Nikola Jokic recorded his 22nd triple-double of the year, Michael Porter Jr. had an incredible shooting night that resulted in 31 points, and the Denver Nuggets defeated the New York Knicks 113-100 on Thursday night.

As the defending champion Nuggets climbed to 13-2 since the All-Star break and moved within percentage points of first place in the Western Conference, Jokic finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Porter went 2 of 2 from the free-throw line and 13 of 16 from the floor, including a feed to himself off the glass for a slam. In addition, Porter drained three 3-pointers to shatter Dale Ellis’s single-season team record set in 1996–97 with 193 points for the season.

With just under a minute remaining, Jamal Murray scored 23 more points before hobbling off the court due to an ankle injury. After suffering their most crushing defeat of the season—a 38-point setback to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 25—the Nuggets were extremely determined going into this game.

With 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks closed the gap to 90-88, cutting Denver’s lead to just 12. The Nuggets swiftly stopped the comeback attempt by inserting the starters.

With 26 points from Jalen Brunson and 20 from Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks ended their four-game winning streak. Denver’s bench was outscored by New York’s reserves 30–13.

With three 3-pointers to his credit, Donte DiVincenzo now has 219 points, the second-most in Knicks history for a season. In 2021–2022 Evan Fournier set the team record with 241 points.

At the half, Jokic had almost triple-doubled (16 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists). The Serbian center received high marks from Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau before to the game. The NBA as a whole, including Thibodeau, is attempting to determine if it is preferable to limit Jokic’s jump shot or his court vision. In the fourth quarter, Jokic got a chance that went in that bounced off the top of the backboard. In the third quarter, he also made a hook-shot pass to the corner, setting Porter up for a 3-pointer.

Thibodeau remarked, “They play great basketball, in large part, because of the way he plays.”

OG Anunoby (right elbow), Julius Randle (right shoulder), and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle) are still out of the lineup for the injured Knicks. Prior to the game, Thibodeau stated that Anunoby is still day-to-day. When asked if he thought there was not enough time left to get Randle well, Thibodeau said, “Control what you can control.” Simply never give up on it. You never know how it will change. That is the strategy we need to use.