Matt Moore here, the host of the daily Locked On Nuggets podcast, with your daily Locked On Nuggets newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Nuggets and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Nikola Jokic. Best In The World.
Nov 10, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) following the win over the Dallas Mavericks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images|Ron Chenoy/Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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.
37 points, 18 rebounds, 15 assists. The first NBA player to reach these numbers in a game, and Nikola Jokic did it on a Sunday night in Denver, snowy pockets of flurries settling over the city. I wish I’d been collecting these stat lines all along, or had thought to make a note on the calendar when they happened. I’d like to see if there’s a pattern, though I’ve got a hunch that the dates would come to mean less than what the volume of them proves: in Jokic’s hands, the unprecedented becomes routine.
It starts with his skill, we know this. But let’s zero in on how he carries himself around the floor, how he moves. Jokic lopes, jogs, shuffles, occasionally bops, tends to move laterally more than he does in a direct line. It all serves to create an illusion that he’s slow and behind the pace. It’s why so many have a difficult time categorizing what it is he’s doing — he doesn’t work the way a basketball player does, tends to be the refrain. It’s because he looks, most of the time, relaxed
He can also appear pressed, like there’s someplace else he’d rather be. This is not the kind of approach we like to see from our stars. If they don’t look dialled in, if it doesn’t look strenuous at least some of the time, we tend to distrust their effort and skill. But Jokic’s arduousness is some of my favourite in the league, because it presents at our expense. And indeed, it must be exhausting to prove nearly every night that you can manipulate the game at every level.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Mike Shearer (@bballispoetry) has written about the NBA full-time since 2021 at various and sundry places. For more from Mike, check out his Substack bestseller, Basketball Poetry, where he uses unnecessary metaphors and the occasional haiku to discuss the NBA’s happenings with an analytical lens.
Watch The Nuggets narrowly defeated the Mavericks 122-120. Couldn’t tune in?Watch the full game highlights.
Milestone Nikola Jokic had a historic statline against the Mavericks. Check it out.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Chet Holmgren’s Injury: What It Means for the Thunder and Fantasy Basketball Managers
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) holds his leg after a hard following a play against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Paycom Center.|Photo by Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Chet Holmgren’s Injury: What It Means for the Thunder and Fantasy Managers
Sunday’s NBA action took a concerning turn for the Oklahoma City Thunder as Chet Holmgren, their promising young centre, suffered a hip injury just five minutes into the game against the Golden State Warriors. This incident has left both the team and fantasy managers in a state of uncertainty, as Holmgren’s presence on the court has been pivotal.
The Impact of Holmgren’s Injury
Holmgren’s injury occurred during an attempt to contest a dunk, resulting in a hard fall that left him limping off the court. The Thunder have since reported it as a hip injury, but the full extent and severity remain unclear. Given Holmgren’s importance to the Thunder’s lineup, any absence could significantly impact their performance, especially considering their current lack of depth at the centre position.
Potential Replacements and Adjustments
In the wake of Holmgren’s injury, the Thunder may need to rely on a smaller lineup, as they did against the Warriors. This could mean increased minutes for players like Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace, who might see more court time and opportunities to contribute. In deeper leagues, Ousmane Dieng could also be considered for a temporary boost, though none are likely to replicate Holmgren’s production. Fantasy managers might consider these short-term pickups, but it’s crucial to temper expectations, as the Thunder’s rotation could remain fluid.
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