West Closed the Preseason Late: Jokic Outduels Doncic, Warriors and Jazz Win at Home

By The Sports Desk, Previously

October 17, 2026

The exhibition season is over, and the last results came from the West. Denver beat Los Angeles 121-106 at Crypto.com Arena on Friday night in the preseason's marquee individual matchup — Nikola Jokic against Luka Doncic — Eurohoops reported, on a 12-game closing night that also brought home wins for Golden State and Utah and a costly win for Orlando. The early Eastern finals, including overtime victories for Boston and Milwaukee, are covered in our full night wrap; this is how the night ended out West.

Jokic Beats Doncic in the Finale's Star Matchup

Denver's 121-106 win over the Lakers was built in the bookend quarters: the Nuggets outscored Los Angeles 36-22 in the first quarter and 33-23 in the fourth, according to the game's quarter-by-quarter line. Jokic finished with 17 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals, Eurohoops reported, directing Denver's offense in the kind of controlled performance that has become his preseason signature — enough minutes to set the terms, no need to chase the game.

Doncic countered with 15 points, four assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal for the Lakers, Eurohoops reported, and his Georgian teammate Sandro Mamukelashvili added 15 points for Los Angeles. The result counts for nothing in the standings, but the shape of it will follow both teams into next week: Denver's starters looked connected from the opening quarter, while the Lakers spent the night playing from behind after the slow start.

Warriors and Jazz Hold Serve at Home

Golden State closed with a 128-118 win over Portland at Chase Center, outscoring the Trail Blazers in each of the first three quarters — 35-26, 32-32 and 38-33 by quarter — before Portland took the fourth. The Warriors' 105 points through three quarters told the story of a team that treated the finale as a dress rehearsal for its offense rather than an audition for its bench.

In Phoenix, Utah edged the Suns 119-116 in the night's closest Western finish. The Jazz trailed after a 35-point Suns second quarter but won the fourth quarter 29-21 to close it out, according to the quarter line. Phoenix will rue the finish; Utah will take a road win, even a preseason one, as evidence its late-game group can execute. Elsewhere in the late window, San Antonio routed Sacramento 126-97 and Chicago beat Minnesota 114-96, according to NBA.com recaps summarized in the day's roundups.

The Costly Win: Wagner Leaves Orlando's Finale

The night's most consequential result may have been a win. Orlando beat Miami 136-115 at the Kia Center, Eurohoops reported, but lost German forward Franz Wagner in the third quarter to a sore right shoulder after he had scored 11 points. French forward Noah Penda also exited early with right hamstring tightness, and Jase Richardson sustained an injury as well, Eurohoops reported.

'All those guys will be re-evaluated,' head coach Sean Sweeney said in his postgame press conference, according to Eurohoops. Miami played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who rested for the night, Eurohoops reported; Nikola Jovic led the Heat's European contingent with 12 points. For Orlando, Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and Tristan da Silva 12 off the bench. The Magic open the regular season hoping the re-evaluations bring good news — Wagner is the player their offense is built around, and a shoulder issue on the eve of opening night is exactly the kind of preseason cost teams dread.

What the East Had Already Decided

By the time the Western games tipped, the East had already supplied the night's drama. Boston beat Philadelphia 125-120 in overtime, with Joel Embiid scoring 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the 76ers and Tyrese Maxey adding 22 points and six assists, Sixers Wire reported. LeBron James, in his first home game as a 76er, had eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Milwaukee edged Indiana 128-127 in overtime behind 25 points from Tyler Herro, and Detroit held off Toronto 129-125, according to the night's roundups.

Philadelphia's takeaway was Embiid's health. 'I still had an awkward landing, but I guess it's good to dunk,' Embiid said after a third-quarter dunk, in comments reported by Sixers Wire. 'I thought I would never dunk again.' The 76ers held out VJ Edgecombe and remained without several rotation players, and their starters' sharp stretches gave the game back late — a pattern the coaching staff will want corrected before Tuesday, when the games start to count.

Opening Night Is Tuesday

The preseason's purpose is information, and Friday supplied the last of it: Denver's starters are ready, Golden State's offense is humming, Utah can close, and Orlando is holding its breath. The regular season opens Tuesday, October 20, with a tripleheader on NBC and Peacock — Boston at Detroit, Philadelphia at the champion New York Knicks for the banner-raising game, and Oklahoma City at San Antonio — with ESPN's slate following on Wednesday, October 21, when Antetokounmpo plays his first game for Miami against Minnesota.

Rotations set in Friday's finales now meet real minutes, real fouls and a real standings table. The next time Jokic and Doncic meet, it will count. Keep up with the season as it starts in our sports section.