The Nuggets were ahead, 112-97, with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter when Jokic decided to pull it off. He was being guarded by Derik Queen at the free-throw line when he made the nifty dime to Peyton Watson, who gave a ghost screen before diving to the basket for the dunk.

The LA Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets by a final score of 111-105 on Friday night, collapsing in the fourth quarter after blowing a 16-point lead. The Clippers were dominant in the first half, leading wire-to-wire throughout and making defense a priority.

BOTTOM LINE: Chicago is looking to stop its five-game skid with a victory over Denver. The Nuggets have gone 6-0 in home games. Denver scores 124.4 points while outscoring opponents by 13.1 points per game. The Bulls are 1-5 on the road. Chicago is 2-1 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 15.0 turnovers per game.

What a difference a day makes. Less than 24 hours after a double-OT heartbreaker in Utah, the Chicago Bulls took the court against the 10-2 Denver Nuggets and emphatically ended

The Bulls suffered a blow in the third quarter when Smith injured his shoulder attempting to reach in against Jokić, who responded by hooking the center’s arm and tossing him to the ground to draw a foul. Smith exited and then returned to play for fewer than three minutes for the rest of the game.

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans looks to break its four-game home skid with a win against Denver. The Pelicans are 1-11 against conference opponents. New Orleans gives up 121.9 points to opponents and has been outscored by 13.6 points per game.

But led by a huge bench effort and big 3-pointers from Kevin Huerter and Nikola Vucevic down the stretch, the Bulls overcame a triple-double by Nikola Jokic to hold off the Nuggets, 130-127, and snap their five-game skid.

The Denver Nuggets are set to host the Golden State Warriors in a crucial NBA Cup game. The Warriors face significant challenges with key players potentially out, while the Nuggets boast a strong roster and home-court advantage.

The Knicks are a good team and the Mavericks haven’t beaten one of them yet. With Jalen Brunson expected to be back in the fold tonight, I expect the Knicks to lay a hammer down here. Beyond that, with the Mavericks still being limited due to Dereck Lively’s minute restriction,