Nuggets win fifth straight behind another monster Jokic game

Saturday’s matinee game at Pepsi Center was the place to be. Comedian Pete Davidson and rapper Machine Gun Kelly were sitting courtside. Rocky was there celebrating his birthday along with a dozen of his closest mascot friends. It was a sellout, too — the 13th of the year.

All those in attendance were treated to a good show. The Nuggets won their fifth game in a row, 123-110 over the pesky Charlotte Hornets.

Nikola Jokic’s brilliance continued as the Serbian big man scored 39 to go along with 12 rebounds and six assists. He had 11 in the third quarter, when Denver started to create some separation. Jokic had a coast-to-coast dunk for the second straight game.

Gary Harris, in his third game back from a hip injury, looked spry. He scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, mixing in athletic drives to the basket with three makes from 3-point land.

The Nuggets shot 40.7 percent from the field in the first half but led 58-56 at the break anyway. Their ability to create second-chance points played a significant part of the win as Denver grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. Paul Millsap corralled four offensive rebounds by himself, and he finished with 18 points.

Defensively, the Nuggets did a solid job of holding Kemba Walker in check. The high-scoring point guard shot 6 for 17 from the field.

The Nuggets improved to 26-11 with the win. They sit alone in first place in the Western Conference. They’ll put their winning streak on the line Monday against the Houston Rockets, who’ve had their number the last two years.