Nikola Jokic scored 33 points and went 14 of 16 from the field as the Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 125-114 on Friday night to open the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Jokic also had 14 rebounds, nine assists and one rare outburst of emotion after hitting a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
“What I marvel at is just the consistency,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I mean, the guy is just great every night. … He’s just a great player. I just love how he impacts the game in every way, shape and form. It’s really the definition of greatness.”