By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Sacramento Kings, 130-129, in Golden 1 Center on Monday evening.
Posting a ninth triple-double in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, Nikola Jokic finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Starting a three-game road trip lasting through this week, the Joker played 38 minutes. He made 8/19 field goals, including 1/6 from beyond the arc. The Serbian superstar also threw in two steals and one block.
His European teammates, Slovenian Vlatko Cancar (left knee surgery) and Croatian Dario Saric (left ankle sprain) are stuck on the injury list.
The team coached by Michael Malone jumped to 14-10, pushing the Kings to 13-14 in the Regular Season.
Coming off the wins in a row, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis tucked in 12/20 from the field en route to a 28-point, 14-rebound double-double alongside six assists and three steals. He lasted over 41 minutes.
Ukrainian Alex Len recorded two minutes in the fourth quarter but did not get on the stat sheet, besides committing one foul.
The Utah Jazz did not feature fellow Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (left groin strain) in a blowout loss, 144-107, to the Los Angeles Clippers in Intuit Dome. As a starter, Finnish Lauri Markkanen tallied 17 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
Helping his side improve to 15-12, Croatian Ivica Zubac combined his latest start with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double plus four assists. French Nicolas Batum chipped in four points, three rebounds, and two steals.