Jokic leads balanced offensive effort in Nuggets' 117 109 win over Pacers

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, finishing an assist shy of his 13th triple double of the season, to help lead the Denver Nuggets to a 117 109 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray matched Jokic with 25 points apiece for the Nuggets, who shot a season high 64.8% from the field and had all five starters finish in double figures.

Aaron Gordon added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who improved to 17 4 at home this season. Jokic made 12 of his 13 field goal attempts. The two time NBA MVP is shooting 81% (85 of 105) from the field over his past nine games. The offensive output was enough to overcome a sloppier than usual performance for the reigning NBA champions, who finished with a season worst 21 turnovers and allowed 14 offensive rebounds, off of which the Pacers got 20 second chance points.

The victory was Denver’s 14th in its past 18 games. Indiana, which had won nine of its past 11 games, fell to 2 2 since losing star Tyrese Haliburton to a strained left hamstring. In a matchup of the NBA’s top scoring offense against its No. 2 scoring defense, the Pacers, who entered the day averaging an NBA best 126.6 points per game, were held to 17.6 points below their season average.

Indiana was also limited to seven fast break points after averaging 17.2 per game in its first 38 games, the second best mark in the league. The Nuggets trailed by four in the third quarter, but recovered and built a nine point lead after a Christian Braun basket with 9:16 remaining in the fourth. In his return to Denver, where he helped lead the Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship last season, Bruce Brown had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Pacers.

Before the game, Brown was presented with his championship ring and mobbed by his former teammates, with the crowd serenading him with chants of his name. Indiana was without forward Aaron Nesmith, who’s making 46.6% of his 3 pointers this season, the fourth best mark in the NBA. UP NEXT Pacers: At Utah on Monday night.

Nuggets: At Philadelphia on Tuesday night. ___ AP NBA:.