Nikola Jokić played one of the best games of his life, carrying Denver on his back through a dramatic overtime to a huge victory over Minnesota — 142–138!
The Nuggets were on the brink of defeat, as the visitors held a nine-point lead with two and a half minutes left in overtime, which they reached after Edwards hit a corner three just seconds before the end of regulation.
Then Nikola took matters into his own hands, knocking down two three-pointers, scoring everything that could be scored, and then sealing a big and important win against a major Western Conference rival with a series of free throws (he went 22-for-23 from the line).
It was enough for the strongest Christmas triple-double in NBA history: 56 points (shooting 15-of-21), 16 rebounds, and 15 assists!
He was helped by Murray with 35 points (10 assists), though on a weaker shooting percentage (12-of-32), while Hardaway added a solid 19 and Jones chipped in 12 points (8 rebounds) for the depleted Nuggets, who, it should be noted, are playing without three members of their starting lineup due to injuries (Gordon, Brown, Johnson).
For Minnesota, “Ant-Man” Edwards shined with 44 points (6 rebounds), Randle was excellent with 32 (7 rebounds, 6 assists), and McDaniels added 21 points.
After this game, Denver retained third place in the West with a 22–8 record, while Minnesota sits fifth at 20–11.
The Nuggets play their next game the day after tomorrow in Orlando.