SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 36 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Denver Nuggets breezed past the Sacramento Kings 136-105 on Thursday night for their franchise-record 11th straight road win.
Peyton Watson scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Nuggets (18-6), who shot 59% from the field and completed a 4-0 trip. Cameron Johnson added 16 and Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Jokic made 14 of 16 shots from the floor, including both his 3-pointers, and went 6 for 8 at the free-throw line. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 11 points apiece for Denver, which hasn’t lost away from home since a 109-107 defeat at Portland on Oct. 31.
Malik Monk scored 18 points off the bench to pace the Kings (6-19), who have lost six of seven. Russell Westbrook had 17 and Maxime Raynaud finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
The score was tied at 13 before the Nuggets went on a 24-6 run in the first quarter. Jokic shot 6 for 7 from the field and had 16 points in the first 12 minutes.
His 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining in the second sent the Nuggets into halftime with their biggest lead to that point at 77-54. They started the third period on a 10-0 run, with eight points by Jokic, and led by 37 in the fourth.
Kings guard DeMar DeRozan moved into 23rd place on the NBA career scoring list with two free throws in the second quarter, passing Vince Carter (25,728 points).
Aaron Gordon (hamstring) sat out his ninth consecutive game for Denver, and Christian Braun (ankle sprain) missed his 13th straight.
Domantas Sabonis remained sidelined with a left knee injury for Sacramento, and Dennis Schroder sat out with left hip soreness, missing his seventh game in a row. Zach LaVine missed his third game this season with a sore right thumb.
Up next
Nuggets: Host the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Kings: At the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Antonio Ray Harvey, The Associated Press
