Nikola Jokic has triple-double as Nuggets roll past Hawks 139-120 for 3rd straight win

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists in leading the Denver Nuggets to a 139-120 win over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Jokic nearly notched a triple-double in the first half, finishing an assist shy. He secured his 144th career triple-double early in the third quarter.

Jamal Murray scored 21 points, while Russell Westbrook added 16 to go with 11 assists as the Nuggets won their third straight game. It started a busy 17-game month on the right note for Denver.

The Nuggets finished a perfect 21 of 21 from the free throw line. They also set a season-high in assists with 44 as they finished 2-0 against the Hawks this season. The Nuggets won in Atlanta 141-111 on Dec. 8 behind Jokic’s 48-point, 14-rebound performance.

Young had 30 points and nine assists, while reserve De’Andre Hunter added 20 as Atlanta saw its four-game win streak halted.

Hawks: Atlanta fell to 11-11 all-time on New Year’s Day.

Nuggets: Westbrook continues to add a spark to the starting lineup with Aaron Gordon sidelined by a strained right calf. The Nuggets had seven players finish in double figures.

The Nuggets broke open the game with a 39-14 run in the third quarter. Young was called for a technical foul during the stretch, and Hunter drew a technical for flopping.

Young now has five or more assists in 193 straight regular season games. It’s the third-longest streak in NBA history, trailing only John Stockton (336) and Isiah Thomas (209).

Hawks visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, while Nuggets host San Antonio.

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Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder directs his team against the Denver Nuggets in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, battles for control of the ball with Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, right, drives to the basket as Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela, left, and guard Garrison Mathews defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter collects a loose ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter, right, collects the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, right, drives to the basket past Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, looks to pass the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, works the ball to the basket as Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 people including a child early Saturday in southern Gaza, hospital staff said, while a new effort at ceasefire talks was said to be underway in Qatar.

A small boy cried over his father, and a woman draped herself over one of the bodies wrapped in white plastic. The three airstrikes hit a car, a house and people on the street in the city of Khan Younis, according to staff at Nasser Hospital.

There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 59 people had been killed and more than 270 injured by strikes in the past 24 hours.

There were no immediate statements on the indirect negotiations in Qatar’s capital, Doha, toward a ceasefire after nearly 15 months of war. The Hamas militant group on Friday said talks had resumed and added that it was committed to reaching an agreement. It warned against misinformation, which it said can undermine public confidence.

The talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Fighters with Hamas, which wants Israeli forces out of Gaza completely, continue to regroup in areas where Israeli forces withdraw.

The war is by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. It began when Hamas and other militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.

Families of hostages and others have rallied weekly for months to press Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring loved ones home.

In a video released by Hamas on Saturday ahead of the latest weekly rally, Israeli soldier and hostage Liri Elbag, speaking under duress, expressed anguish over her situation and mentioned being held 450 days.

“Today is the beginning of a new year; the whole world is celebrating. Only we are entering a dark year, a year of loneliness,” she said. She also said a fellow captive had been injured by the fighting in Gaza, adding, “We are living in an extremely terrifying nightmare.” She did not name the person injured.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 45,717 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the dead. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. It says uncounted bodies remain beneath rubble or in areas where emergency responders cannot reach.

Israel’s military says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times. Winter has now arrived, and hundreds of thousands are sheltering in tents near the sea. A small number of children have died from exposure to the cold.

Meanwhile, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, relatives mourned an 18-year-old Palestinian who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed Friday during clashes with Israel’s army in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The ministry said nine other people were injured.

Palestinian health officials have said Israeli raids throughout the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, have killed more than 800 Palestinians. Israel says most of these are militants, but youths throwing stones and people not involved in confrontations have also been killed.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for over a month, although its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon 60-day deadline. Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Relatives mourn during the funeral of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night in an Israeli army raid, in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Relatives mourn over the body of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night during an Israeli army raid at his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night in an Israeli army raid during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinians carry white sacks containing the bodies of those killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians attend funeral prayers for two of the ten people killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes, during his funeral in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect a car targeted in an overnight Israeli airstrike that killed its occupants in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Relatives of a Palestinian killed in overnight Israeli strikes, mourn over his body outside the morgue of Nasser hospital in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)