DENVER (AP) — Jamaal Murray hit the go-ahead with 55.9 seconds left, Nikola Jokic broke Denver’s all-time record for assists en route to his first triple-double of the season, and the Nuggets recovered for a 122-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night .
Jokic finished with 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds while running into bad trouble. Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player passed Alex English for the most assists in team history. Jokic has 3,686 career assists in 568 games – an English record 3,679 in 837 games in a Denver uniform.
Jokic’s teammates made sure to acknowledge this achievement.
“We clapped a little bit,” said Murray, who finished with 28 points. “That’s a lot of passes. That’s impressive.”
The English thought so, too.
“I knew eventually my all-time assist record would be broken. I’m honored to see she passed 2, I mean 3 times NBA Most Valuable Player. Congratulations big fella,” English posted on his Twitter account.
Not one to mince words about individual accolades, Jokic said he appreciated this particular mark.
“When you have a lot of assists, it just shows that you’re a good team player,” said Jokic, on whose behalf his teammates plan to sign. “That’s something I want to be. I want everyone to remember me as a guy who was a really good team player.”
Murray took over to help the conference-leading Western Nuggets team win their 15th consecutive home run.
The Nuggets trailed 118-115 when Murray hit a three-pointer with 2:05 remaining to tie the game. Subsequently, he installed a lead float to give Denver a lead that he did not relinquish.
Bruce Brown finished with 16 points for the Denver team that played Game Two back-to-back. Nuggets coach Michael Malone remained in NBA health and safety protocol for the second consecutive game. David Adelman served as Acting Artistic Director.
“Ugly win. Nice win. “Who cares? A good team wins,” said Adelman.
Adelman compared the combination of Murray and Jokic to a modern version of John Stockton and Karl Malone. And given the way Jokic is going through, it’s hard to say who will represent whom.
“I don’t think Stockton can score like me,” Murray cracked. “I think we’re very unique, because they’re trying to protect us in so many different ways.”
Jaden McDaniels led the seven Minnesota players with 18 points. The Timberwolves led by 10 early in the second half.
“I’m crazy. I could definitely help us,” said Anthony Edwards, who was 7-of-17 from the floor, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range, and finished with 16 points.
It was an eventful first quarter for Jokic, who robbed a basket of review (a shot clock violation) and had an offensive foul nullified for a challenge. He still had 13 points in the period and five assists, including a complete pass to the Browns for a dunk.
“He’s got the mind of John Stockton in a 7-foot-tall body,” said Adelman.
Tip-ins
Timberwolves: F Kyle Anderson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. … C Naz Reid scored 17 points as he started by sidelining Rudy Gobert with a sore groin. … J Austin Rivers (bruised knee) was inactive.
Nuggets: F Jeff Green (broken hand) started 1-on-1 and is “heading the right way,” Adelman said. … Aaron Gordon added 12 points.
family circle
Veteran Nuggets guard Ish Smith played for head coach Rick Adelman when he was a starter with Houston in 2010.
Now, he is a back-up on the bench for Ben Adelman.
Smith cracked “Small World”. “I always say to (David), ‘You’re going to be head coach soon.’ This is a great test for him. The guys are playing hard.”
easy going
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch appreciates the relaxed demeanor of Tim Connelly, the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations. Connelly played a similar role with Denver—and helped build the team into what it is today—before he left last spring.
“He’s always asking me to have fun, which is simple but hard to keep up sometimes,” said Finch. “It’s always really positive.”
next one
Timberwolves: Host Toronto Thursday night.
Nuggets: Host Indiana on Friday night.
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