National Basketball Association
Denver 122, Oklahoma City 117
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 22, 2022
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #44 Brett Nansel, #43 Matt Myers, #42 Eric Lewis
Attendance: 19983

Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists to lead the host Denver Nuggets to a 122-117 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

The triple-double was Jokic's second consecutive and 78th of his career, tying him for the most in NBA history for a center with Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain and Jokic are tied for sixth among all players.

While Jokic was steady throughout, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came up big in bursts.

After scoring 13 points in the first quarter with four 3-pointers, Caldwell-Pope was mostly quiet until the final six minutes.

Then with the Thunder surging, Caldwell-Pope hit 3-pointers on back-to-back Nuggets' possessions, helping Denver stay on top.

He finished with 21 points, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, including 7 of 9 on 3-pointers.

Saturday marked the Nuggets' home opener and also the home return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. after injuries kept them out for extended periods last season.

Porter, who played in just nine games last season before undergoing back surgery, led Denver with 22 points.

Murray, who suffered a torn ACL in April 2021, received a large ovation during pregame introductions. Murray, who sat out Friday's win over Golden State for injury management, had 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The game was close throughout, especially after the Thunder erased an early nine-point lead by the Nuggets with a 10-0 run in the first quarter.

Neither team led by double figures at any point.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 28 points, going 11 of 24 from the floor.

Josh Giddey added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Mike Muscala scored 18 off the bench for Oklahoma City.

Luguentz Dort was 3 of 13 from the field. In two games, Dort is 6 of 25 from the floor and 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma City outscored the Nuggets 21-10 off turnovers.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Oklahoma City   Denver
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 28 Scoring Michael Porter Jr. 22
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7 Assists Nikola Jokic 13
Josh Giddey 12 Rebounds Nikola Jokic 16
Luguentz Dort 6 Free Throws Made Nikola Jokic 6
Luguentz Dort 3 Steals Jamal Murray 2
Darius Bazley 3 Blocks Aaron Gordon 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oklahoma City 117 44.7 15-38 18-23 29 47 5 10 13
Denver 122 49.4 20-38 18-31 33 46 6 5 18
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Thunder have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.