DENVER — — Michael Porter Jr. has the green light not only to film, but to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, whenever he wants. His coach will even foot the bill.
Porter has been on an offensive roll since his quick trip to Mexico for some rest and relaxation during the All-Star break.
Denver’s versatile forward had another sensational shooting night en route to 31 points, Nikola Jokic notched his 22nd triple-double of the season and the Nuggets held off the New York Knicks for a 113-100 victory on Thursday evening.
Porter was 13 of 16 from the field — including a pass to himself on the glass for a dunk — and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Porter also made three 3-pointers to give him 193 for the season and break Dale Ellis’ single-season team mark of 192 set in 1996-97.
“I told him earlier: ‘Go to Cabo whenever you want.’ I’m going to pay for that,'” Nuggets coach Michael Malone cracked.
The time in the sun was fun, but Porter said the reason for his score wasn’t so much the trip as the adjustments he made to his game.
“But Cabo was a nice break,” said Porter, who attributed breaking the team’s 3-point mark to being healthy and playing a career-high 69 games this season. “I definitely needed it.”
Jokic finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists as the defending champion Nuggets improved to 13-2 since the All-Star break and climbed within a few percentage points of first place in the Western Conference.
“We play at a high level,” Malone said. “The challenge is, with 12 (games) left, can we continue to maintain this pace and stay healthy while doing it? Our players deserve a lot of credit for their mindset and approach every night.
Jamal Murray added 23 points before limping off the court with just under a minute remaining after injuring his ankle. The Nuggets were very focused for this game after a 38-point loss to the Knicks on January 25 at Madison Square Garden, Denver’s most lopsided loss this season.
Denver led by 12 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Knicks cut it to 90-88 with 8:19 left. The Nuggets quickly inserted the starters and slowed down the comeback attempt.
Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and Isaiah Hartenstein 20 for the Knicks, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. New York’s reserves dominated Denver’s bench by a margin of 30-13.
“They just made a few more plays than us tonight,” said Brunson, whose team finished 3-1 on its trip out West. “I thought we played hard. We just didn’t get the job done. »
Donte DiVincenzo made three 3-pointers to give him 219, which is the second-highest for a season in Knicks history. Evan Fournier set the team record with 241 in 2021-22.
Jokic nearly had a triple-double at halftime with 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. Before the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau praised the two-time NBA MVP. Thibodeau, along with the rest of the league, is trying to determine whether it’s better to take away Jokic’s jumper or his court vision.
Nobody has an answer.
Jokic had a shot in the fourth quarter that hit the top of the backboard and went in. He also threw an over-his-shoulder pass to the corner that set up Porter’s 3-pointer in the third quarter.
“He’s an MVP for a reason,” Brunson said.
The banged-up Knicks continue to be without OG Anunoby (right elbow), Julius Randle (right shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle). Thibodeau said before the game that Anunoby was staying day-to-day. Asked if he was concerned that time was running out to get Randle healthy, Thibodeau responded: “Control what you can control. …Just keep working at it. You never know when things are going to turn. This is how we have to approach things.
FOLLOWING
Knicks: Host Brooklyn on Saturday night.
Nuggets: At Portland Saturday night.
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