Jokic overcomes slow start for triple-double in the Nuggets' 132-129 OT win over the Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) goes to... — New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) goes to the basket ahead of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: AP/Gerald Herbert

By The Associated PressDecember 22, 2024 10:18 pm

NEW ORLEANS — Nikola Jokic overcame a slow scoring start for his ninth triple-double of the season, finishing with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the Denver Nuggets' 132-129 overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

Jokic turned it on after failing to score in the first 21 minutes. Jamal Murray added 27 points, scoring Denver’s final five in overtime, and Russell Westbrook had 21.

The Pelicans led 107-98 with 7:50 left in regulation, but Jokic scored seven points in a 15-2 Denver run over a 3:41 span to give the Nuggets a 113-109 lead.

CJ McCollum put New Orleans up 119-117 with a 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining, and Murray tied it with 8.8 seconds left. McCollum shot an airball on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Jokic scored the first six points of overtime and assisted on an Aaron Gordon layup to put Denver up 129-125.

Jordan Hawkins led New Orleans with 25 points. McCollum had 24.

Takeaways

Nuggets: Coach Mike Malone has stressed intensity to his team, which has been playing inconsistently in the last two weeks. “We’ve had a Club Med vacation schedule the last two weeks … and now we start five games in five nights,” Malone said. “We’ll see what our team is made of.”