The Denver Nuggets stormed back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit Friday night, riding another historic performance from Nikola Jokic to a 135-129 win over the Utah Jazz.
Jokic delivered a dominant triple-double with 33 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists—his fourth straight and 31st of the season—as Denver avoided a costly loss in a tightly packed Western Conference playoff race. Jamal Murray added 31 points, staying hot after his recent scoring surge, while Cam Johnson played a crucial late-game role.
Utah appeared in control late, building a 120-107 lead in the fourth quarter behind Kyle Filipowski, who finished with 25 points. But the Jazz offense stalled down the stretch, and Denver took advantage.
Jokic sparked the comeback with a layup, and Tim Hardaway Jr. followed with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to cut the deficit. After Ace Bailey briefly steadied Utah with a jumper, Jokic answered again before Johnson drilled a game-tying three.
The teams traded shots in a tense final stretch, but Johnson gave Denver the lead for good with another three-pointer with 46 seconds remaining. Moments later, Murray buried a dagger from beyond the arc with 17 seconds left to seal the comeback.
Denver had started strong, opening up a 12-point lead early, but Utah battled back to tie it at 62 by halftime. The Jazz then erupted for 43 points in the third quarter—capitalizing on eight Nuggets turnovers—to build a 14-point cushion. Denver trimmed the deficit late in the period, punctuated by a deep, buzzer-beating three from Jokic that bounced in to keep them within striking distance.
The Jazz, who have now lost 26 of their last 29 games, were shorthanded without key contributors Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen.
With the win, Denver holds fourth place in the West, sitting just ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and just behind the Los Angeles Lakers in a tight playoff race.
Up next: the Jazz travel to face the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, while the Nuggets return home to host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
