NBA: Nuggets beat Pacers 114-102 as Jokic posts 19 points and 13 rebounds

Indiana spent the night chasing a 27-point deficit. Denver beat the Pacers 114-102 on Saturday 7 November 2026 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, in front of 20,191 spectators, and built the win before the break: 64-41 at half-time, after runs of 10-0, 9-0 and 15-0 in the first two quarters. Nikola Jokic finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists in 36 minutes.

Indiana, listed without Tyrese Haliburton, Johnny Furphy or Ben Sheppard, led only once, 5-0 at the very start. The Pacers were the nominal home side, but the game was played in Mexico City, far from Indianapolis. For Denver, Julian Strawther was listed as out, and Spencer Jones held his place in the rotation, coming off the bench.

Denver pull clear before the break

The Nuggets pulled away from the opening minutes. A 10-0 run turned 7-4 into 7-14, then a second, 9-0, turned 13-16 into 13-25. At the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 19-27.

The second was heavier still: 37 points for Denver against 22 for Indiana. A 15-0 run took the score from 28-34 to 28-49, then a 7-0 run from 37-57 to 37-64, with 1 minute 05 to go before the break. That was the biggest gap of the game, 27 points. The Pacers went to the locker room at 41-64.

Indiana fight back, but not enough

The third quarter changed the look of the game: 37 points for Indiana against 26 for Denver. Two 9-0 runs brought the Pacers back from 49-74 to 58-74, then from 58-79 to 67-79. The third quarter ended at 78-90, a 12-point gap.

The fourth left things as they were: 24-24. Midway through the period, Denver led 104-95; they finished at 114-102. The hole had been dug too deep.

The game in numbers

Denver scored 54 points in the paint, against 44 for Indiana. The Pacers were sharper on the fast break, 21 points to 8, but their 10 turnovers proved costly against a team that committed only 5. The Nuggets' starting five scored 71 points, the Pacers' 50; Indiana's bench answered with 52 points, against 43 for Denver's. Starter Braden Smith went scoreless in 12 minutes (0 of 4).

Players of the game

Nikola Jokic (Denver) was not sharp, hitting 7 of 20 from the field, but he held the paint and set up his team-mates: 13 rebounds, 8 assists, +4 on the floor. Cameron Johnson scored 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting, and Jamal Murray had 16 points and 8 assists. Off the bench, Spencer Jones scored 13 points in 21 minutes, shooting 5 of 6 including 3 of 3 from three-point range, for a plus-minus of +14, the best on his team. DeMar DeRozan, also a reserve, contributed 11 points and 5 assists for a +11. One poor showing for the Nuggets: Aaron Gordon finished with 12 points, but went 0 of 6 from three-point range.

For the Pacers, Pascal Siakam, born in Douala, Cameroon, was his team's best player: 23 points on 10 of 18 shooting, with 5 assists in 32 minutes. Larry Nance Jr. hit 5 of 7 from three-point range for 15 points, in just 13 minutes. Ivica Zubac pulled down 12 rebounds in 19 minutes, and Andrew Nembhard dished out 8 assists. Obi Toppin had a night to forget: 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting, 2 of 8 from three-point range, and a plus-minus of -10 in 22 minutes.

Three takeaways

A chasm opened up in a single quarter. The second quarter, won 37-22 by Denver, outweighs everything else: over the other three periods combined, Indiana scored 80 points and Denver 77. The Nuggets led for 93% of the game, the Pacers for 6%.

Free throws and turnovers went Denver's way. The Nuggets converted 16 free throws from 19 attempts, while Indiana attempted 7 and made 5. They also took 51 rebounds to 45 and lost the ball 5 times to the Pacers' 10. In terms of shooting accuracy, the two teams were close: 44 of 96 for Denver, 41 of 92 for Indiana.

Indiana aimed long and missed the target. The Pacers attempted 48 three-pointers and made 15. Denver made only 10 of 35, but kept a comfortable cushion thanks to their two-point shooting and their free throws.

The SNA view

The numbers describe a game lost in 24 minutes, not 48. But a 23-point deficit at the break, then 27 at the widest point, leaves too little time for a full comeback. The contrast is stark: Denver weighed on the game with short, tightly spaced runs (10-0, 9-0, 15-0, 7-0), whereas Indiana's two runs (9-0 and 9-0) came when the gap already exceeded 20 points. In this game, it was how early the gap opened that decided the outcome, far more than shooting accuracy, which was almost identical on both sides.

What's next

Indiana, at 3 wins and 7 defeats, are level with Charlotte for 10th and 11th place in the Eastern Conference, according to the standings of 8 November. The Pacers travel to Dallas on 10 November at 2:00 Brazzaville time. Denver, at 5 wins and 3 defeats, are 9th in the Western Conference. The Nuggets play in Houston the same day at 2:30 Brazzaville time.