It wasn’t easy, but Nikola Jokic made it look like it anyway.
Behind Jokic’s 20th triple-double of the season (a new franchise record), the Nuggets handled the feisty Hornets, 119-105, on Saturday evening. Down starters Jamal Murray (knee) and Aaron Gordon (rib), Jokic seized the game and erupted for 30 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Nuggets improved to 39-18, with a chance to win the road trip Monday in Miami.
A sluggish start, which saw the Nuggets trail by 15 in the first half, was erased once the defense locked in, and Denver started hammering the paint. The Hornets managed just 45 points in the second half, and the Nuggets ended the night with 78 points inside. That’s 78 points inside without their starting power forward, Aaron Gordon.
Here’s what mattered.
Paint it
After a 2-of-14 shooting display from the 3-point line in the first half, the Nuggets committed to getting inside in the third quarter. Michael Porter Jr., who struggled mightily in Thursday’s loss to Orlando, finished one of the most athletic dunks of his career in the third quarter. Tired of missing from outside, Porter rammed a bucket through contact, and then followed with another difficult layup inside. Those baskets preceded his outside looks, which then started to fall.
To shoot just 5 for 23 from 3-point range as a team while still amassing 119 points speaks to Denver’s dominance inside. All five of Christian Braun’s baskets came at the hoop, as the rookie finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 26 minutes. His defensive effort was tenacious and should only aid his argument to stick in the rotation down the stretch of the regular season.
Point guard?
Murray missed his fourth consecutive game Saturday night while dealing with right knee inflammation. It was his left knee that was surgically repaired, and the inflammation, coach Michael Malone has suggested, could’ve been due to overcompensation. Malone has said repeatedly they’ll be cautious with Murray. With two games to go until the All-Star break, it’s possible that resting him throughout could be under consideration.
As a result, the starters against the Hornets were Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Vlatko Cancar, Porter and Jokic. Without any other creators besides Jokic, the Nuggets started sluggishly. It became woefully apparent when the ball stopped moving, players stopped cutting and the offense dried up. There were numerous possessions where Jokic was tasked with playing point guard because no one else was succeeding in getting the team into an offense. When it’s Brown, he needs to be more decisive in his passing.
The energy changed once Ish Smith entered the game. His pace and breakdown ability offers a different style and forces his teammates to run with him. Unsurprisingly, Denver started chipping into the lead with its second unit. In the wake of the Bones Hyland trade, the Nuggets need to decide whether Smith will be relied upon, Brown will be trusted, Murray will be healthy or a buyout candidate will suffice. If there are any questions about depth with this team, they begin in the backcourt.
Help is almost here
Thomas Bryant’s Saturday began in Denver where he had to clear his physical with team doctors. From there, he hopped on a flight to Charlotte only to arrive in mid-afternoon. Even though he got on the court for warm-ups, met with coaches and his teammates, Malone was hesitant to deploy him because of his hectic day and how little time he had to acclimate to his new setting. With two minutes left in the game, Bryant checked in and made his Denver debut.
But before that, when the Nuggets made their run in the second half, Bryant was up on the bench encouraging his new teammates. He was also, already, yelling out defensive pointers from the bench. There’s been a need for size and strength in Denver’s frontcourt, particularly on the glass. Bryant will have a clear directive.
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