LOS ANGELES – Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone compared his All-Star centre Nikola Jokic to National Basketball Association (NBA) great LeBron James, after he bagged the 107th triple-double of his career on Monday.

It helped the Nuggets extend their unbeaten start to the season with a 110-102 victory over the Utah Jazz at the Ball Arena.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in another dominant performance by the reigning NBA champions, who made it four wins out of four after leading virtually from start to finish.

Denver led by 10 points after the first quarter and were always in control thereafter, stretching their advantage to 17 points at one stage in the third quarter.

Jokic’s latest triple-double leaves him tied with James and Jason Kidd for the fourth-most triples in NBA history.

Said Malone: “It speaks to his greatness, it speaks to his consistency, night in and night out playing the game at an extremely high level.

“The one thing you can compare LeBron and Nikola with is the ability to make everyone around them better. That is the definition of greatness.”

The 28-year-old Serb received scoring support from Aaron Gordon, who posted 21 points with seven rebounds, while Jamal Murray added 18 points – including a trio of three-pointers – in a comfortable win for Denver.

Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 14 rebounds for Utah, Walker Kessler scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Talen Horton-Tucker put up 16 points, John Collins chipped in with 15 points and Collin Sexton had 12 for Utah.

The Jazz took their third loss in four games.

In other games, Stephen Curry delivered his second 40-point game of the season as the Golden State Warriors thrashed the New Orleans Pelicans 130-102 at the Smoothie King Centre.

Curry, who scored 41 points in Friday’s victory over the Sacramento Kings, was once again back to his mesmeric best with a 42-point haul that included seven treys.

New Warriors recruit Chris Paul added 13 points off the bench, while Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis also finished with 13 apiece. Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum led the New Orleans scorers with 19 points each.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was left in awe of Curry’s latest masterpiece.

“He’s white hot. It’s amazing watching him,” Kerr said of his guard.

“He looks better than ever at 35. But he puts the work in every summer, keeps looking for ways to get better – he’s constantly searching for edges in his training... just stunning to watch.”

Kerr was also encouraged by his team’s third straight away win, following last week’s opening-night defeat by the Phoenix Suns.

“After opening night, I thought it’s going to take some time, we had to get the new guys accustomed to what we do,” Kerr said.

“It’s incredible to bring Chris Paul off the bench as your back-up point guard – he’s a Hall-of-Famer and still playing at an incredible level. It changes everything when you can start a game off with Steph Curry and then bring on Chris with a great second unit.”

After months of acrimony, James Harden finally got the move he requested, as the Philadelphia 76ers traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers, multiple outlets reported on Monday night.

Philadelphia will receive Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris Sr, Robert Covington and Kenyon Martin Jr, according to the reports.

ESPN reported that the Clippers will acquire P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev, along with Harden.

Additionally, the 76ers get an unprotected 2028 first-round pick, a pair of second-round picks and a pick swop. The Clippers will also give the 76ers a future first-round pick from a third team.

The 34-year-old Harden had sat out the 76ers’ first three games of the season amid his feud with Philadelphia general manager Daryl Morey.

During the summer, Harden called Morey a liar and stated that their differences could not be resolved. Despite the rhetoric, Harden picked up his US$35.6 million (S$48.6 million) option for the current season rather than enter free agency.

Meanwhile, the NBA has chosen the Warriors and their Chase Centre in San Francisco as host for the 2025 All-Star Game and weekend activities, according to a person familiar with the matter.
AFP, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG