National Basketball Association
Denver 132, Sacramento 123
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 23, 2025
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #4 Sean Wright, #54 Ray Acosta, #81 Simone Jelks
Attendance: 19676

Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 22 rebounds and a season-high 17 assists for his fifth straight triple-double, and the host Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 132-123 on Thursday night.

Jokic, who was voted an All-Star starter Thursday, has secured each triple-double during his current streak before the end of the third quarter. He is the first player since 1996-97 to have five straight triple-doubles before the fourth quarter, and 14 of his NBA-leading 20 have come in that fashion.

Christian Braun had 21 points, Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 and Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray contributed 18 points each for Denver, which has won four straight.

Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 19 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan scored 24 and De'Aaron Fox finished with 17 points for Sacramento, which is now 10-3 under interim head coach Doug Christie.

The game appeared won when Jokic ended the third quarter with a one-handed, 66-foot heave that gave the Nuggets a 25-point lead, but the Kings opened the fourth with 14 straight points to close within 110-99.

Sacramento got as close as 126-121 on Doug McDermott's 3-pointer with 48.2 seconds left, but Jokic hit four free throws down the stretch and Braun had a running dunk to hold off the Kings.

McDermott, who didn't play the first three quarters, scored 15 points and was 5-for-7 from beyond the arc to spark the late rally.

The game was tied midway through the first quarter until Denver built a 40-31 lead entering the second. The Nuggets used an 8-2 run to go ahead 54-38 and carried a 74-52 advantage into halftime.

Sacramento started the second half on a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 77-64 before Denver steadied itself again. Jokic hit two jumpers and fed Porter for a dunk that extended the lead to 91-73.

The Nuggets ended the third quarter with a 14-5 run, capped by Jokic's three-quarter-court heave, to lead 110-85.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Sacramento   Denver
DeMar DeRozan 24 Scoring Nikola Jokic 35
Domantas Sabonis 8 Assists Nikola Jokic 17
Domantas Sabonis 19 Rebounds Nikola Jokic 22
DeMar DeRozan 6 Free Throws Made Nikola Jokic 9
Keon Ellis 1 Steals Jamal Murray 3
DeMar DeRozan 1 Blocks Peyton Watson 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Sacramento 123 43.9 15-41 14-19 31 53 3 5 13
Denver 132 48.5 13-37 21-31 30 56 8 10 11
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .750 after a loss.
  • Sacramento will play their next game on the road against New York. The Kings have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .476 after a loss.