Nikola Jokic triple-double leads Nuggets to second consecutive overtime win on road

NEW YORK — To get their first win of the season, the Nuggets almost had to sacrifice their second.

Michael Malone knew the risk he was taking. It narrowly paid off Monday night in Toronto with an overtime breakthrough. But the physical strain on his starters was visible 24 hours later as they instantly struggled to defend the perimeter against a team widely projected to be the worst in the NBA.

The Nuggets allowed 40 first-quarter points and fell behind by as many as 17 in the second before they revived themselves again for a 144-139 overtime win over the Nets on Tuesday.

Nikola Jokic lifted his team with another masterpiece: 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists on 9-of-16 shooting. In a deja vu sequence at the end of regulation, the Nuggets opted to go for two points after falling behind 124-121 with 33.8 seconds left on a Cam Thomas jumper. Malone called for a Jokic post-up, like Monday, which Jokic easily executed, like Monday. Then, like Monday, the Nuggets’ opponent missed a free throw, allowing them a chance to tie it in the final seconds without needing a 3. Again, Denver dialed up a Jokic post-up.

Brooklyn didn’t send a double-team. The three-time MVP backed his way to an effortless lay-in with nine ticks left.

The only difference between their back-to-back magic acts: This time, the Nuggets left enough time to give up a wide-open corner 3 as time expired. Dorian Finney-Smith clanked it.

And again, the starting lineup found itself logging extra hours at the office.

“Obviously we found ourselves in a game last night that we kind of shortened our rotation up a little bit in the second half, feeling the pressure of trying to get the first win of the season,” Malone said before opening tip at Barclays Center. “And when you look at the box score after the game, especially going into the second night of a back-to-back in Brooklyn, you have your starters all at or near 40 minutes. And that’s not sustainable. We can’t do that. Game 3, it was cool, man. Let’s get our first win, kind of take a deep breath. But that’s not sustainable.”

His foresight was probably more immediate than he hoped. The Nets shot 12 of 24 from beyond the arc in the first half. When they weren’t launching, Denver’s defenders took the bait anyway, allowing drivers to get behind them and playing catch-up on rotations. After another rough bench stint, Brooklyn led 47-30 with 9:42 remaining in the half.

The Nuggets’ collective redemption arrived in the form of a snarling, sharpshooting Russell Westbrook about an hour later. He had already been the best version of himself in the first half, zipping brilliant entry passes to Jokic and bullying his way to the foul line with the second unit (then converting the free throws). But on the last possession of the third quarter, with Denver trailing 99-93, he stepped into just his second 3-point make of the season. On the first possession of the fourth, he drove and kicked to Peyton Watson for a corner 3. Tie game.

His next pull-up 3-point attempt, ill-advised or not, gave him 22 points on 12 shots and capped a 13-2 run. It was 106-101, Denver.

Russ giveth and Russ taketh. He shanked an uncontested dunk with his left hand during a quick 5-0 answer from Brooklyn, setting the stage for Denver’s second consecutive suspenseful finish.

Michael Porter Jr. (16 points) bounced back from his inefficient first week of the season, shooting 4 for 7 from 3-point range. Jamal Murray added 24 points. Aaron Gordon contributed 22. Denver quickly pulled away in the extra period after Jokic scored or assisted on its first six points.