Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets got their revenge on Monday night.
The Nuggets, after dropping the front end of a back-to-back series with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, rallied in the fourth quarter to grab a 140-127 win at the Paycom Center on Monday. That win followed a 24-point loss the night before, where the Nuggets were outscored by 21 points in the final quarter and allowed Thunder star and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to put up yet another 40 point game.
The Nuggets, after entering halftime in a six-point hole, rallied almost immediately in the second half. They took a narrow lead into the final period, and then opened the fourth quarter on a 24-12 tear to break open a 14-point lead — which was the largest of the game at the time. The Nuggets then kept the Thunder at bay and held on to their double-digit lead to grab the 13-point win without much of an issue the rest of the way.
Jokić finished just shy of a triple-double for Denver, which now holds a 42-23 record on the season. They are now 12-1 on the season on the second leg of back-to-back games, too. Jokić had 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists in the win. Jamal Murray added 34 points, and Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points, all but three of which came in the first half.
Lou Dort led the Thunder with 26 points and seven rebounds after he drained a career-high eight 3-pointers in the loss, which snapped a seven-game win streak. Gilgeous-Alexander added 25 points and seven assists, and Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 20 points.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.