Surprising Nuggets leading the West
DENVER — The topic: Denver leading the National Basketball Association’s Western Conference and whether teams are starting to take the Nuggets more seriously.
The look from Nikola Jokic: Nearly expressionless. The Joker doesn’t jest about this subject.
“I don’t really care,” Jokic said. “Because we know that we’re good.”
Denver is missing three starters and still boasts a percentage-points lead over Golden State in the conference standings. The Nuggets have swagger, confidence and Jokic, the big Serbian centre/forward/guard who’s blossoming into one of the league’s most hard-to-defend players.
“A lot of people just think we are on a hot run right now,” said forward Torrey Craig, whose team has won 10 of 12 heading into Tuesday’s game against Dallas. “They don’t really believe in us. But I think we have started to open a lot of eyes.”
Grind it out? They can do that. They’ve already held 13 teams to under 100 points this season. Score it out? The Nuggets can play that game, too. They’re averaging around 109 points this season.
“We can win 130-128 but I think our guys have bought in to the fact we are a defensive team,” coach Michael Malone said.
Malone had one of the best sound bites of the season after a home win over the L.A. Lakers. There was a strong contingent of Lakers fans at Pepsi Center — just like when Golden State and Boston were in town.
“As long as their fans go home disappointed, that’s all I care about,” Malone said. “So the Warriors fans can come in here, the Celtics fans can come in here, the Lakers fans can come in here, but take that ‘L’ on the way out.”
The last part ended up on a T-shirt. Just a sign of the feistiness of his team. Point guard Jamal Murray, from Kitchener, has also demonstrated that.
Like when he had 48 points against the Celtics on Nov. 5. Trying to reach 50, he shot a longrange jumper at the buzzer with the game decided. Kyrie Irving took exception and heaved the ball into the stands.
Over the weekend, Murray and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook got into a shoving match when the two were jostling for positioning on a jump ball.