Nikola Jokic says the Denver Nuggets aren't “giving up” after leading the NBA champions to a stunning comeback against the Toronto Raptors.
The Nuggets were down 22 points at one point, but came back to win 125-119.
Serbian Jokic put in a great performance in the second half, scoring 35 points to bring his team back into contention.
In other games, the Boston Celtics recorded a 121-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, becoming the first NBA team to reach 50 wins in a season.
Jokic, 29, a two-time Most Valuable Player, led the Nuggets to an unexpected victory with his 21st triple-double of the season as a player gets at least 10 points, an assist and a rebound. .
In addition to scoring, he also added 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
Denver trailed by 22 points in the second quarter, but Jokic scored 19 points in the third quarter, cutting the lead over the visiting team to five points. Denver then outscored weak Toronto 32-21 in the fourth quarter and won.
“We were just fighting,” Denver center Jokic said. “The whole crew came into their own today. We're not giving up.”
Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray added 26 points with 12 assists and five rebounds, and RJ Barrett was Toronto's leading scorer with 26 points.
Jaylen Brown had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. celtics They continued their lead in the NBA with a victory over the Trail Blazers, who suffered their 10th loss in their past 11 home games.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight assists and Sam Hauser scored a season-high 22 points off the bench for the Celtics, who won for the 13th time in 15 games.
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson returned to the starting lineup and scored 21 points. golden state warriors They ran out winners against the San Antonio Spurs, 112-102. Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 22 points, while Victor Wembaneyama, who missed two games with an ankle injury, led the Spurs with 27 points.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined for 88 points. phoenix suns They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-111. Durant led the way with 37 points, followed by Booker with 27 and Beal with 24.
of detroit pistons Luka Doncic recorded 27 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds, achieving his seventh consecutive triple-double in a season-long sweep against the Charlotte Hornets, winning the most recent game 114-97. dallas mavericks They defeated the Chicago Bulls 127-92.
