The Denver Nuggets came in with a chip on their shoulder and blew out the Portland Trail Blazers.
After a couple of disappointing losses in the week, things were not looking well for the Nuggets. However, Nikola Jokic came in and saved the day with one of his signature performances where he has his fingerprints on every major offensive category.
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Jokic took Jusuf Nurkic to town as Jokic scored an impressive 27 points on 57.1% shooting. He also hauled in eight rebounds to go along with six assists as well. Jokic ended up finishing with a box plus/minus of +29 and also got two key blocks in the process of this game.
Nurkic on the other hand only had 10 points as he struggled mightily the whole game. He came down with one measly rebound and finished with a below average field goal percentage of 40%. It is now clear the first time Nurkic played Jokic and out played him was definitely a fluke.
Gary Harris also returned in a blaze of glory. While McCollum’s numbers weren’t horrible, they were not great either. Harris finished with a 17 point total on an efficient 58.3% shooting from the field. He also came away with two steals and a block finishing the game with a box plus/minus of +27.
Harris made it much easier for Denver tonight. Every time Harris has been hurt dating back to last season, the team’s production falters. This shows how vital he is to their well oiled offensive machine.
And, I have to give credit where it is due. I have been very hard on Chandler this year, but in this game, he showed up. He finished with a monster double double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Chandler shot 66.7% from deep and also did a good job of operating within the flow of things. He helped hold his match up, Evan Turner, to a minute seven point total on the night.
Next: Lyles and Millsap co-existing?
Denver righted their wrongs from the past couple of games in this match up and they need to take this positive momentum to Golden State, who they play next.