The Nuggets have been on a heater of late, winners of six in a row, and they'll finish March with a 7-3 record in 10 clutch games. They've hit their groove despite some porous defense, but as long as the Nuggets have the league's most dangerous two-man game in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, they remain a scary team to see in the playoffs.
That's the summation of Zach Lowe and Bill Simmons on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." Lowe said, "I just know what those two dudes can do together," Lowe said, referring to Jokic and Murray as "the best two-man game in the league."
The podcasters aren't the first to bestow such an accolade on the Nuggets All-Star duo. Rich Paul called Jokic and Murray "generational," as he couldn't wrap his head around how many assists the duo has to each other. Murray to Jokic ranks first, and Jokic to Murray ranks fourth this season.
The podcasters both picked the Nuggets as their third favorite behind the Thunder and the Spurs for the scariest team to see in the playoffs because of the pair, despite the lackluster defense the Nuggets played against the Utah Jazz.
The Nuggets allowed a bunch of points in the paint against the Jazz
Lowe and Simmons both chuckled ironically when they picked the Nuggets as the third most scary, because they just saw the Nuggets give up 84 points in the paint to the taking Utah Jazz in a game they nearly gave away. It was the most points allowed in the paint by the Nuggets since the 1996-97 season.
It was a layup drill, and the Nuggets lacked a physical presence to stop the Jazz. Defense is going to be poor, and even Lowe admitted the Nuggets probably won't be a top 10 defense, but they've got to at least step up some.
And against the Warriors, at least in the second half, the Nuggets looked much better than they have in the other five games of their winning streak. They held the Warriors to just 40 second-half points. The Nuggets can play defense. The problem is playing it consistently.
Murray and Jokic have been having amazing runs
Murray's fresh off a 53-point explosion against the Mavericks, and he's averaging a career-high 25.5 points per game to accompany a career-high 7.2 assists per game. And he's shooting at career-best levels as well.
And the Joker had a two-game stretch that nobody in the history of the NBA has had. Against the Suns, Jokic went for 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 17 assists. He followed it up the next night with 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists. He's still the MVP for the Nuggets.
The All-Star duo is the Nuggets' biggest strength. Their two-man game is unmatched in today's game, and if they can just get a stop or two on defense, they can absolutely be a scary team in the playoffs.