A dominant performance from Nikola Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets’ offense led the way to victory Monday night in Utah.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 132-121 win over the Jazz:

1. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jumped Nikola Jokic as the frontrunner for Most Valuable Player prior to Monday’s game, but Jokic made a move back toward the top with his performance in Salt Lake City. Denver’s three-time MVP recorded his first 30-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist performance of the season against the Jazz. He finished 36 points on 33 shots, added 22 rebounds and 11 assists in 38 minutes. He also recorded four steals and committed just two turnovers. The Thunder have a big lead atop the Western Conference, but more nights like Monday will make it much harder to deny Jokic a fourth MVP in the last five years.

2. As soon as Denver’s defense figures it out, the Nuggets are primed to go on a run. The Nuggets scored more than 130 points for a third consecutive game. Denver lost one of the first of those games to Cleveland, but the defense wasn’t good enough to make for comfortable wins over the Pistons and Cavaliers. The Nuggets have Friday’s game against the Hawks and a couple of games against San Antonio before the defense gets a big test against Boston on Jan. 7. With a little more energy spent on defense, Denver has a prime chance to continue the climb up the Western Conference standings.

3. Jordan Clarkson would look good in a Nuggets uniform, but actually pulling off a trade for Utah’s 32-year-old microwave scorer off the bench looks next to impossible. Clarkson is making a little more than $14 million each of the next two seasons. Denver could get the deal done by combining Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric’s contracts, but that would leave the Nuggets with DeAndre Jordan as the only reserve who could feasibly handle the back-up center minutes. Adding Clarkson to the backcourt would stymie Julian Strawther’s progress. Utah would be smart to move on from Clarkson, as their timelines don’t align, but Denver doesn’t make much sense as a potential destination.

NUGGETS 132, JAZZ 121

What happened: The Jazz led by one after the first quarter and took a 66-64 lead to halftime. Denver flipped the deficit into a nine-point lead after three quarters and improved to 18-13 without much drama in the fourth quarter.

What went right: Russell Westbrook had a perfect triple-double. He made all seven of his shots from the field and both of his free throws for 16 points, and he also recorded 10 assists without a turnover, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded four steals. The Nuggets won the nearly 33 minutes Westbrook played by 23 points, and he recorded the 201st triple-double of his career.

What went wrong: Denver’s first-quarter defense continued to be nonexistent. After giving up 40 points to Cleveland in the first quarter of Friday’s loss and 38 more in the first 12 minutes of Saturday’s win over Detroit, the Nuggets allowed Utah to score 37 points on Monday. The Jazz made 6 of 14 attempts from 3 in the opening quarter.

Highlight of the night: Christian Braun added an impressive entry into his catalogue of dunks late in the second quarter. Jamal Murray found Braun cutting toward the basket and made a sharp bounce pass. Walker Kessler, Utah’s 7-footer, was protecting the rim, but that didn’t stop Braun from finishing with a reverse dunk.

Up next: The Nuggets start 2025 with a game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in Denver.