Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets needed a bounce-back game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and they delivered in the Nuggets' 104-91 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The energy that fans wanted to see, which was missing in the prior games, returned. And one big change from Joker was finally ditching the three-point shot that's eluded him this season, and he looked so much better for it.
Jokic recorded his 200th triple-double, and the 16th of his career against the Pelicans, the most he's had against any team (hat tip to the broadcast for that one). He tallied 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting, all two-point attempts, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was great to see Jokic get more active on the boards as well after snagging only 7 in the last game out.
Jokic ditched the three-point shot and looked great
You can't sugarcoat it. Jokic has been a bad three-point shooter since he returned from the knee injury that kept him out for 16 games last year. Including the playoffs, Jokic is shooting an abysmal 28.5% from beyond the arc since then. His three-point shot literally started to become a liability for the Nuggets' offense.
But by ditching it and patrolling the paint, Jokic took that liability out of the equation. In fact, 7 of his 8 field goals were in the paint. That part of the game looked more like vintage Jokic. He was able to draw a few fouls on the defenders who were having a tough time with him, and he hit all five of his free-throw attempts.
It felt like fewer wasted possessions for the Nuggets. Jokic knows that if his shot isn't falling, he doesn't need to keep firing up bricks, and he stuck to it. However, it was a little surprising to see him wearing the sleeve on his right arm, and maybe that's why he didn't attempt a shot from outside the mid-range?
Jokic needs to keep his game close for now
Clearly, Jokic is just fine in the paint and the mid-range. He's now up to 56% from two, still short of his career 61.3%, but moving in the right direction after a slower start to the season. It's his bread and butter, and he needs to keep the short game his primary focus.
Jokic's passing was on point on the interior as well, and he found rookie second-round pick Trevon Brazile a few times. Jokic pulled the defenders off, and Brazile moved into the open space for easy finishes at the rim.
All in all, it was a great showing, and for now, Jokic just needs to keep ditching the three until it falls more consistently.
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