Denver Nuggets: The answer in crunch time is clear

Nikola Jokic has been by far the Denver Nuggets best player all season. So, when the game is on the line it makes sense the ball is in his hands.

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone hasn’t minced words when talking about the Nuggets plan with the game on the line.

The answer is simple: Nikola Jokic.

The fourth-year pro — and first-time All-Star — out of Serbia has had his number called time and time again. And time and time again he’s answered.

The most recent came Thursday night against the Mavericks.

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“The bottom line was we were going to go to Nikola,” Malone said after the game. “Get our best player the ball and let him make a play.”

The turnaround/floater/whatever you want to call it against Dallas was his fourth of the season — and they’ve all come in similar fashion.

Here’s one against Memphis on Jan. 28.

All four feature Jokic going right towards the basket from the left side of the court. And naturally, he finishes with the right hand every time.

Two — against the Heat and Kings — are the exact same play. A high pick-and-roll designed to get Jokic the ball rolling towards the basket.

The Nuggets may be on to something. In clutch time — defined as the last five minutes of a game within five points — Jokic is shooting an incredible 79.4 percent from inside the arc, while scoring over 30 percent of the Nuggets clutch time points.

And what’s more impressive is how often Jokic delivers. He’s played 66 of a possible 67 games — with the only abscence coming because of a suspension for leaving the bench during a scuffle against the Jazz.

And since the Nuggets have been in a lot of close games over that time, Jokic ranks 11th in the league in clutch time games played with 37.

“We expect a lot out of Nikola,” Malone said. “And he delivers 99 out of 100 nights at a high level.”