Early foul trouble in the season opener wasn’t going to get Nikola Jokic down.

„I didn’t want to force it. I just wanted to win the game,“ said Jokic, who had 16 points in the fourth quarter alone. „I wanted to go out there to be the positive energy to win the game.“

„Nikola in the fourth quarter was phenomenal,“ Denver coach Michael Malone said. „I think he had 16 and 8 in the quarter. He showed everybody why he’s an MVP-caliber player.“

The Nuggets didn’t make a lot of changes over the summer, returning the nucleus of the team that won 54 games last season and earned the West’s second seed, ending a six-year postseason drought. The team’s biggest move was acquiring Jerami Grant from Oklahoma City.

Former Oregon center Bol Bol, the son of Manute Bol, warmed up with the Nuggets but was not available to play. A second-round pick, he signed to a two-way contract with the team. … The 18 3-pointers were the team’s most for an opener. … Michael Porter Jr., the No. 14 draft pick in 2018 who sat out last season as he recovered from back surgery, did not play for the Nuggets.

ESPN