Jokic finally returns to action, but NBA Cup dreams dead for Nuggets

It was a sight for sore Nuggets fans’ eyes on Friday night as Nikola Jokic was finally back on the court. The MVP had missed the team’s previous three games to be with his family for the birth of his son.

Denver went 1-2 without the Joker, losing in New Orleans and Memphis in uninspiring fashion before bouncing back in the second game of the miniseries to beat the Grizzlies. All things considered, the road trip without Jokic could have gone worse. 

The first two games were ugly, but they seemed to figure some things out, and played impressive two-way basketball in the victory in Memphis. The vibes were mostly positive as the team returned home, and they were through the roof once it was announced that Jokic was back in Ball Arena.

Jokic’s return not enough to beat Luka-less Mavericks

And Ball Arena was bumping as Jokic returned to his usual self on Friday night against the Mavericks. In fact, it was Dallas that was playing without their top player as Luka Doncic missed the game with an injury.

Yet, the Nuggets came out flat and got down by 24 points in the first half. The Nuggets rallied back after the break and had a great chance to pull off a massive comeback victory, but they ultimately fell short, 123-120.

The good news is that Jokic picked up right where he left off, scoring 33 points to go along with 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Hopefully, the Nuggets learned some things about playing without Jokic that can be applied now that he is back; we certainly saw a great version of the Nuggets in the second half.

Nuggets all but eliminated from NBA Cup

If there’s any bad news from this loss it’s that it essentially eliminates the Nuggets from NBA Cup contention. They are now 1-2 in their group with the loss, making it impossible for them to catch the 3-0, group-leading Warriors.

There is a nonzero chance that the Nuggets squeak into the knockout round as a wild card but that’s an extreme longshot, it’s not even worth entertaining the thought. For all intents and purposes, the Nuggets’ 2024 NBA Cup campaign is over. Better luck next year. But better times are ahead with Jokic back in the lineup.