Jokic, starters rest while young Nuggets bench enjoys recess in romp
Feb 11, 2021, 7:13 AM
Nikola Jokic has been the Nuggets’ alpha dog and driving force all season. He’s needed help lately, and he found it on Wednesday — in both his teammates and in an overwhelmed opponent. The Cleveland Cavaliers, missing both Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova to injuries, had no answer for the Nuggets’ onslaught as a 17-point lead after the first quarter ballooned to 42 at one point before finishing as a 38-point romp for Denver.
After riding Michael Porter, Jr. a little hard after his recent, underwhelming performances, coach Michael Malone gave the 22-year-old credit after Wednesday’s game, noting that Porter played a “complete game.” Indeed, his early defensive efforts were noticeable, and he was rewarded with offensive opportunities came as the game went along.
As the Nuggets’ started putting the game to bed in the third quarter, Jokic clearly looked to Porter on nearly every possession, using the opportunity in a laugher to manufacture some chemistry and rhythm between Porter and the rest of the more experienced starters. Jokic finished with a dozen assists, while Porter had an efficient 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
With five other teammates in double-figures, Jokic spent the fourth quarter on the sideline, taking in the Nuggets’ young, athletic bench as players like Zeke Nnaji and R.J. Hampton proved that they deserved more minutes on a deep team that happily snapped their three-game losing streak.
“You can talk about it and talk about it, but sometimes you need to be about it,” coach Michael Malone explained.
On this night, at least, the Nuggets were all about it.
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NEXT UP: Nuggets (13-11) vs. Thunder (10-14) | Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m.
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TEAM NOTES
• By using Jamal Murray in the post, coach Michael Malone created a peculiar, inverted offense that bamboozled the Cavaliers early. Cleveland, who started big men Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen together in an effort to limit Nikola Jokic, weren’t athletic enough to get out to the Nuggets’ three-point shooters with any regularity. The Nuggets shot 44.4 percent (16-for-36) from behind the arc on Wednesday, making the concept an intriguing one against bigger teams going forward.
• The Nuggets’ easy win meant that many of their overtaxed starters had an opportunity to rest a bit. Nikola Jokic led the team with 30 minutes on the court, the fewest he’s had since Jan. 19 against the Thunder — which was also the last time Jamal Murray had fewer than the 25 he had on Wednesday.
• The Nuggets’ bench contributed 56 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, six blocks and five steals on Wednesday. Not one Nuggets player was negative in the plus-minus column.
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PLAYER NOTES
• Paul Millsap’s 22 points — on 7-for-8 shooting — matched his season high. Millsap, who turned 36 on Wednesday, was serenaded to the tune of “Happy Birthday” by the Nuggets’ rookies prior to the game. Coincidentally, Millsap also scored 22 points last year, on his 35th.
• Zeke Nnaji set a career high by scoring 14 points in 19 minutes, while going 4-for-6 on threes. The 6-9 rookie out of Arizona looked more than a little reminiscent of Paul Millsap, functioning as a ‘stretch four’ as the Nuggets ran away with the game.
• Markus Howard doesn’t get a lot of play time, but he tries to make the most of it — maybe too much. Howard, the NCAA’s scoring leader last season, fired up five mostly ill-advised shots in only six minutes of play. He made only one, and looked out of place playing iso-ball on a Nuggets team that thrives on ball movement.
• R.J. Hampton continues to make waves, and during Wednesday’s game, his soaring, tomahawk jam over two Cavs defenders had his teammates jumping out of their seats, and made highlight reels across the nation. Hampton, who contributed nine points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in only 19 minutes, was electric. His well-rounded performance was nevertheless overshadowed by his remarkable speed and stunning athleticism. Coach Michael Malone will keep carving out more playtime for the 20-year-old talent.
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THE FINAL WORD
“We have a goal we’re trying to reach. They just happened to be out there tonight. We weren’t trying to come out and embarrass them.” — Paul Millsap, on the Nuggets’ 38-point win over the Cavs.
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INJURY WATCH
• Vlatko Cancar (right ankle sprain) missed the Feb. 10 game and is day-to-day.
• Gary Harris (left thigh strain) left the Jan. 31 game and did not return. He is day-to-day.
• P.J. Dozier (right hamstring strain) has been out since Jan. 26. He is day-to-day.
• Greg Whittington (left knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 19 and was expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
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ROTATION (MINUTES)
Starters:
G Jamal Murray (25)
F Will Barton (27)
F Michael Porter, Jr. (28)
F Paul Millsap (27)
C Nikola Jokic (30)
Bench:
G Monte Morris (20)
G R.J. Hampton (19)
F-C Zeke Nnaji (19)
F-C JaMychal Green (14)
G Facundo Campazzo (13)
C-F Isaiah Hartenstein (8)
C-F Bol Bol (6)
G Markus Howard (6)
F Vlatko Cancar (DNP-CD)
