Nikola Jokic Stats Tonight: How did Nuggets superstar fare vs Suns? (Oct. 13) | 2024 NBA preseason

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets took the court at Ball Arena for their first NBA preseason home game on Sunday, going up against a Phoenix Suns squad that rested its top players. The Nuggets had lost their first two preseason matchups to the Boston Celtics, both played in Abu Dhabi, while the Suns had won two out of their first three games.

Though the Suns sat their stars, the Nuggets fielded their main lineup, including Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. Meanwhile, the Suns started Monte Morris, Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn, Mason Plumlee and Bol Bol.

The starters played until midway through the third quarter, after which the Suns took control. They outscored the Nuggets by 13 points, securing a 118-114 victory.

Nikola Jokic tallied a near triple-double in almost 30 minutes played. Below are his stats from the game.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone discusses dynamic between Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook

The Nuggets made some offseason changes, parting with key players from their 2023 championship squad, including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson. To fill these gaps, they added veterans like Russell Westbrook and Dario Šarić on team-friendly contracts.

In an interview with reporters, Nuggets coach Michael Malone shared his thoughts on having two MVPs — Westbrook and Jokic — on the same team, while also acknowledging their past tension.

"They have an interesting relationship arc," Malone said (per SI). "I think early on in their careers, they were adversaries and didn't like each other. Then they got to a point where I think they had a lot of respect for each other."

Malone noted that the two stars strengthened their bond during NBA All-Star weekends.

"Getting to know each other during the All-Star weekends, and now you have guys that are teammates," Malone said. "Russell Westbrook will be in the Hall of Fame, Nikola Jokic will be in the Hall of Fame. It's great to see them playing on the same team and going in the same direction."

Westbrook joined a Nuggets team that last season had Reggie Jackson and Collin Gillespie backing up starting point guard Jamal Murray. Jackson has since gone to Philadelphia, while Gillespie moved to Phoenix.

Westbrook offers the Nuggets extra depth at point guard, especially given Murray’s frequent absences during the regular season. Murray played in only 59 regular-season games last year.

While Westbrook will primarily come off the bench, he is expected to start occasionally when needed.