Nikola Jokic says the Denver Nuggets are not “quiters” after leading the reigning NBA champions to a remarkable comeback against the Toronto Raptors.
The Nuggets trailed by 22 points at one point, but rallied to win 125-119.
Serbian Jokic produced an imposing performance, scoring 35 points to bring his team back into contention in the second half.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics became the first NBA team to reach 50 wins for the season, recording a 121-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jokic, 29, a two-time Most Valuable Player, recorded the 21st triple-double of his season — when a player scores 10 or more points, assists and rebounds — to help the Nuggets to an improbable victory.
In addition to his points, he added 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
Denver trailed by 22 points in the second quarter, but Jokic poured in 19 points in the third to cut the visitors’ lead to five points. Denver then outscored short-handed Toronto 32-21 in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.
“We were just fighting,” Denver center Jokic said. “The whole crew showed their character today. We are not quitters.”
Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray added 26 points, with 12 assists and five rebounds, while RJ Barrett led Toronto scorers with 26 points.
Jaylen Brown weighed in with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Celtics as they continued to lead the way in the NBA with a victory against the Trail Blazers, who lost for the 10th time in their last 11 home games.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight assists and Sam Hauser scored a game-high 22 points off the bench for the Celtics, who recorded their 13th win in 15 games.
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson scored 21 points in his return to the starting lineup for the Warriors of the Golden State as they ran out 112-102 winners to the San Antonio Spurs. Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors in scoring with 22 points, while Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points after missing two games with an ankle injury.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined to score 88 points. Phoenix Suns won 117-111 at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Durant led the way with 37 points, while Booker added 27 and Beal 24.
THE Detroit Pistons completed a season sweep against the Charlotte Hornets, winning their final game 114-97, while Luka Doncic had 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his seventh straight triple-double as a Dallas Mavericks won 127-92 at the Chicago Bulls.
