Players’ thoughts never far from terrible news

Sunday was a day unlike any other for the Nuggets and Rockets inside Pepsi Center.

Less than two hours before they were set to tip, news of Kobe Bryant’s death knocked the wind out of both teams. Players went through the motions, fulfilling a job requirement more than playing the game they love. They all looked foggy and dazed. Who could blame them?

Bryant was a luminary in NBA history, and many of the players, aside from being huge fans of his, had personal relationships with him. Bryant’s roots ran deep inside the Nuggets’ locker room.

Talking with Michael Porter Jr. after the game, the rookie’s thoughts went directly to Bryant’s daughter, “Gigi,” as Porter called her. Gianna was on the helicopter as well.

Somehow, after an emotional and unenthusiastic first half, the Nuggets cobbled together enough strong performances to win.

Jokic’s steadying force. Nikola Jokic’s ninth triple-double of the season (he’s now third in the NBA behind LeBron James and Luka Doncic) shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Sunday’s was even more important than usual because of the haze some of his teammates were shrouded in. While Will Barton, Gary Harris and Malik Beasley all had quiet first halves, Jokic was busy closing in on his triple-double. After the first two quarters, Jokic had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He had four assists to Jerami Grant alone, including the assist on all three of Grant’s 3-pointers.

“I think Nikola, definitely, after somewhat of a slow, unenthusiastic start kind of kept us afloat,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “And then guys off the bench, like Michael and Monte (Morris), came in and had a huge impact as well.”

Two game-changers. Still without starters Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap, the Nuggets got massive games from Porter and Morris in their absences. Porter had 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench. He also drilled four 3-pointers. Since Jan. 1, he’s shooting nearly 49% from 3point range on 3.3 attempts per game.

The Nuggets were clinging to a 94-93 lead with 9:11 left in the fourth quarter when Porter and Morris combined on arguably the biggest sequence of the game. Morris came down in transition with Porter trailing on his left. Porter had a wide-open 3-point attempt, but Morris delayed in giving him ball. After finally dumping it to him, Porter was about to rise up, but as he drew a defender, he kicked it back to Morris. Denver’s backup point guard drained the 3, and the Nuggets bought themselves some breathing room.

After the game, with a moment to reflect, Morris elaborated on the impact Bryant had on him.

“He just strived for greatness,” Morris said. “He didn’t really care if people liked him. That’s hard to do for any individual playing this game. He demanded excellence. … He would spend like 10 hours, 11 hours at the gym on game days. … Today, I tried to go out there and play for him.”

Morris finished with 17 points, three 3-pointers and seven rebounds. Even more interesting, Gary Harris, who’s been limited after returning two games ago from his adductor strain, was supposed to check in during crunch time.

“Gary’s on a minutes restriction right now, and it’s really frustrating him because he’s in and he’s out,” Malone said. “I went to get him back in the game late for Monte and he said, ‘Coach, leave Monte in. He’s playing great.’ I love that.”