The 10-piece gives you the ten things you need to know from the Nuggets’ 82 games this season.
1. Best In The World: That’s what Michael Malone called Nikola Jokic after his 37 point, 18 rebound, 15 assist performance. And he’s right. No player since we have reliable data for rebounds and assists has ever recorded that many points with that many assists and that many rebounds. No one. No one has ever done it. Jokic dominated inside on Daniel Gafford. When he missed, he rebounded it back, Big Tipper style. He constantly found teammates who knocked down the shots they needed. He hit huge threes including a late fourth quarter after a sick dime from Murray.
I need to make this clear: there’s no one on Earth who can do what Jokic does and he does it. Every. Single. Night.
2. Kyrie Irving Can Melt Steel: Kyrie was liquid molten metal in this game. He was unguardable. Irving got loose for 43 points. The problem was that Irving got going in pick and roll coverage because the Nuggets don’t have great pick-and-roll defenders. Christian Braun is elite in ISO but will struggle vs. small guards coming off screens, Peyton Watson same deal. So Irving got going and once that happens he can ISO and he the kind of absolutely disgusting shots he routinely does. But Peyton Watson got the last laugh on the contest on the game winner for the win.
3. Adjust, Adjust, Adjust: The Nuggets had given up 42 points in the paint in the first half and 56 through three quarters. They finished giving up 62 points in the paint. The weakside rotations got better as the game went on, particularly from Peyton Watson and Christian Braun, but also from Michael Porter Jr. who had a huge stop on Daniel Gafford late that he had to battle for.
4. Math Is A Formula, Not A Fact: The Nuggets took four fewer threes than the Mavericks, but that’s a disparity they can live with. They made four more threes. Malone has often said he’s less concerned about opponent attempts and more concerned about makes. (He should not be, opponent percentage is more luck than attempts.) But that disparity is not killer. Denver figured out the balance they needed in stopping the paint and 3-point attempts. That’s significant.
5. PSwat Range: Peyton Watson was 4-of-4 from 3-point range, and every shot was a huge momentum boost for Denver that punished the Mavericks for helping relentlessly inside on Jokic. Watson said he works “relentlessly” on his 3-point shot, noting that he comes in for late night shooting sessions with several players and shooting coach Mike Penberthy on off nights. The hard work is paying off and it fundamentally changes his, and by extension the Nuggets’ offensive ceiling.
6. Murray Rollercoaster Continues: Murray had a great start, hitting a three and a tough jumper. And then vanished for three-quarters. He wound upwith 18 points on 17 shots. But he also went at the Mavericks late, drawing a key fou and talking trash to the Mavericks’ bench, before dishing the sweet reverse dime to Joker for the three. Murray also notably passed to Michael Porter Jr. for the game-winning shot.
7. Speaking Of.... YEAH, MIKE: Porter hit the game-winning floater. That’s one thing, but he made the decision to drive and finish off the bounce, something that he hasn’t always been comfortable with. But the biggest thing Porter said he’s proud of postgame? The work he’s put in on his body off the floor to be available to play after so many surgeries.
8. Fast If Not Early: Julian Strawther is very slow on his weakside rotations and suffers from the same mistakes young players make. But when he moves, he moves fast. It’s why he’s actually a playmaker defensively. If he’s off, it’s terrible but if he’s on, it comes out of nowhere. Michael Malone noted several of Strawther’s plays late.
9. The Bench Was Bad Again: Russell Westbrook returns to struggle town as he goes 3-of-10 and a -13 with some missed bunnies and a bad three. Zeke Nnaji was ineffective and mostly vacant. The new rotation isn’t a solve.
10. The Looming Minutes Problem: Jokic with 38 minutes again tonight. Malone joked postgame jokingly said he doesn’t worry about his minutes because as he asked “Have you seen his paycheck” But on a serious note, Malone said playing Jokic 35-40 minutes a night is unsustainable. He was not wearing a hog costume as he said it.
