UNSTOPPABLE JOKIC HAS 47; NUGGETS BEAT JAZZ
DRs career-tying day and Denver’s 3-point shooting halt Utah’s 11-game winning streak
The Nuggets can't help themselves. They've got a thing for crushing the souls of the Utah Jazz In the wake of las season's historic 3-1 playoff comeback against Utah, the Nuggets authored another compelling chapter Sunday afternoon against the hottest team in the NBA.
Nikola Jokic tied a career-high with 47 points as the Nuggets snapped Utah’s 11-game winning streak with a 128-117 win. Now 12-8, the Nuggets have a quick turnaround ahead of Monday’s matchup against Detroit.
With 1:39 remaining and Jokic’s masterpiece all but complete, Nuggets coach Michael Malone called a timeout which meant Jokic wasn’t going to get his chance at 50 points. Jamal Murray playfully threw the ball in Malone’s direction letting him know how he felt about the decision.
“I love the fact that he’s even thinking about that, trying to get his teammate to 50,” Malone said, adding he was oblivious to the scoring landmark. “Last time Jamal scored 48, somebody else chucked the ball.”
Murray finished with 16 points, while wing Will Barton added 18 and five 3-pointers. Barton and Jokic led the 3-point onslaught that, at one point helped the Nuggets build a 28-point lead. In addition to his career scoring night, Jokic added 12 rebounds and five assists.
“Hopefully I’m gonna score when we need it,” Jokic said. “Today, we didn’t need it. … I think the main thing is just
to win the game. I’m gonna score however much I need to just to win the game.”
But once Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert made their run, it was JaMychal Green and Facu Campazzo who helped seal the win in the fourth, where all nine of Green’s points came.
“It was a great win for us,” Green said. “Feel like we’ve been stepping it up the last few games.”
The Nuggets appeared in complete command early in the third quarter, well on their way to a seismic win, both in significance and margin. But after taking an 86-58 lead with 8:11 left, they took their foot off the gas. The ball stopped moving on offense, and their defensive urgency around the perimeter dropped substantially.
“I always tell our guys, ‘Don’t get bored with success,’ ” Malone said.
The Jazz buried eight 3-pointers to close the quarter, which stole momentum and elicited numerous long stares from Denver’s bench. Denver’s droughts have tended to come off little offensive movement, which makes guarding them significantly easier. The Nuggets lost a significant factor in both facets when Gary Harris suffered a left adductor strain in the first half and was out the rest of the game.
Naturally, the Nuggets turned to their workhorse to get them out of the funk.
Jokic had 10 points in the quarter alone, including six free throws, but the Jazz made it a game. Denver led just 103-91 heading into the fourth quarter following Utah’s 37-point eruption.
The Nuggets had every reason to be wary heading into Sunday’s early afternoon game. Not only had they just finished their longest road trip of the season, but the Jazz were riding a historic 3-point surge. Entering Sunday, the Jazz had hit more 3-pointers (319) through 19 games than any team in NBA history.
“The number of shooters they have on the floor at all times is scary,” Malone said.
To say the Nuggets were in rhythm throughout the first half Sunday would be a severe understatement. The Nuggets didn’t miss a 3-pointer until the second quarter started. By the time the Nuggets finally trotted into halftime with a resounding 79-54 lead six different players had hit from outside. Led by five triples from Barton and four from Jokic, the Nuggets buried 15-of-17 3-pointers in the first half for a casual 88% from outside.