DENVER — The Denver Nuggets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 on Friday night at Ball Arena. The game saw the Nuggets hold the biggest lead of 17 points, and the first half ended with the Nuggets owning a 62-58 advantage. Check out more NBA results and scores
Nikola Jokic stars again
Nikola Jokic had a standout performance for the Nuggets, finishing the game with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for his NBA-leading 10th triple-double of the season. He had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the first half alone.
Jamal Murray contributed 18 points and five assists, while Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets’ bench with 16 points and eight rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in 14 points and two steals in the win.
Also contributing off the bench was Aaron Gordon, who added 12 points and 10 rebounds as Denver (26-13) won 10 straight home games and are 16-3 at Ball Arena.
For the Cavaliers, meanwhile, Caris LeVert had a strong outing, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Darius Garland contributed 21 points and eight assists, while Cedi Osman led the Cleveland (25-15) bench with 15 points and two steals.
Elsewhere, Jarrett Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds for the visitors in the loss. Evan Mobley counted for 12 points and four rebounds, as the Cavs’ bench scored 37 points in total. The team shot 45.5% from the field, but was a disappointing 18-32 from the free throw line in the game.
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff reflected on the loss, saying, “I don’t think we gave them our best shot. You don’t miss that many free throws if you’re locked in.
“… I don’t think we had the right approach to beat a team like that.”
The Nuggets shot 53.1% from the field and 78.3% from the free throw line, and had a slight edge in rebounds, with a total of 49 compared to Cleveland’s 40. The Cavaliers scored 60 points in the paint, compared to Denver’s 50, and had 16 second-chance points to the Nuggets’ 19.
The game was briefly paused in the fourth quarter for 8 minutes and 24 seconds to level the basket.
Cleveland stays on the road at the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, while the Jokic and the Denver Nuggets: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
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