Sports

Legend Of Nuggets' Nikola Jokic Continues To Grow

February 10, 2017 / 9:02 PM MST / CBS Colorado

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NEW YORK (The Sports Xchange)- Nikola Jokic poured in a career-high 40 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 131-123 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The second-year center was 17 of 23 from the field, grabbed nine rebounds and had five assists for the Nuggets (24-29). Wilson Chandler scored 19 points, and Gary Harris and Jameer Nelson registered 16 points each. Nelson also had 11 assists.

Carmelo Anthony topped the Knicks (22-34) with 33 points. New York has lost four straight on its five-game homestand and seven of the last nine.

Anthony did his best to bring the Knicks back in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points in the last 8:36.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Anthony got the Knicks to 113-103 with 5:49 left, but Gary Harris nailed a 3-pointer and was fouled by Courtney Lee. Harris completed the four-point play that gave Denver a 125-115 edge with 2:11 to play.

Jokic accumulated 18 points in the third quarter, helping the Nuggets to a 100-88 lead.

After New York knotted it at 70, Denver used a 16-8 burst for an 86-78 edge with 5:08 left in the third quarter. Jokic netted seven points in the sequence.

A short hook shot from Jokic tied it at 68, then an easy bucket from Harris from Jokic made it 70-68 in favor of the Nuggets early in the third quarter.

Harris and Nelson delivered 3-pointers 56 seconds apart to get Denver within 66-64 at the half. The Nuggets were 9 of 19 from beyond the arc (47 percent) in the first half.

A layup from Brandon Jennings gave the Knicks a 54-42 cushion, their largest of the first half.

New York snapped a 34-34 second-quarter tie with a 10-2 run for a 44-36 lead.

The Nuggets connected on 6 of 11 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to a 34-32 lead. The lead changed six times in the quarter.

NOTES: Knicks owner James Dolan said former Knick Charles Oakley is banned from Madison Square Garden after being arrested during the game with the Clippers on Wednesday. Oakley was charged with three counts of assault after an altercation near Dolan and had to be restrained by security guards. "It's not necessarily a lifetime ban," Dolan said on a radio interview, "but we need to keep the (Madison Square) Garden a place that's comfortable and safe." ... The Nuggets were without F Kenneth Faried (sprained right ankle), G Emmanuel Mudiay (lower back pain) and F Danillo Gallinari (strained groin). ... C Joakim Noah (sore left hamstring) missed his third straight game.