NBA: The Denver Nuggets defeat the Washington Wizards behind a season-high 42 points from Nikola Jokic

On Sunday, Nikola Jokic led the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets past Washington 113-104 with a season-high 42 points and 12 rebounds.

Against the host Wizards, the great center from Serbia, who has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player twice, hit 15 of 20 field goals and 12 of 14 free throws. He also contributed eight assists, three blocks, and a steal.

It’s never simple. Not 42,” said Jokic. It’s just a state of mind. This victory was required. Every game is a must-win for us.

While Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points to lead Washington (7-35), Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 points each to help the Nuggets (30-14) draw within one game of the Western Conference lead.

Jokic’s performance was enhanced by the presence of his wife and daughter at the game.

It’s incredible. I owe my family my whole being. I’m quite pleased of it,” he said. “I know they’re on my side no matter what they do or where they go.”

Leading team in the NBA, Boston defeated Houston 116-107 behind the 32 points scored by Latvian big Kristaps Porzingis and the 21 points and 12 rebounds of Derrick White.

“I had a lot of open looks early on,” said Porzingis, who finished the first quarter with 15 points. “Stayed aggressive but missed the first two. They will eventually fall, I knew that.

The win came two nights after Boston was defeated at home for the first time this season by Denver, 102–100.

“We understand that we need to win a lot of games in order to be a championship-caliber team,” Porzingis said.

“We played Denver, another championship-caliber club, at home the other night, and it was a difficult one. We wanted to improve tonight after falling a little short and learning some things from that experience.

The Celtics extended their advantage over Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference to 3.5 games as they climbed to 33-10, the best record in the NBA.

With 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, Jaylen Brown recorded a triple double for the Celtics, while Jayson Tatum of Boston contributed another 18 points.

For the Rockets, Turkish center Alperen Sengun had a triple double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Kevin Durant of Phoenix led the Suns against Indiana 117-110, scoring 40 points on 18 of 25 shots. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ standout guard, was sidelined due to hamstring pain.

With 26 more points from Devin Booker and 25 from Bradley Beal, the Suns moved up to 24-18, sharing sixth place in the Western Conference with Dallas.

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated visiting Brooklyn 125-114 thanks to an amazing comeback led by James Harden, who finished with 24 points and a game-high 10 assists. Russell Westbrook added 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

The Nets led 16-0 at the beginning of the game but let up the last 22 points to lose, with LA outscoring Brooklyn 41-15 in the fourth quarter.

“We went out and had competition all evening. We never gave up, according to Westbrook. “We overcame hardship and emerged victorious, so I’m extremely proud of our guys.”

The Clippers, who are now 27-14 and fourth in the West, won for the eighth time in ten games with 21 points from Kawhi Leonard.

The Orlando Magic defeated visiting Miami 105-87 behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from Paolo Banchero and 19 points from German big Franz Wagner.

The Magic closed the gap on the Heat to one game at 23–20, enough for seventh place in the East.

Guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks was diagnosed with a concussion and has since been added to the league’s concussion protocol. He was hit in the face with an elbow despite drawing a charging foul during a Saturday fourth-quarter defeat to Cleveland.

His comeback is contingent upon his successfully completing the NBA’s return-to-play rehabilitation protocol; there is no set timeline.