Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his fifth triple-double of the season, Jamal Murray returned to the lineup with a season-high 28 points and the host Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 135-122 on Friday night. .

Jokic scored his 135th career triple-double midway through the third quarter.

Murray missed the previous three games while dealing with a concussion but showed no rust, going 9-for-17 from the field and 4-for-10 from behind the arc.

Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun each contributed 19 points, Peyton Watson had 16 points and Russell Westbrook finished with 10 assists for the Nuggets, who have won four in a row.

Miami has two losses to start its six-game road trip, and forward Jimmy Butler left midway through the first quarter with a right ankle injury. Seven Heat players scored in double figures, led by Tyler Herro, who had 24 points and 11 assists.

Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo each scored 20 points, with Adebayo adding rebounds and two steals. Terry Rozier and Haywood Highsmith each scored 15 points, Nikola Jovic contributed 11 and Josh Richardson 10.

Denver took a 16-point lead late in the first quarter, but the Heat scored the next 13 points during a 21-6 run to make it 46-45 approaching the midway point of the second period. Braun’s 3-pointer in the corner with 3.2 seconds left in the period extended the Nuggets’ lead to 71-60 at halftime.

Denver came out strong in the third quarter and extended its lead. Porter led off with a 3-pointer, Murray and Watson also hit from deep and Jokic had five points and three assists during a 20-5 run that gave the Nuggets a 91-65 lead, their largest of the night.

Miami answered with four 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 98-86 with 1:58 left in the third and trailed 104-90 heading into the fourth.

Murray opened the final quarter with a jumper, Watson dunked and Porter and Westbrook hit 3-pointers to push the lead back to 114-97 with 8:13 to go. The Heat rallied again, outscoring Denver 18-8 to make it 122-115 with 3:18 to go, but the Nuggets held on.

–Field-level media