Apex Jokic returns as Nuggets rout Raptors

After a week of local and national debate over whether Nikola Jokic's slow start meant his prime was ending, the three-time MVP gave his answer Wednesday

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Nov 4, 2026, 9:51 PM

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Reports of Nikola Jokic’s decline have been greatly exaggerated.

After a week of local and national debate over whether the three-time MVP’s slow start meant his prime was ending, Jokic gave his answer Wednesday at Ball Arena. He had 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in just 30 minutes, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away from the Toronto Raptors with a 41-15 third quarter for a 128-109 win.

It was Jokic’s 201st career regular-season triple-double, and he sat the entire final period. It was his 90th triple-double completed before the fourth quarter, the most by any player in the last 40 years.

Asked whether he came in looking to be more aggressive, Jokic shrugged.

“I never go into the game, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this or I’m going to do that,'” he said to the broadcast postgame. “It just happened to be that kind of game.”

That started just after the opening tip. Jokic scored on a driving layup on Denver’s first possession and had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists in the first quarter. He attacked the rim instead of settling.

The rest of the Nuggets took longer to arrive. Denver turned it over 10 times in the first half, Toronto shot 59% and the Raptors led by as many as 10 before taking a 67-64 lead into halftime.

Then came the third quarter.

Denver scored 10 straight points early in the period: two Aaron Gordon layups, a Jokic layup, a Christian Braun breakaway off a steal and a Jamal Murray finish in transition. That turned a 69-66 deficit into a 76-69 lead, and the Nuggets never trailed again. They closed the quarter on a 19-4 run over the final 4:20, capped by Jokic’s putback with 1.4 seconds left. That shot completed the triple-double and gave Denver a 105-82 lead.

The Nuggets shot 15 of 22 in the quarter and turned it over once. The Raptors went 5 of 23, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range. The 26-point margin was just the ninth time in franchise history that Denver has won a quarter by 26 or more, and the fifth time in the Jokic era. The Nuggets have won all nine of those games.

“The third quarter was a great example of who we can be when the whole team’s locked in like that,” coach David Adelman said.

Jokic, who scored 15 in the quarter, pointed to the defensive glass. Toronto is one of the league’s best offensive-rebounding teams. They finished with 11 offensive rebounds, and Denver won the rebounding battle 36-28 on the night.

“I think we did a really, really good job rebounding the ball,” Jokic said, “and that’s how we kind of keep the momentum in the game.”

The bigger number was in the paint. Denver outscored Toronto 76-46 inside, for the best paint-scoring mark of the last two years (at least), shot 38 of 49 there and set a season high in dunks. Of those paint points 26 were from Jokic, the best mark among all NBA players so far in the young season. Add a 132 offensive rating, and this was what the Nuggets look like when they’re themselves.

“The paint points were back,” Adelman said with a smile. “We’re back to being an anomaly, I guess.”

Adelman said it started with Denver’s guards attacking early, which kept Toronto from loading up on Jokic.

“I thought what really freed him up was our guards were aggressive to attack,” Adelman said. “… I loved his aggression.”

Jokic described the same thing in simpler terms.

“If you have the lane open, just go strong, go aggressive, and I think that’s going to collapse the defense,” he said. “If somebody steps up, you can pass. Nobody steps up, you can just finish.”

He had help, some of it unexpected. DeMar DeRozan was a late scratch with low back spasms, so rookie Bryce Hopkins took his minutes. Hopkins scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting with two steals and was plus-13 in 27 minutes. He’s the first Nuggets rookie to score 18 in a game since Collin Gillespie on Feb. 23, 2024.

“DeMar’s out. OK. … It’s Bryce. Let’s give him a chance,” Adelman said, adding that Hopkins had earned that trust in the preseason.

Adelman’s favorite Hopkins play wasn’t a bucket. It was an outlet pass Hopkins dropped out of bounds right after hitting his first 3.

“I didn’t see a reaction to that,” Adelman said. “He just kept playing.”

Adelman singled out four bench players for the most credit: Hopkins, Trevon Brazile, Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III. Jones had eight assists. Bagley scored 10, his first double-figure game as a Nuggets backup center — already putting him among the best to do that gig. Gordon added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Cameron Johnson hit four 3-pointers for 12 points, and Braun scored 11 on 4-of-5 shooting and finished plus-22.

But the night belonged to the player everyone had been worried about.

Jokic said the game “looked, I think, more normal.” After a week of people wondering whether normal was gone for good, Jokic hoo-hummed his way into a night players dream of.

What’s next for the Nuggets?

Denver starts a four-game road trip on Saturday with a trip to Mexico City, where they’ll take on the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets return home in 12 days, hosting the Suns.