Jokic’s 200th regular-season triple-double lifts Nuggets past Pels

Eleven years to the night after Nikola Jokic scored two points in his NBA debut, he went to New Orleans and added another milestone to a list that’s gotten absurdly long.

Jokic recorded his 200th regular-season triple-double Wednesday, and the Nuggets beat the winless Pelicans 104-91 in their most complete game of the young season so far, even if it was sloppy at times.

Denver (2-2) has now split its first four games. After back-to-back ugly games, a road win over an 0-4 team isn’t a huge deal for a team this accomplished but it’s still a needed win.

The start was the best basketball they’ve played all season — David Adelman went with rookie Trevon Brazile alongside Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, as the starters. That has been Denver’s best lineup without Cameron Johnson. It showed right away. Murray hit 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the first quarter, Jokic had 10 points and five assists, and the Nuggets led 37-18 after one. When Marvin Bagley III scored on a fast break early in the second quarter, the lead was 22.

Then the switch flipped, as it has too often this season.

New Orleans went to a zone, and Denver couldn’t solve it. The Nuggets got frustrated, Jokic got into it with officials, and the turnovers piled up. Denver went nearly six minutes without a field goal, while the Pelicans went on a 14-2 run. The play that capped it summed up the stretch. Braun hustled back to force a Jordan Poole miss at the rim, nobody else came with him, and Poole put back his own miss to cut the lead to 10.

Jokic picked up his third foul with two minutes left in the half. Zion Williamson attacked the rim and had 18 points by halftime on his way to 25. Denver led 57-45 at the break.

The Nuggets came out strong in the third, and the lead got back to 17. Brazile was everywhere: cutting for dunks, blocking shots and holding his own against Williamson. He finished with 11 points and eight rebounds and was plus-14 in his first start of the season.

“They want to do the right thing,” Jokic said of the rookies on the Nuggets’ TV broadcast. “I think that’s the most important thing.”

Then the sloppiness came back. Denver had 24 assists through three quarters, which was fun to watch, but it also had 14 turnovers, six of them by Jokic. The Pelicans scored 10 second-chance points in the third quarter alone and closed it on a 9-0 run that ended with a Jeremiah Fears putback after a missed free throw. The 22-point lead was down to six.

This time, though, the Nuggets had an answer.

Gordon hit a 3-pointer to make it 88-80 as Jokic checked back in. Murray followed with a 3 and a driving layup. Then Braun took over. He hit three 3-pointers in the final 4:25, and DeMar DeRozan assisted on two of them.

That’s what Adelman had been asking for. After Monday’s blowout loss to Golden State, he said his role players had to shoot when they’re open. Braun, who scored 15, finally did.

“Him, Bryce, TB. If you shoot it and you miss, and you’re open the next play, shoot it again,” Adelman said on the broadcast. “So proud of Christian. His defensive effort was incredible too. He guarded everybody, and for him to make those shots to kind of close the game out was really cool to see.”

DeRozan made just 1 of 6 shots, but he played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter. His two steals both led to Nuggets 3-pointers, and he had three of his five assists in the period.

Murray finished with 23 points on 5-of-11 shooting from deep and six assists. Even after a 2-of-11 opener in Oklahoma City, he has been the Nuggets’ most impressive player four games in.

Days after giving up 135 to these same Pelicans, Denver held them to 91.

“I thought just the intensity to stop the ball earlier,” Adelman said. “If you don’t touch anybody until the paint, you’re in trouble. We don’t block a lot of shots, so our team has to be relying on each other. … It’s kind of fun when you say Denver Nuggets win and your offense could have been a hell of a lot better, but your defense kind of grinds you through.”

Despite seven turnovers, Jokic still finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, his 16th career triple-double against New Orleans. He is now nine away from Russell Westbrook’s regular-season record of 209. He notches No. 200 exactly 11 years after his NBA debut.

“That’s two seasons plus an All-Star break of triple-doubles,” Adelman said. “That is absolutely insane.”

What’s next for the Nuggets?

The Nuggets start their NBA Cup journey — an event they have never advanced in — on Phoenix on Friday. They return home to host the Trailblazers on Monday.

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