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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Jokic posts 35th triple-double, steers Nuggets past Trail Blazers

Jokic posts 35th triple-double, steers Nuggets past Trail Blazers

Published Mar 23, 2026 01:00 pm

At A Glance

  • DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic recorded his 35th triple-double of the season and both he and Jamal Murray scored 22 points Sunday, March 22, when the Denver Nuggets celebrated the return of Peyton Watson by cooling off the Portland Trail Blazers, 128-112.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, front, juggles the ball as Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, left, defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, front, juggles the ball as Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, left, defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic recorded his 35th triple-double of the season and both he and Jamal Murray scored 22 points Sunday, March 22, when the Denver Nuggets celebrated the return of Peyton Watson by cooling off the Portland Trail Blazers, 128-112.
Jokic had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. Cam Johnson added 19 points as the Nuggets stopped Portland's three-game winning streak, all on the road.
Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 23 points and Donovan Clingan added 18 for Portland, which never led in the last of a five-game trip.
Watson, who hadn't played since Feb. 4 due to a hamstring injury, scored 14 points in just under 20 minutes. He was one of seven Nuggets to score in double figures.
The 6-foot-8 guard was averaging almost 15 points when he got hurt six weeks ago, and coach David Adelman said before tip-off that the minutes of his “high-level wing defender” and precision passer will be restricted as he works his way back into the rotation.
Both teams were torrid to start the matinee with each shooting 7 for 10 from 3-point range in the first six-plus minutes and both the Blazers and Nuggets hitting better than 70% of their shots.
Murray and Johnson both hit four 3-pointers for Denver before halftime, and Clingan did the same for Portland, which trailed 75-69 at the break.
The Nuggets began to pull away when Jokic, Aaron Gordon (15 points) and Johnson all swished 3s during an 11-0 run that gave Denver an 88-74 lead midway through the third quarter.
Jokic turned the ball over five times — half the number he had in a loss at Memphis on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Bones Hyland scored 23 points, Jaden McDaniels had 19 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Celtics 102-92 to snap an 18-game losing streak in Boston.
Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Minnesota, and Rudy Gobert had 14 rebounds and nine points. The Timberwolves’ last win in Boston came in 2005.
“Dang, that don't even sound right,” Hyland said, when told about 2005. “I was 5-years-old. That's crazy.”
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 29 points, Jayson Tatum overcame a slow start to score 16 points and add 11 rebounds. Derrick White had 15 points. The loss snapped the Celtics’ four-game winning streak and left them just a half-game ahead of the New York Knicks in second place in the Eastern Conference.
Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards was sidelined for his fourth straight game because of right knee inflammation. Forward Naz Reid returned after a two-game absence with a sprained right ankle and was ineffective until scoring in eight of his 11 points during Minnesota’s game-breaking 16-0 run midway into the final quarter.
The Timberwolves trailed 81-80 before Hyland’s 3 from the right wing pushed them ahead for good with 9:05 to play. Reid had eight straight points in the run with a three-point play and 3 mixed in.
Playing his eighth game since returning from Achilles tendon surgery, Tatum was scoreless in the opening half when Boston squandered a 15-point lead and trailed 47-44 at halftime before putting up 13 points in the third quarter.
Behind Tatum’s spark, the Celtics opened the second half by scoring the first 11 points.
Both teams started cold from long range, with the Celtics missing eight of their initial nine 3s and Minnesota going 1 for 7 behind the arc.
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