NBA: Healthy once more, Nuggets secure wire-to-wire defeat of Trail Blazers

Nikola Jokic recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists as the Denver Nuggets never trailed en route to a 128-112 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Jamal Murray also added 22 points for the host team.

Peyton Watson returned from a 19-game absence due to a hamstring strain to score 14 points off the bench. Cameron Johnson contributed 19 points, Christian Braun had 15, Bruce Brown added 13, and Aaron Gordon finished with 12 points for Denver. With the win, the Nuggets (44-28) have now beaten Portland 11 straight times at home.

For Portland (35-37), Deni Avdija led with 23 points and 14 assists, while Donovan Clingan scored 18 points with a career-high four 3-pointers and 13 rebounds. Toumani Camara and Robert Williams III added 16 points each, and Scoot Henderson finished with 13 points. The Blazers, who had won three consecutive games, ended their road trip with a 3-2 record and remain ninth in the Western Conference with 10 games left in the season.

Denver shot 58.3% in the first half and led 75-69 at halftime, with Jokic posting a near triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. He reached his 28th triple-double of the season and 192nd of his career when he assisted Johnson on a corner 3-pointer that extended the Nuggets’ lead to 88-74 with 8:18 left in the third quarter. Denver then pushed the margin to 18 points on an 8-0 run and led 107-93 entering the fourth.

Jrue Holiday hit a three-pointer 30 seconds into the final period, giving Portland a chance to cut the lead to eight. However, Denver’s defense tightened, highlighted by Spencer Jones’ steal and block that led to fast-break layups, including an alley-oop slam that put the Nuggets ahead 113-96 with 9:37 remaining. The Blazers never got closer than 14 points for the rest of the game. -Field Level Media/Reuters