Nuggets down Pelicans, 16th triple-double for Jokic

Jamal Murray scored 32 points and Nikola Jokic got his NBA-leading 16th triple-double of the season as the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 122-113 on Tuesday night.

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“I’m happy as long as we are winning games and the players are happy around me,” Jokic said.

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Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers to give him 771 for his career and move him past J.R. Smith for second place on the franchise list. He’s just 33 away from matching Will Barton for the top spot.

“I’ll get that in three games,” cracked Murray.

“We’ve got to keep our heads down and keep working,” Nuggets coach Willie Green said. “It’s hard to win in the NBA. We’re seeing that. There was some beauty in what I saw tonight. … We’re right there, but we have to sustain it for 48 minutes.”

CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones both scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who have dropped nine straight games. They finished 3-13 in January.

Pelicans visit Dallas on Thursday to finish a three-game trip while the Nuggets host Golden State on Thursday night.