The Nuggets needed a win on Saturday night, and their superstar, Nikola Jokic, came through in a big way. He was perfect from the field, shooting 5-5 on two-point shots and 2-2 on three-point shots, missing a truly perfect game by one free throw as he finished 10-11 from the stripe. The final line for the Joker was 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists with Denver securing the 130-112 victory in Phoenix.
It seems like every time we think we’ve seen the best of Jokic, he finds a way to elevate his game to another level. This time, it was just a masterclass in efficiency, as Jokic missed only one of 18 total shot attempts between field goals and free throws.
Denver had been struggling, losing three straight home games, including blowing an 18-point second-half lead to the shorthanded Spurs on Friday night. They needed a bounce back in a tough road spot in Phoenix the next night, and Jokic helped carry the mail against a pesky Suns squad.
Nuggets getting important contributions from role players
As great as Jokic was on Saturday night, he was able to be so efficient in part, thanks to his teammates stepping up to the occasion. Tim Hardaway Jr. was great, scoring a big 23 points off the bench, including seven much-needed threes.
Bruce Brown also filled the backup point guard role beautifully, dishing out 10 assists for the Nuggets one night after a game full of disastrous turnovers against San Antonio. Spencer Jones pitched in 16 points and 9 rebounds along with his typically stout defense.
Add in 26 points from Jamal Murray and 11 from Peyton Watson, and you can see why Jokic was able to pick his spots and limit himself to just seven field goal attempts on a night when the Nuggets put up 130 points.
This is what the Nuggets had in mind when they went out and bolstered the depth in the offseason. Even without Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon in the lineup, we saw several of the complementary pieces rising to the occasion and putting up strong performances.
They need this on a nightly basis, not necessarily from the same guys, but they should have enough quality players to keep finding it. THJ isn’t going to score 20 points a game, but he can do it once in a while.
Bruce Brown isn’t going to have 10 assists a night, but he can create offense consistently off the bench. The more that Denver sees this kind of production, the better the team will look, and the better the stars will be able to perform. Let’s hope it keeps rolling.