A couple of extra periods allowed Nikola Jokic to make a little more NBA history on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Nuggets’ first three-game losing streak of the season.
Jokic recorded the 181st triple-double of his career and tied Oscar Robertson for second on the NBA’s all-time list on Wednesday. The three-time Most Valuable Player recorded his 10th assist by finding Bruce Brown for a bucket with a couple of minutes left in double-overtime.
Former teammate Russell Westbrook is atop the list with 207 triple-doubles.
Here are five takeaways from Denver’s 134-127 double-overtime loss at Madison Square Garden:
1. That had to be close to worst-case scenario for David Adelman and his squad. The Nuggets’ coach hoped to keep Jokic’s minutes somewhere in the 20s after he played 33 minutes on the first night of the back-to-back in Detroit. Instead, Adelman chased the win, playing Jokic more than 44 minutes and still didn’t get the victory. Early, it looked like Jokic’s minutes wouldn’t be an issue. He stepped on OG Anunoby’s foot and stayed on the court grabbing at his left leg, the same one that cost Jokic a month of the season with a bone bruise in his knee. The Nuggets took a timeout to check on him, but Jokic stayed in the game. He finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists without a turnover, but fatigue seemed to affect his jumper. Jokic went 1 of 13 from 3-point range and 10 of 27 from the field. To make matters worse, Peyton Watson left the court holding the back of his right leg in the fourth quarter and did not return.
2. Jalen Brunson landed a knockout punch on Jamal Murray and the Nuggets in double overtime. The Knicks were using screens to get Christian Braun and Murray to switch. Murray connected first when he jabbed the ball away from Brunson and gave Denver a two-point lead in the first minute of double overtime. Then, Brunson answered with a bank shot over Murray, a free throw after drawing a foul on Murray and a 3-pointer over Murray that put the Knicks up four. The Knicks guard outscored Denver 10-8 in the second extra period to extend the Knicks’ win streak to eight. Murray’s final line – 39 points, six assists, five rebounds – was impressive, but it wasn’t as good as Brunson’s 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
3. Spencer Jones exhausted his eligibility by being in uniform for the 50th time this season. The Nuggets didn’t exactly get their money’s worth, as Jones exited with a head contusion in the first half and did not play after halftime. Now, Jones gets to sit back with an ice pack and hope for a quiet trade deadline for the Nuggets after starting for the 34th time this season. Jones has proven to a rotation-level player for the Nuggets, who could use the shot-making and defensive versatility Jones provides. If Denver wants to go in a different direction with its 15th standard roster spot, some veteran guards will be available. Lonzo Ball, Mike Conley Jr. and Chris Paul are all expected to be traded again or hit the buyout market after being moved Wednesday, but getting Jones a standard contract is the most likely outcome.
4. If some of Wednesday’s trades were any indication, it’s going to be hard for Denver to get Zeke Nnaji’s contract off the books. Cleveland attached two second round picks to trade Lonzo Ball to Utah, a move that shed Ball’s $10 million contract from Cleveland’s cap sheet. Denver is extremely limited when it comes to tradable draft capital, and the injuries to Jones and Watson the night before the deadline might complicate Denver’s decision to potentially attach draft capital to shed salary.
5. The second part of ESPN’s Wednesday’s doubleheader went from must-see to easy to ignore when Oklahoma City’s injury report came out ahead of its game against the Spurs. The Thunder didn’t have Shai Gilgeous-Alexader, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and a handful of others. Gilgeous-Alexander will be sidelined until after the All-Star break with an abdominal strain. The Thunder added some guard depth, acquiring Jared McCain from Philadelphia in exchange for a first-round pick and three seconds. That move could look incredibly shrewd by the end of the season.
KNICKS 134, NUGGETS 127, 2OT
What happened: New York trailed by two after the first quarter but led 55-53 at halftime. Denver started the fourth quarter with a six-point deficit, but Jamal Murray forced overtime with a step-back jumper with 14 seconds left. Christian Braun made a couple of clutch free throws at the end of the first overtime to force a second.
What went right: Tim Hardaway Jr. (19 points, 4-6 3PT), Julian Strawther (11 points, 4-5 FG) and Bruce Brown (10 points, 2-4 3PT) continued to give Denver some solid production off the bench. The Nuggets finished with a 42-32 advantage in points off the bench.
What went wrong: Nikola Jokic had a chance to end the game in regulation, but his shot bounced off the backboard to the front rim before bouncing back off the glass and iron once more on its way out. Denver went 13-50 from 3, while New York finished 18 of 50.
Highlight of the night: Bruce Brown banked in a running 3-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer. Nikola Jokic gave Brown a chance with a smart outlet pass, and Brown made the most of it with a lot of help from the backboard.
Up next: The Nuggets have a couple of days off before Saturday’s game in Chicago.
