SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nikola Jokic scored 35 points and had 15 rebounds, Jamal Murray added 23 points and the Denver Nuggets won their fifth game in a row, 122-108 over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

The Kings were led by Domantas Sabonis, who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Drew Eubanks added 19 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento, which has lost three straight.

The Kings led by one after the first quarter but the Nuggets took the lead for good with 1:45 left in the second. They Nuggets extended their lead to 101-86 during the fourth quarter, fueled by a 16-2 run.

Aaron Gordon scored 17 points for the Nuggets and Bruce Brown added 14 off the bench.

DeMar DeRozan scored 18 for Sacramento and Russell Westbrook had 14.

The Nuggets had a 48-35 rebounding advantage and shot 51% from the field.

Up next

Denver: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

Sacramento: Play host to Atalanta on Wednesday night.

Landeskog scores first goal of season in Avalanche's 4-1 win over Ducks

DENVER (AP) — Gabriel Landeskog scored his first goal of the season, Nathan MacKinnon had three assists and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday night in a matchup of the Western Conference’s points leaders.

Landeskog’s second-period goal, which gave Colorado a 2-1 lead, was his first in the regular season since March 5, 2022. The 32-year-old left wing had missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, as well as the 2024-25 regular season, after undergoing a series of knee surgeries. After the goal, the home crowd serenaded him with chants of “Landy.”

Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 of the 36 Anaheim shots he faced for his NHL-leading 10th win of the season. It was the seventh time in 14 starts this season that Wedgewood has allowed one or fewer goals.

Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas and Parker Kelly also scored for Colorado, with Lehkonen’s goal coming just 28 seconds into the first period. MacKinnon’s three assists gave him 32 points for the season, the most in the NHL.

The loss snapped the Ducks' seven-game win streak. With the win, the Avalanche are 6-0-1 in their past seven games and improved to 16-1-2 in their past 19 meetings against the Ducks.

Leo Carlsson scored his sixth goal in the past four games for Anaheim and recorded his 100th career point, making the 20-year-old the youngest player in Ducks history to reach that milestone. Troy Terry got his team-leading 15th assist of the season on Carlsson’s goal.

Lukas Dostal made 32 saves.

The one goal matched a season-low for the Ducks, who entered the game averaging an NHL-best 4.13 goals per game.

Up next

Avalanche: Host Buffalo on Thursday night in second game of four-game homestand.

Ducks: At Detroit on Thursday night in the second game of a three-game road swing.

Gabriel Landeskog scores 1st regular-season goal in 1,347 days, couldn't wait to share news with son

DENVER (AP) — For Gabriel Landeskog, it wasn't so much relief over ending a regular-season goal-scoring drought that had stretched to 1,347 days.

It was more about the excitement for the Colorado Avalanche captain of getting to tell his biggest fan. Only, he had to wait to deliver the news since his young son, Luke, was sleeping after dad knocked one in.

Landeskog's second-period goal in a 4-1 win over Anaheim on Tuesday night was his first score in the regular season since March 5, 2022. He missed the last three regular seasons due to a knee injury before making his return in the playoffs in April. He scored a goal in the Dallas series.

“My son will be happy (Wednesday) when he wakes up," Landeskog, who turns 33 on Nov. 23, said after the game. “He keeps asking me (about scoring) and I’m like, ‘No, not yet.'”

There have been plenty of close calls, though. He's had two goals overturned this season after challenges by opposing teams. It's become such a thing he almost was anticipating a Ducks challenge.

“I thought my stick maybe caught the goalie’s stick — goaltender interference or something,” the left wing cracked. “I got back to the bench and obviously nothing to argue there. Felt good.”

So did the cheers from the capacity crowd after he lined in a rebound off a shot from Valeri Nichushkin. That goal, those cheers, were of course worth the long, arduous journey to get back.

Before his return seven months ago in the playoffs, Landeskog's last NHL appearance was June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to capture the Stanley Cup. He's dealt with a chronically injured right knee, which led to cartilage transplant surgery on May 10, 2023.

Now, the Avalanche have their captain back in full capacity. He's led the Avalanche to an NHL-best 11-1-5 (27 points) start.

“He’s just the voice of reason,” goaltender Scott Wedgewood said of Landeskog, who's in his 14th season as captain. “He’s just a calm, collected human being. ... We all know the story and what he’s gone through. It radiates off him.”

Landeskog is steadily working his way back into the form that made him an All-Star in 2018-19. He's playing on the third line and averaging 13 minutes, 43 seconds of ice time per game. (He's averaged 19:18 over his career since being selected No. 2 overall in 2011.)

As for how he's feeling, he said it's, “not perfect. I don't think anybody's perfect during the season. You've got bumps and bruises along the way. Going into training camp is probably as good as you're going to feel all year.”

He added that, "bad days aren’t bad at all anymore. There are things I have to do on a day-to-day basis to make sure I feel good and feel good enough to play. You’re never going to be 100%. I don’t think many guys are. No different with me.

"But I would say the difference between the good and the bad days are smaller now than they have been in years past, for sure.”

The goal-scoring slump weighed on him a little bit, he acknowledged. But he found other ways to contribute, including a fight with Tampa Bay's Charle-Edouard D’Astous in a 3-2 win over the Lightning last week. Landeskog has four assists this season.

“I try not to focus on the outcome, just kind of surrender that and focus on what I can do,” said Landeskog, who plans to play for Sweden at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February. "Having said that, you like to go home and know that you at least got one on the scoresheet.”

Notes: Nichushkin suffered a lower-body injury Tuesday that will cause him to miss some time, coach Jared Bednar said before an optional practice Wednesday. “I just don't know how much.” ... Mackenzie Blackwood is slated to start in goal Thursday against Buffalo.