----- Nikola Jokic finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets earned a wire-to-wire win over the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday night at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Nikola Jokic in MVP form on Sunday night!
Nikola Jokic finished just shy of a triple-double with 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets won their fifth-straight game 124-95 over the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday night at Ball Arena in Denver.
Several nuggets got involved on the offensive end along with Jokic. Monte Morris finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, Facundo Campazzo added 13 points and four assists, and Bones Hyland scored 18 points in 23 minutes.
The Nuggets connected on 52.2% of their shots including 19-of-40 from three-point range. Denver won the battle in the paint, second-chance points, and the turnover battle.
The Trail Blazers were short-handed playing without Damian Lillard (Abdominal Injury). Anfernee Simons got the start in place of Lillard scoring 16 points in 27 minutes.
CJ McCollum led Portland (6-8) with 21 points and Nassir Little added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Notes- Lillard is listed day-to-day. No word as of Sunday night if he will play Monday against the Raptors.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will play the second of a back-to-back Monday night against the Toronto Raptors at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Smart to rest Dame on a night when a loss was likely.