Jokic scores career-high 47 points with no TOs

Nikola Jokic wasn't keeping track of his points as the night wore on. He just knew he was scoring a lot.

Jokic scored a career-high 47 points, Will Barton added a season-best 28 and the Denver Nuggets held off the Atlanta Hawks 123-115 on Monday, as per iSports API.

The Nuggets, coming off a surprising loss at Washington two nights earlier, have won four of six to improve to 25-11, second-best in the Western Conference. Atlanta, worst in the NBA at 8-29, has dropped 11 of 13.

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Trae Young finished with 29 points and Kevin Huerter had 22 for the Hawks.

Jokic's previous career high of 41 points was set Nov. 7, 2017, at home against Brooklyn. His previous season high, 31, came at home nine days ago against Memphis.

According to iSports API basketball data, Jokic is the third center with 45 points and no turnovers in a game, joining Shaquille O'Neal (Nov. 9, 1994 at Hornets) and Moses Malone (April 8, 1987 at Nets). Turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78.

Jokic surpassed his previous career high with a putback that gave Denver a 114-109 lead with 3:14 remaining. Jamal Murray followed with a turnaround jumper in the lane and Barton put back his own miss to put the Nuggets up 118-109 at the 1:57 mark.

That essentially ended all hopes for the Hawks, but it wasn't entirely easy for Denver. The Nuggets lost 125-121 to the Hawks at home in mid-November as Young had 42 points and 11 assists. Denver had dropped nine of 11 in Atlanta, recorded by iSports API.

After John Collins' dunk cut the lead to 91-88 just 22 seconds into the fourth quarter, Nuggets coach Michael Malone called a timeout. Monte Morrisfollowed with a runner and Michael Porter Jr. jammed in a putback to make it 95-88.

The Hawks cut the margin to one before Barton found Morris for an alley-oop and hit a 3-pointer to make it 106-100 with 6:54 remaining. Atlanta pulled within two on Young's 35-footer with 4:24 left, and Malone called another timeout. The move worked as the Hawks made just three field goals the rest of the way.

Huerter's second straight 3 cut the lead to two at the 6:07 mark of the third, and Malone called a timeout. Jokic quickly followed with a jumper, then stole the ball in the lane from Alex Len to set up Murray's two free throws.

Jerami Grant's three-point play made it 36-34 at the 9:37 mark of the second, and the Nuggets didn't trail again. About three minutes later, Grant rebounded a missed Hawks shot and drove for a layup that gave Denver its first double-digit lead.

Murray's layup in the final second put the Nuggets up by nine at halftime.

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