Nikola Jokic (No.15) of the Denver Nuggets drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday in Denver, Colorado. Photo: AFP

Denver center Nikola ­Jokic matched his career high with 47 points as the Nuggets cooled off the hottest team in the NBA on Sunday with a 128-117 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Jokic erupted for 33 points in the first half - 22 in the first quarter - and added 12 rebounds for his 20th double-­double to start the season.

The Nuggets brought an emphatic end to Utah's 11-game winning streak, the longest in the league this season.

Their victory, coupled with the Los Angeles Clippers' 129-115 victory over the Knicks in New York, saw the Clippers move ahead of the Jazz atop the Western Conference with a league-leading record of 16-5.

The Nuggets led by as many as 28 points, using a first-half three-point barrage to bury the Jazz.

gdanovic paced the Jazz with 29 points. Donovan Mitchell added 13, and Rudy Gobert, Royce O'Neale and Mike Conley added 12 apiece.

But seven players in double figures and 20 three-pointers weren't enough to keep the Jazz from losing for the first time since January 6.

At Madison Square Garden, Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points to lead six Clippers in double figures against the Knicks.

The imposing New York defense, allowing the fewest points per game in the league, couldn't find an answer as the Clippers pulled away in the third quarter, 

stretching a one-point halftime lead to double digits.

Leonard and Reggie Jackson scored 10 points apiece in the third quarter, when the Clippers connected on 13 of 19 shots from the field.

The Knicks, led by Julius Randle's 27 points, cut the deficit to two points with 7:44 left to play but a 9-0 scoring run put the Clippers back in charge.

Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook keyed a late rally by the Washington Wizards in a nail-biting 149-146 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The contest featuring the league's top two scorers, Beal and Nets star Kevin Durant, promised fireworks - and the frantic finish didn't disappoint.

Westbrook finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Beal added 37 points with five rebounds and four assists.

Durant had 37 points and seven rebounds for a Nets team that was without James Harden - who was nursing a thigh contusion.