Jokic, Westbrook record triple-doubles as Nuggets beat Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 36 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 132-121 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Russell Westbrook also had a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and finished 7 for 7 from the field with zero turnovers.
Jamal Murray also had 10 assists — the Nuggets had 38 as a team — to go along with 20 points.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24, and Collin Sexton had 22 for the Jazz (7-24), who have lost three in a row.
Utah led 66-64 at the break, but Denver outscored the Jazz 34-23 in the third to build some separation.
Both teams were missing a starting forward. Denver's Aaron Gordon sat out with a right calf strain and Utah's John Collins missed his fourth straight game with a hip bruise.
Takeaways
Nuggets: Denver struggled again when Jokic was on the bench. Once he returned in the fourth quarter, he immediately hit a 3-pointer and found Westbrook for a dunk and his 10th assist a couple minutes later.
Jazz: Utah played four rookies — Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh and Cody Williams — with Clarkson for a key stretch in the fourth quarter and actually cut the Denver's lead to 109-107 on Filipowski's three-point play with 7:28 remaining.
Key moment
After Sexton dribbled around two Nuggets, Westbrook picked his pocket for his fourth steal. He dunked it on the other end and gave Denver a 126-114 lead with 2:46 remaining..
Key stat
The Jazz, who commit more turnovers than any team in the league, had 13 turnovers in the second half which led to 14 Denver points. Utah only had three in the first half.
Up next
The Jazz are at New York and the Nuggets host Atlanta on Wednesday.
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