Not even the most miraculous shot of his life was enough to earn Nikola Jokic the fourth quarter off this time. Jokic buried a one-handed full-court heave at the third-quarter buzzer to give the Nuggets a 25-point lead that almost disappeared Thursday night in a 132-123 win over the visiting Sacramento Kings. “Jokic has come close a couple times this year, so when it left his hands, I thought, ‘That has a chance.’ And then, boom,” teammate Russell Westbrook said. “The best part of it was no reaction from him, which I love.” Indeed, Jokic strolled to the huddle expressionless after Aaron Gordon embraced him and Ball Arena erupted. “Thanks for giving me an assist,” said Gordon, who inbounded the ball to Jokic under Denver’s own basket. It was Gordon’s only assist of the night. “Nikola, the touch that he has, that’s what it comes down to,” coach Michael Malone said. “To make that shot — even just to hit the rim — how many guys could even hit the rim on that shot?” Winners of 10 in their last 11 coming into Denver, the Kings promptly responded with a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter, forcing Jokic to return to a game that he had seemed fated to finish on the bench yet again. That’s been the trend lately, with the red-hot Nuggets comfortably beating their last three opponents. Russell Westbrook (4) of the Denver Nuggets drives on De’Aaron Fox (5) of the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) But Sacramento’s run forced Malone to return to his safety blanket, who helped to slow down but not completely halt the comeback. The Kings got the deficit down to six with two minutes remaining before a baby hook from Jokic steadied the ship. “Not every win is gonna be where you don’t have to put Nikola back in the fourth quarter,” Malone said. “We had to tonight. … They made it a game, and our guys responded well enough to get the win.” In the end, it took 35 points, 22 rebounds, 17 assists and two blocks from the reigning MVP for Denver (28-16) to hold on. Jokic made 12 of 19 shots from the field in his 20th triple-double of the season. He has registered a triple-double by the end of the third quarter in five consecutive games. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 23 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists. Doug McDermott got hot off the bench in the fourth, leading the comeback effort with five 3s. The Nuggets have won eight of their last nine as they embark on a five-game road trip, their longest of the season, that starts Saturday at Minnesota. Jamal Murray scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half as Denver went up by 22 with a well-rounded, dominant team performance. The Kings were on the second game of a back-to-back after playing the late-night ESPN slot on Wednesday in Sacramento, but they nonetheless arrived in Denver as one of the hottest teams in the league, led by interim head coach Doug Christie. The Nuggets caught them on tired legs early. Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. were also in double figures at the break. Even when Sacramento knocked on the door in the third quarter, Denver was mostly able to weather the storm. The frame ended with a 9-3 run in the last 35 seconds. Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson both knocked down 3s. Then De’Aaron Fox hit one with 1.7 seconds left — leaving too much time for Jokic. “I didn’t even see the shot. I was pissed off at the defensive play before,” Malone said. “I didn’t even see it. I just heard the crowd go crazy, and I didn’t really give a (crap) because I was just mad about our defense. So I’ll have to go back and watch it. Sounds like a three-quarters court shot?” The NBA clocked it at 66 feet, officially, but Jokic released the shot from behind Denver’s own free-throw line, which is more 70 feet from the other basket on a straight line. Related Articles Denver Nuggets | Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic makes 7th consecutive NBA All-Star Game Denver Nuggets | Nuggets Podcast: Nikola Jokic puts final nail in Embiid debate, Russell Westbrook thrives and Aaron Gordon returns Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokic on Joel Embiid’s absences in Denver: “People are making it a bigger story than it is” Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokic is wearing a shooting sleeve after his elbow injury. He has superstitious reasons to keep it. Denver Nuggets | Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic records fourth straight triple double in win over Sixers The Serbian center leads the NBA in shot attempts constituted as “heaves” this season, but the full-court shot was the first he has made in his career. Watson was a plus-12 off the bench, amassing six rebounds and four blocks in the win. He is tied for the league lead in blocked 3-point shots. Gordon, who is still ramping up from his right calf strain, struggled off the bench and briefly went to the locker room frustrated, but a team spokesperson said the brief absence was not injury-related. Gordon returned to the game and played just shy of 17 minutes. Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.