Jokic, Nuggets crush Thunder
Denver pulls back to .500 ahead of upcoming road trip
DENVER — As the Nuggets prepared for their longest road trip of the first half of the season, they got the sendoff they needed Tuesday night against the Thunder.
Behind yet another special performance from Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets pounded the Thunder 119-101 at Ball Arena and improved to 7-7 on the season. Their next game, Friday at Phoenix, marks the star t of a grueling five-game, nine-day trip.
But at least Tuesday, they could bask in a convincing victor y and one they didn’t have to sweat out. Jokic’s 27-point, 12-rebound, six-assist night lifted Denver as his star counterpart, Jamal Murray, struggled against suffocating defense. Murray managed just five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
But what separated the Nuggets was their unselfishness. Every starter had at least three assists, and Monte Morris added five of f the bench. Their ball movement kept the Thunder defense on a swivel,
which led to a marked advantage inside. Denver dominated the paint with a 62-44 edge.
Already in control, their third quarter Tuesday was one of their most all-encompassing efforts of the season. Denver crashed the glass, swarmed on defense and played unselfish basketball on the other end. Meanwhile, Jokic kept wiping the floor with whichever center the Thunder tried on him.
Neither Mike Muscala nor Isaiah Roby stood a chance against Jokic, whose flurry of post moves bewildered the defense. In one instance, Jokic cr uised coast-to-coast for an uncontested layup.
And like the Nuggets did against the Jazz in Sunday’s loss, they pummeled the offensive glass. On Tuesday, they capitalized on those chances. Their 32-3 advantage on secondchance points was perhaps the most glaring stat of the night.
No play was more indicative than when Paul Millsap, surrounded by four Thunder players, managed the rebound and put-back. He finished the night with 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Nuggets stretched their lead to 97-74 heading into the four th.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t outright admit that the Thunder’s success with a three-guard lineup last year influenced Denver’s decision to try it this season, but he came close. That lineup, built around Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-alexander, was devastating in their dynamic
offensive approach.
“Yes, OKC, Dallas in the past, with guys like J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, Yogi Ferrell,” Malone said. “So when we made the decision to bring a guy like Facu (Campazzo) over, knowing we had Monte (Morris) and P.J. (Dozier), we had a long, hard conversation about that. ‘If we don’t think we can play this way, let’s not do it. If we think we can play that way, then it’s worth trying.’
Jazz 118, Pelicans 102
Donovan Mitchell had 28 points and seven rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans for their sixth straight victor y.
Mitchell also made four of Utah’s 21 3-pointers. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and reser ve Joe Ingles scored 15 points. Rudy Gober t had 13 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks.
Zion Williamson scored 32 points for New Orleans.