Nikola Jokic scored a season-high 34 points to go with 14 assists, Christian Braun added a season-best 21 points and the host Denver Nuggets held off the Sacramento Kings 130-124 on Monday night.
Aaron Gordon added 20 points, Jamal Murray scored 15 despite missing all five of his 3-point attempts, Bruce Brown contributed 13 off the bench and Cam Johnson finished with 10 points for Denver.
Sacramento’s Russell Westbrook recorded season highs in points (26), rebounds (12) and turnovers (six) in his first game against his former team. Westbrook helped Denver reach the second round of the playoffs last spring in his only season with the team. He was given a warm welcome by the Denver crowd when he was recognized during a first-quarter timeout.
Domantas Sabonis contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, Dennis Schroder finished with 18 points and Zach LaVine and Keon Ellis scored 15 apiece for Sacramento, which has lost six straight to Denver.
The Nuggets won for the fourth time in five games, while the Kings fell for the fourth time in five games.
Denver led by nine at halftime and went on a 10-2 run early in the third to lead 82-67, but Sacramento hung around. Schroder hit an 18-foot pull-up jumper and a driving layup to cut the deficit to 10.
The Kings had a chance to get within six but Ellis missed a 3-pointer, Jokic fed Braun for a layup to get his 10th assist and Murray made two free throws to push the lead to 96-83 with 2:30 left in the period.
Westbrook fed Drew Eubanks twice for dunks to trim the deficit to 104-93 heading into the fourth, and Sacramento got within 110-104 early in the fourth. Jokic checked back in and scored nine fourth-quarter points to hold off the Kings.
Eubanks finished with 10 points.
Sacramento trailed by as much as 12 in the second quarter but cut it to 54-52 on LaVine’s three-point play with 4:28 left in the half. Denver went on a 14-4 run to lead by 12 and went into intermission with a 72-63 advantage.
