Barton carries team
Forward scores 30 while Jokic serves one-game suspension
No MVP? No problem.
The Nuggets, with Nikola Jokic serving a one-game suspension, earned their first three-game winning streak of the season Wednesday night with a 101-98 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Denver improves to 7-4 ahead of Friday’s home test against the Atlanta Hawks.
Will Barton carried the Nuggets in Jokic’s absence with a gamehigh 30 points. Denver also received strong bench scoring contributions from rookie Bones Hyland (12) and second-year forward Zeke Nnaji (19).
The Pacers trailed 96-94 with 53 seconds left in regulation. Nuggets forward Jeff Green was called for a shooting foul on Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis. But Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged the call and it was overturned upon review. Denver won the ensuing jump ball and escaped with a victory.
The Nuggets were up 69-65 entering the fourth quarter and clung to a narrow advantage until the final buzzer. Barton put the game away with a flurry of 3pointers — 6-of-9 on the night — including a trio of makes from deep late in the fourth quarter.
“Will Barton is playing at the highest level I’ve ever seen him play at,” Malone said. “He’s shooting into a very big basket. He’s living for the moment. He’s defending. He’s just all-around playing at such a high level. I’m so happy for him because the last two years we haven’t seen that Will Barton because of injuries.
“A helluva win.”
The Nuggets led for the majority of a low-scoring first half but were tied with Indiana, 44-44, entering the break. Barton and Monte Morris provided the bulk of Denver’s early scoring with 10 points each.
Nnaji initially entered the game with 4:23 left in the first quarter as Denver’s first big man off the bench. He provided instant offense, especially in a two-man game with Hyland. Nnaji finished multiple thunderous dunks through contact. Hyland added a pair of 3s before halftime.
“It was really interesting watching Bones and Zeke in that first half,” Malone said. “Their oncourt chemistry and synergy was
really exciting.”
Jamychal Green replaced Jokic as the Nuggets’ starting center on Wednesday night and he struggled to produce with as many turnovers as points (two). But Malone called Green the “defensive player of the game.” Injured Nuggets starter Michael Porter Jr. missed a second consecutive game with lower-back soreness. There is no specific timetable for his return.