The Nuggets were up by 25 going into the fourth quarter, allowing them to rest stars Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. for the final period. Jokic and Porter Jr. were coming off historic performances against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night and followed it up with another insane outing.

Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 36 points, Nikola Jokic added 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Denver Nuggets overcame a career-high 41 points from Trey Murphy III to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-113 on Monday night.

Jokić was selected by Barkley third-overall in the draft and will play for Team Chuck. Jokić is joined by a slew of international NBA talent including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam and Alperen Şengün, along with Karl Anthony-Towns and Donovan Mitchell.

Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson were out for the Nuggets, who wrapped up a season-long five-game road trip with Zeke Nnaji in the rotation.

The Denver Nuggets have been quiet off the court as the trade deadline approaches, but their play on the court has been very loud. On Wednesday night, the Nuggets won their fourth game in a row with a dominant second half to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 144-119.

As the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. is well aware, the trade deadline is part of the business in the NBA. “As long as I’m here, I’m going to be here and I’m going to be happy, and I’m going to play hard and try to be available and try to help win games,

Jokic continues to make history, putting together performances that the league has never seen on a nightly basis. Jokic has already won NBA MVP three of the last four years and could be on his way to a fourth.