Nikola Jokic amasses triple-double, Nuggets come back in last minute to escape Charlotte with win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Salvaging this road trip was not easy for the Nuggets, but they got the job done at the last minute on two consecutive nights.

Trailing the Hornets by four with 52 seconds remaining, Denver ended the game on a 7-0 run to escape with a 107-104 victory Saturday and return home on a two-game winning streak. Nikola Jokic went for 28 points, 13 rebounds and 17 assists, scoring five points in the last 45 seconds after amassing eight in the final minute Friday night at Philadelphia.

“That team never quit. They kept on coming at us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Just proud of our group for not panicking.”

Christian Braun added 24 points and 11 assists on a night when the Nuggets (30-19) couldn’t buy a 3-pointer, finishing 7 for 37 as a team.

Malone used a timeout with 3:20 to go after Miles Bridges attacked a Jamal Murray switch to tie the game at 98, setting up another tense road ending. Denver had scored only eight points in the fourth quarter at that point.

With exactly two minutes left, Jokic thought he put Denver on top 102-100, but the Hornets challenged a goal-tending call, revealing that Jokic seemingly grazed the ball with his finger while it was over the cylinder first. The basket was eliminated, and Bridges scored the next four points. The Nuggets were in danger of a 1-4 road trip.

Jokic answered with a 3-point play. Then the Nuggets were able to get the ball out of Bridges’ hands when he targeted Murray again. CU alum KJ Simpson missed an open three, and Jokic was fouled 70 feet from the basket after securing the rebound. After is free throws gave Denver a one-point edge, Bridges rushed a bad shot, leading to a run-out layup for Murray.

The star guard disrupted Nick Smith Jr. on a game-tying 3-point attempt before time expired.

“We were trying to avoid the (Murray on Bridges) switch, because Bridges is so big and strong, when he gets downhill, he’s a load,” Malone said. “So we were trying to keep Aaron matched up to him, and you saw late in the game as we closed on that 7-0 run, Jamal was showing so we could keep Aaron matched up to him. Obviously, sometimes when you do put two on the ball, you’re going to give something up, and you have to rely on some fly-around mentality behind that.”

Russell Westbrook (left hamstring) and Peyton Watson (right knee) missed their first game of the season after they both limped to the bench with separate injuries Friday during the fourth quarter. Michael Malone did not express grave concern for either of them, but he wasn’t able to share specific return timelines, either.

“I think we’ll have a much better idea when we get back to Denver and after we … let the injuries calm down a little bit and then have our docs look at them,” he said. “I think Peyton just knocked knees a little bit last night.”

Their absences caused wrinkles to the rotation, some new and some old. Braun, two games removed from being benched to accommodate the Westbrook-Jokic two-man dynamic, was suddenly back in the starting five by default. The Nuggets were playing their opening-day starting lineup for the first time since Christmas.

“It’s funny,” Malone said. “I made the decision going into the Knicks game to take (Braun) out of the starting lineup, and here he is a few nights later, playing 38 minutes. … I felt that he was everywhere. He was attacking. He was shooting the 3-ball with confidence. He was guarding. I think tonight was a snapshot into all the different areas CB can help you win in.”

Without Watson, Zeke Nnaji checked in at the four next to Jokic and eventually shared the second-unit frontcourt with Aaron Gordon. It was Nnaji’s first time on the court for six or more minutes since Nov. 10, 2024, and he capitalized with five blocks. The 24-year-old was the most impactful defender perhaps for either team, guarding Bridges and handling switches effectively. As Charlotte was threatening in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets extended their lead to seven twice in a row with Nnaji buckets at the rim assisted by Gordon. He viciously blocked Josh Green with five minutes left to preserve a tie game.