The 10-piece is a game breakdown following every Denver Nuggets matchup during the week. Today’s write-up is about the Nuggets 117-90 blowout win over the Phoenix Suns.
1. Resilience: The Nuggets are now 5-0 on the second night of back-to-backs this season. They’re 3-6 when they have 2+ days of rest. How that is possible I have no idea.
2. MPJ locks in: 14 points in the first quarter and 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting on the night. Michael Porter Jr. is the consummate professional and always brings it on back-to-backs. He’s always ready for the challenge.
3. Jokic toying with Nurkic and Plumlee: Tonight, Nikola Jokic was absolutely dialed in, getting creative in how he generated shots for himself with clever off-ball movement. He had 32 points on 17 shots and was 4-of-6 from three. I hope he participates in the three-point contest this year at All-Star break.
4. Defense shows some teeth: 90 points allowed is crazy low in today’s NBA, especially against a team with Kevin Durant. The Nuggets were locked in and allowed just 39 points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter. A tremendous effort.
5. No Murray, No Problem: Jamal Murray rested a sprained ankle on the back-to-back. Denver didn’t have great scoring production from Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, or Aaron Gordon, but they each made timely plays. With Jokic and Porter each stepping up, the game became about defense with that unit, and they were happy to oblige.
6. Don’t Cross the Pickett Line: Jalen Pickett once again played a really good game in backup point guard minutes, finishing with 11 points and 8 assists. He blocked Mason Plumlee at the rim, threw a lob to DeAndre Jordan, threaded the needle to Jokic for an And-1, and hit a turnaround three-pointer in the corner at the end of the game. Excellent work from Pickett tonight.
7. Methodical Madness: That performance helped the Nuggets jump back up to 14th in defensive rating on Cleaning the Glass. The Nuggets have been an average defense to begin the year, but they’re clearly capable of more with effort. Maybe this is the start of a good stretch from them.
8. Michael Malone addresses trade rumors pregame: “I think there’s nothing to that. That’s where you worry about guys worrying about the wrong things. Just focus on what you can control.” Malone dispelled the rumors a bit.
9. So did Michael Porter Jr.: “I think for me, I’ve overcome so much in my life. I’ve gone through so much with my family. I’ve gone through so much personally that little stuff like a trade rumor, I leave that stuff up to God.” Porter emphasized that his head is in the right place and he’s not worried about a trade.
10. Up Next: The Nuggets play these same Suns in Phoenix on Christmas this Wednesday. That’s a late night game, so enjoy the day with your families, then kick back with a glass of eggnog for a fun nightcap.
