting just 35.5% from the field and 17.5% from three-point range. Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 20 points, while Kyle Filipowski contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The Jazz were without their top two scorers, Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, both sidelined with injuries.
Westbrook provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 17 points, seven assists, and three steals in 24 minutes. The Nuggets also received strong bench contributions from DeAndre Jordan, who had 11 points, and Zeke Nnaji, who added 10.
Denver dominated inside, outscoring Utah 52-34 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 45-42. The Nuggets also capitalized on the Jazz’s turnovers, converting 17 giveaways into 23 points.
