National Basketball Association
Denver 120, New Orleans 114
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: #7 Lauren Holtkamp, #15 Zach Zarba, #45 Brian Forte
Attendance: 15035

Nikola Jokic had a triple-double and scored 11 of his game-high 39 points in overtime as the visiting Denver Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 120-114 on Wednesday night.

Jokic added 11 rebounds and 11 assists, Will Barton scored 20 points, Monte Morris added 11 and JaMychal Green and Aaron Gordon had 10 each as the Nuggets won for just the third time in 11 games.

Jonas Valanciunas led the Pelicans with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Herbert Jones Jr. scored a season-high 19, Brandon Ingram had 16, Nickeil Alexander-Walker 15 and Devonte' Graham and Josh Hart 12 each.

Pelicans backup guard Kira Lewis Jr. suffered a sprained right knee early in the second quarter, had to be helped from the court and did not return.

Jokic scored the Nuggets' first nine points of overtime as they took a 114-109 lead.

Hart answered with a three-point play, but Jokic followed with a layup for a 116-112 lead.

Jokic missed two free throws, but Graham missed a jumper and Gordon's two free throws gave Denver a 118-112 lead with 21.3 seconds left.

Ingram scored eight points as the Pelicans started the third quarter with a 12-2 run and took a 69-66 lead.

Jokic scored five points and Barton made a 3-pointer to help Denver grab an 80-77 lead at the end of the period.

Alexander-Walker scored seven points and Jones five to help the Pelicans take a 95-90 lead midway through the quarter.

Jokic's basket and Morris' three free throws tied the score at 103 with 57.6 seconds left.

A layup by Jokic and a tip-in by Valanciunas sent the game into overtime.

Barton and Jokic scored 13 points each as the Nuggets took a 35-33 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Green had six points and Bones Hyland five as Denver opened a 50-38 second-quarter lead.

Valanciunas answered with a 3-pointer before the Nuggets extended the lead to 12 points.

Jones and Valanciunas scored four points each as the Pelicans closed with 64-57 at halftime.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Denver   New Orleans
Nikola Jokic 39 Scoring Jonas Valanciunas 27
Nikola Jokic 11 Assists Josh Hart 8
Nikola Jokic 11 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 11
Nah'Shon Hyland 5 Free Throws Made Brandon Ingram 3
Monte Morris 3 Steals Brandon Ingram 4
Will Barton 1 Blocks Jonas Valanciunas 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 120 51.1 9-32 21-27 28 33 4 12 12
New Orleans 114 52.2 11-30 9-12 32 46 5 8 25
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .300 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against San Antonio. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .583 after a win and .417 after a loss.