Jokic’s 55 Points Lift Nuggets; Bucks Lose Prince to Neck Surgery; Knicks Work to Steady Rotation
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Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 55 points in just 33 minutes on Wednesday night, powering the Denver Nuggets past the Los Angeles Clippers and ending his streak of 50-point games that finished in defeat.
Nuggets
The three-time MVP shot 18-for-23 from the floor, went 5-for-6 from three-point range and hit 14-of-16 free throws. “I think I scored more than 50 a couple of times and we lost every time,” Jokic said. “I think this is the first time we won. So it’s a good feeling.”
During Denver’s six-game winning streak, Jokic is averaging 35.8 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists while shooting 73.9 percent overall and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Off the court, second-year forward Peyton Watson has signed with Klutch Sports ahead of his upcoming restricted free agency. The 23-year-old is contributing 6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 21 minutes per game.
Bucks
Milwaukee forward Taurean Prince underwent neck surgery Thursday to correct a herniated disk, and the team listed no timetable for his return. Prince re-signed with the Bucks during the summer on a two-year contract that includes a 2026-27 option, which he is now expected to exercise.
The 30-year-old appeared in eight games before the injury, shooting 42.9 percent from deep. Last season he played 80 contests and connected on nearly 44 percent of his three-point attempts. With Prince sidelined, Kyle Kuzma has taken on additional minutes and is expected to maintain that expanded role.
Knicks
New York has yet to receive the expected production from forward Guerschon Yabusele, who joined the club on most of its taxpayer mid-level exception. Head coach Mike Brown attributed Yabusele’s uneven start partly to his own rotation decisions, saying, “I put him in, take him out. Hard to get a rhythm doing that. I’ve got to take some blame.”
The Knicks had a five-game winning streak snapped by Orlando on Wednesday, a loss that included a minor ankle sprain for guard Jalen Brunson. The fourth quarter ended with Mikal Bridges logging just one minute and Josh Hart remaining on the bench—moves Brown did not explain and the players could not clarify. “We learned a lesson,” Hart said, noting the team faces a “tough, physical” Miami squad on Friday.
Source: Hoops Wire
