Nikola Jokić Records Career-High 19 Assists in Win Over Pacers

Nikola Jokić had a career game as the Denver Nuggets bounced back against the Indiana Pacers. Just days after a 23-point blowout to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets big man showcased why he is still the best current player in the world. Jokić led the Nuggets to a 125-116 road victory against the Indiana Pacers. The Denver Nuggets center had a relatively quiet first half from a scoring perspective, but still made a positive impact with his passing. He finished the night recording a new career-best 19 assists as he also logged an impressive double-double.

Nikola Jokić also scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds giving himself. As if that were not impressive enough, he also shot an efficient 64.3 percent from the floor. He also had a box plus/minus rating of +17.  The MVP candidate helped weather multiple Indiana runs all night as the Pacers continued to pester the Nuggets’ perimeter players and scrape and claw back from double-digit deficits. Eventually, Jokić and company were simply too much for the tired Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were also on the second night of a back-to-back. However, there other players who were instrumental in Denver’s bounce-back performance.

Denver Nuggets Defeat Indiana Pacers Behind Nikola Jokić’s Career Passing Night

Other Notable Performers in the Nuggets/Pacers Game

The Denver Nuggets looked more like their usual selves against Indiana. Of course, Nikola Jokić showed why he could win his fourth league MVP this year. However, the supporting cast also stepped up in the victory. One player who deserves credit is Aaron Gordon. Gordon was one of the lone bright spots in the loss against the Los Angeles Lakers. He kept up his production against the Pacers as he logged a team-high 25 points, five total rebounds, and a three-point percentage of 50.0 percent.

Christian Braun also had some clutch plays, especially late in the fourth quarter as he hit two critical layups to keep it a two possession game when the Pacers were mounting a comeback. One was from a perfectly-timed lob pass from the player of the game himself, Nikola Jokić.  The former Kansas Jayhawk finished the night with a respectable stat-line of 17 points, a field goal percentage of 63.6 percent, and eight crucial rebounds. As for Indiana, Myles Turner had himself a game despite being tasked with guarding Jokić. He finished with 23 points and three steals. Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, and Bennedict Mathurin all had key defensive plays on the night despite what their box score reads. They harassed Denver’s perimeter all night long. However, Nikola Jokić was simply too much to overcome for Indiana.