Assists, defense and Millsap’s hot hand behind four-game win streak
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Ever since Denver coach Michael Malone called his team out with a brief, terse, postgame news conference after they had been embarrassed at Golden State, the Nuggets (47-22) haven’t lost.
That’s four consecutive wins, two clutch, game-sealing buckets and one drenched visiting locker room after the Nuggets clinched their first postseason berth of the Malone era Monday night at Boston. They’ll try for five in a row Thursday night against the Washington Wizards.
Before he had even had time to process the pain induced by the Warriors a week and a half ago, Malone was already lamenting the selfish play he had just watched. The Nuggets got a timely break before their next game — a 133-107 shellacking of lowly Minnesota — and the streak was on. With 13 games and one of the most demanding schedules left, Denver needs all the wins it can gobble up while trying to fend off Houston for the No. 2 seed.
There are plenty of telling statistics when looking at a small, four-game sample size, but these three jump out.
30.8: That’s the number of assists the Nuggets have averaged, the third-highest mark in the NBA over that span. Every regular rotation player outside of Malik Beasley is averaging at least two per game. The fact that their two big men, Nikola Jokic (6.8 assists) and Mason Plumlee (4.8), sit atop their passing stats in this stretch reveals a window into how Denver’s offense functions. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris can operate just as well when playing off the ball.
37.8: The percent of shots Denver’s opponents have made in the fourth quarter during the streak, the sixth-lowest percentage in the league. The Nuggets are plus-28 in the last four fourth quarters. That’s skewed by the 10 points they gave up to the Mavericks
during their riveting comeback last Thursday, but they also outscored Boston 34-25 in the final period as they pulled away with a parade of 3-pointers. Malone’s rotations are shortening, and that means he’s leaning on his “plus” defenders in crunch time. Torrey Craig, who will be a factor in the playoffs, played more than Jokic in the final quarter at Boston. It’s also impossible to ignore the value point guard Monte Morris brings on both ends.
20.8: That number represents Paul Millsap’s team-high scoring average during the stretch. He’s also the No. 2 leading rebounder in the league at 9.3 boards per game through the streak. Any referendum on how valuable Millsap has been to this team could be seen in Saturday’s game against Indiana. After Jokic had been ejected for arguing with an official, the Nuggets continually turned to Millsap for a basket. He had five points in the two-plus minutes Jokic was out, including the bruising, game-winning layup.
Plagued by injuries much of the past two seasons, Millsap said he feels rejuvenated.
“I feel good, body feels great,” Millsap said. “I’m in a good mind space.”
Added Malone: “With him, I think it’s always healthy. … I think a big part of Paul’s rise lately has been him, one, being healthy, and myself doing a good job of trying to limit how much we’re asking guys to do. Practice, shootaround, understanding what time of the year it is.”