The opening lede for the last recap of the Denver Nuggets win vs the Sacramento Kings was this:

Nikola Jokic has been on another level for the last five games.

Well, add another to the list. An even more incredible game.

The Nuggets won their sixth game in a row, this time a 130-116 victory vs the Los Angeles Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back. Things were looking shaky for a while, but an impressive second half run led by Jokic helped the Nuggets gain some separation.

Jokic played certainly the best game of any player in the short 2025-26 NBA season so far, producing 55 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in 34 minutes. Jokic was absolutely unbelievable scoring in this game, shooting from all over the court, getting to his favorite spots near the basket, and applying constant pressure on Clippers centers Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the game that the Clippers’ game plan was to try and turn Jokic into a scorer, preventing others from getting involved and allowing Jokic single coverage for much of the game. In seasons past, Jokic might’ve been thrown by the strategy and committed some turnovers trying too hard to make the right play.

But tonight, the right play was for Jokic to absolutely torch the Clippers into smithereens, and he obliged. Jokic shot an absurd 18-of-23 from the field, 5-of-6 from the three-point line, and 14-of-16 from the free throw line. He constantly applied pressure to the Clippers and ultimately broke them with how singularly overwhelming his scoring was. 55 points on 23 shot attempts is patently absurd. He combined that with just two turnovers, keeping things simple on a night when the Nuggets needed him to be the best player in the world.

Early on, both Christian Braun and Cam Johnson sustained injuries that may or may not be of significant impact long term. The Nuggets will figure that out in the coming days, though it was jarring to see both starting wings go out at the same time.

Jamal Murray struggled on the second night of a back-to-back, unsurprisingly gassed after 37 hard-fought minutes the night before. He had 15 points on 16 shots, four rebounds, and four assists, but four steals made up for it in some ways as the Nuggets forced the Clippers into some turnovers in the second half.

Aaron Gordon was his usual self with 18 points and five rebounds, hitting some important shots throughout the night to keep the Clippers honest in their coverage of Jokic. He also shut down John Collins defensively, who had just two points on 1-of-6 from the field in 21 forgettable minutes.

Replacing Braun and Johnson were the usual suspects initially, with Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. playing significant roles. Brown was the off-guard defensively and was disruptive throughout the night. Hardaway did his thing as a shooter (again) with 12 points on 3-of-5 from three and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Peyton Watson also filled in at times and had an emphatic rejection of Brook Lopez on the jump hook in the fourth quarter.

But the surprise contribution came from Spencer Jones, who stepped up as a primary defender against James Harden in the minutes Braun missed. Jones played physically and committed several fouls (some of them bad fouls) but still disrupted Harden at times with his effort, containment, and physicality. Jones even kicked off the third quarter with a corner three-pointer, starting in place of the injured Braun/Johnson.

The Nuggets have a couple days off, and they will need it for a couple reasons. They played hard on this back-to-back and will need to rest up for a Saturday matchup against the tough Minnesota Timberwolves.

That matchup will be made tougher if Braun and Johnson miss any time. While neither has started the season exceptionally well, the Nuggets know they can count on the duo to play complementary basketball around Jokic, Murray, and Gordon. Those minutes and rotations get more confusing without them. Hardaway and Jones started in the second half, but they might not be the starters against Minnesota.

Other players may be asked to step into a more significant role. Peyton Watson is a candidate at small forward to match up with Jaden McDaniels. Bruce Brown could be an option guarding Anthony Edwards. Tim Hardaway Jr. is of course a significant option, though his scoring off the bench has proved extremely valuable as a change of pace. Julian Strawther played some minutes tonight and didn’t play well. Could he get another opportunity as a floor spacer and creator with the second unit?

Whatever the case, the Nuggets earned the right to celebrate their sixth win in a row. Jokic was incredible, and the Nuggets are in a great position at 9-2, trailing only the 12-1 Oklahoma City Thunder at the top of the Western Conference. If the Nuggets want to maintain this torrid pace, they will need bench guys to step up in the coming days, that’s for sure.