The Denver Nuggets secured a 113-100 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night, with Nikola Jokic delivering another impressive triple-double and Michael Porter Jr. leading the scoring with 31 points. Jokic’s stellar performance included 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, marking his seventh triple-double in the last 15 games and his 22nd of the season.

The win propelled the Nuggets to a 49-21 record, with a remarkable 13-2 run since February 22, placing them in a virtual tie for first place in the Western Conference alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder (48-20).

Contributing to the Nuggets’ victory, Jamal Murray added 23 points, while Aaron Gordon chipped in with 10 points. On the opposing side, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points and nine assists, despite their four-game winning streak coming to an end.

As a result of the loss, the Knicks (41-28) slipped into fifth place in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Orlando Magic (42-28), who secured a 121-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans earlier on Thursday. Despite the setback, New York remains three games ahead of the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, who are currently tied for seventh place in the East and the first two seeds in the play-in tournament.

Notable performances for the Knicks included Isaiah Hartenstein’s career-high 20 points, Alec Burks’ 18 points off the bench, and contributions from Donte DiVincenzo and Miles McBride with 11 points each.

The game saw both teams holding single six-point leads in the first half, with the Knicks establishing a 48-42 lead with 5:07 left in the second quarter. However, the Nuggets closed the second quarter with a 19-8 run, seizing the lead that they held onto for the remainder of the game.

In the third quarter, the Nuggets outscored the Knicks 27-20, extending their lead to 88-76. Although the Knicks initiated a 12-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter, narrowing the gap to 90-88, the Nuggets responded with a game-ending 23-12 run, securing the victory.

The Knicks struggled in the final stretch, going 4-for-11 with three turnovers, and only managing to get within five points once down the stretch.