The Nuggets were dealt an almost unwinnable hand by the NBA as they were forced to play in Phoenix on Tuesday night in a game that went into early Wednesday morning, only to turn around and fly home to face the Mavericks not even 24 hours later.
But despite what looked like a scheduled loss, the Nuggets pulled out a second straight win over Dallas, dropping 142 points with Jamal Murray just missing his career high of 55, putting up 53 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 19/28 shooting and 9/14 three-point shooting.
And somehow, that wasn’t even the most impressive stat line as Nikola Jokic finished with 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists, narrowly missing his second-ever 20/20/20 game, which would have been just the fourth one in NBA history.
Overall, it was hardly a masterpiece from Denver, and they still allowed the tanking Mavs to hang around until the closing minutes, eking out the 142-135 victory. The defense still has more holes than Swiss cheese, and something just doesn’t quite look right in crunch time. And yet, this game felt like a reminder to the rest of the league of just how scary this team can be in the playoffs.
Year from hell could still end in a title
Everything that could go wrong basically has this season for the Nuggets, and it feels like we still have yet to see this team find a rhythm at full strength. And maybe we never will. But if we do, then look out, because Wednesday night, Jokic and Murray proved just how deadly and unstoppable they can be in tandem.
Nobody in the league can guard this two-man game, and when they get Peyton Watson back up to speed (he had 21/4/3 off the bench) and the starters get some time playing together, the sky is still the limit for them in a playoff setting.
There won’t be any more back-to-backs, nobody will be load-managing any games, and the team should be locked in for every possession on both ends of the floor. If David Adelman can find the right mix of players and push the right buttons with his rotations, and if he can get them to buy in and play at least average-level defense, they have the firepower to outscore every team in the league this season, and possibly ever.
We’ve never seen an offensive weapon like this two-man game, and this without their third banana, AG, even in the lineup. They are still clearly behind the Thunder and Spurs, and maybe even the Lakers, as West favorites, but they have the most unstoppable offense in the league and a proven championship pedigree.
If they are able to get hot and everything finally falls into place in the coming weeks, the rest of the league better look out for this juggernaut hiding in plain sight.