Jokic had 21 points and 16 assists, including a difficult layup in traffic with 24.1 seconds left, and the Nuggets held off the Phoenix Suns 119-111 for a hard-fought victory.
Durant moved in 10th place on scoring list late in the second quarter, driving the baseline for a layup to pass Moses Malone.
Denver jumped out to a 41-30 lead going into the second quarter after shooting 79.2% (19 of 24) from the field.
But you've got to credit the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic — that's why he's one of the best in the world.
The Suns were playing without Booker (ankle) and Bradley Beal (back) while the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (heel).
Persons:
Nikola Jokic, Jokic, “, Michael Malone, ”, Kevin Durant, Michael Porter Jr, Porter, Justin Holiday, Kentavious Caldwell, Pope —, Jackson, ” Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic, Devin Booker —, ” Nurkic, ” Durant, Nurkic, Durant, Moses Malone, Malone, ” Vogel, you've, Nikola Jokic —, He's, Booker, Bradley Beal, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, ___
Organizations:
PHOENIX, Denver Nuggets, Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Suns, Phoenix, Denver, NBA, ABA, Sacramento, Memphis
Locations:
Jokic, Jackson