DENVER: Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in just three quarters for his fourth straight triple-double and the Denver Nuggets had a big run to beat the short-handed Sacramento Kings 117-96 on Wednesday night.

Jokic has 19 triple-doubles this season as Denver avoided losing all four games to Sacramento this season. Murray made 13 of 16 shots, including five of his six 3-point attempts, to help the Nuggets win their fourth straight since the All-Star break.

Kings guard De'Aaron Fox was scratched from the lineup about an hour before tip-off because of a left knee contusion. He went through pregame warmups before being ruled out.

Domantas Sabonis, the NBA triple-double leader with 21, was held to 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Keegan Murray scored 21 points for Sacramento.

Keegan Murray had 11 points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer at the end of the period that gave the Kings a 35-28 lead, but was shut down by the Nuggets' swarming defense. He made just 2 of 5 shots in the second and third quarters and scored six points with the game already out of reach.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (left) looks to pass the ball as Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Denver. AP PHOTO

Alex Len added 18 points off the bench for Sacramento.

Denver trailed 47-32 early in the second quarter and outscored the Kings 68-22 over the next 18:21 to lead by 32. Jokic completed the 124th triple-double of his career when he fed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a corner 3-pointer that made it 100-68 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

Several of those assists led to dunks by Aaron Gordon, who had 17 points. Caldwell-Pope, who missed the last two games against the Kings, had 11 of his 18 points in the third quarter and Michael Porter Jr. finished with 14 points.

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