On a night Nikola Jokic recorded his ninth triple-double of the season, one of his teammates stood out in his own right. Jokic shared the spotlight with Peyton Watson as the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 125-118, on Thursday. Continuing his normal standard, Jokic scored 28 points with 11 rebounds and 12 assists in 34 minutes. The three-time NBA MVP furthered his case for his fourth honor with his third consecutive triple-double. But it was Watson who led the Nuggets in scoring and rebounding, posting a career performance. He put up 32 points, the most he’s scored in any NBA game, while shooting 68.4% from the field, hitting on 5-of-9 from long range and adding 12 boards and three helpers as well. Watson’s 32-point game became the first time he’s even reached 20 points this season. Entering the day averaging only 6.4 points per game, the No. 30 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of UCLA took the pressure off Jokic, at least for one night. The win improved Denver’s record to 11-3, who are three
