In Sunday’s 117-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers, Nikola Jokic finished one assist short of registering his 13th triple-double of the year with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.

With Jokic scoring twenty-five points, Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray tied Jokic. The Nuggets finished with a season-high 64.8% shooting percentage, with all five of their starters scoring in double figures. With 20 points and 10 rebounds from Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets climbed to 17-4 at home this season.

Jokic converted 12 of his 13 efforts at field goals. Over his last nine games, the two-time NBA MVP is shooting 81% (85 of 105) from the field.

The offensive production was enough to overcome a sloppier-than-usual effort for the defending NBA champions, who finished with a season-worst 21 turnovers and conceded 14 offensive rebounds, off of which the Pacers gained 20 second-chance points.

Denver had won 14 of its previous 18 games.

Porter stated, “I think we’re in a good spot.” “We’re about what you can expect with a radically different bench lineup than last year coming off a championship and a short summer. Although we’re a few games behind, it’s obvious that we’d love to be ranked first in the west. We’re in a nice mood. Men are in good health. All you can ask for is that.

Following the departure of star Tyrese Haliburton due to a strained left hamstring, Indiana, which had won nine of its previous eleven games, dropped to 2-2.

Despite starting the day with an NBA-best average of 126.6 points per game, the Pacers were kept to 17.6 points below their season average in a duel between the NBA’s top scoring offense and its No. 2 scoring defense. After averaging 17.2 points per game—the second-best average in the league—in its first 38 games, Indiana was also held to seven fast-break points.

Murray explained, “It was just a point of emphasis to get back.” “We were aware that’s what they do, and they’ve been doing it for the entire season with great skill.”

After falling behind by four points in the third quarter, the Nuggets rallied to take a nine-point lead with a basket by Christian Braun with 9:16 left in the game.

Bruce Brown led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA title last season, as he scored a team-high 18 points, pulled down 10 boards, and provided six assists against the Pacers in his return to Denver. Before the game, Brown received his championship ring from his former teammates and was surrounded by them while his name was chanted by the crowd.

“It exceeded my expectations,” Brown remarked. “I had no idea the audience would applaud in such a way. It was difficult because I had promised one of the fans that I wouldn’t cry, so I had to hold it in when I was on the verge of tears. Still, I thought it was fantastic.

Buddy Hield led the Pacers with 16 points, while six other players ended in double figures.

Aaron Nesmith, a forward for Indiana who is shooting 46.6% from three this season—the fourth-best percentage in the NBA—was not available.

Rick Carlisle, the coach of the Pacers, stated, “I thought we fought hard in this game.” “There were a few annoying aspects of it. The greatness of Murray and Jokic determined a lot of this.