Aaron Gordon scored 25 points, Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Nikola Jokic added 18 points, nine rebounds and a career-high 19 assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers 125-116 on Monday in Indianapolis.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants to keep this party going, he won’t change his starting five once Russell Westbrook’s left hamstring is healed up.
Malone decided to go with Christian Braun over Russell Westbrook in the first game after the break, which made sense for a number of reasons. Braun had been playing very well for awhile before the All-Star break, and Jamal Murray had been coming into his own in the last two months as well.
The Nuggets return to action Thursday (7 p.m. MT) after a seven-day hiatus. Also expected to return is Russell Westbrook, who missed the last seven games before the All-Star break with a hamstring injury that he suffered two days after Malone chose to start him over Christian Braun.