Nuggets are destined for a championship with or without Bones Hyland
Feb 8, 2023, 6:47 AM
“I heard one of the coaches saying to one of our young players as he was walking off the court, ‘Don’t get used to this stuff (sic,) this is an amazing year, All-Star game, three-time MVP, the best record in the west by five games. So, you never take it for granted, but you never get satisfied…I feel really fortunate to coach such a special group,” proudly stated Nuggets head coach Michael Malone after a 146-112 blitzkrieg of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The Wolves trashed a Nuggets JV squad on Sunday night winning by 30 points as Denver rested starters Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.
Michael Porter Jr., the lone starter who played against the Wolves two nights before, said that it wasn’t that the players weren’t of high quality, it was just they weren’t used to playing with each other and agreed that this beatdown of the Wolves was the real team. Coach Malone was quick to point out the difference in the Nuggets playing the Wolves without having to face them on a back-to-back. The demolition at Ball Arena was the first of four times this year in which the Nuggets were able to have some rest before facing their northwest rival. Their season high in points came with some fun caveats.
.@DenverSportsCom Jokic leads the way with a first half triple double. Was this it for Bones? MPJ rises for 30. LeBron breaks a record and loses while the best team in the west gets revenge. Game recap pic.twitter.com/jeef0Sh26B
— Darren McKee (@DMacRadio) February 8, 2023
Jamal Murray was resting his not-surgical knee. He didn’t play. It didn’t matter.
Bones Hyland sat for his fourth-straight game. The organization is trying to trade him and doesn’t want to risk injury. It didn’t matter.
Ish Smith was quick off the bench to replace Bruce Brown early in the first as an ankle turn forced Brown, who was starting to replace Murray, to the locker room. It didn’t matter.
Whatever situation the Nuggets seem to be in it just doesn’t matter. Their chemistry is world-class.
Malone said they are a more talkative bunch. They support and believe in each other. They often eliminate teams in the first quarter.
It was slightly embarrassing to lose by 30 to the Wolves two nights before. But can you imagine how the Wolves felt being down by 30….at the end of the first quarter?
The Nuggets went on a 32-2 run. Michael Porter Jr. had 19 first-quarter points. Nikola Jokic had a triple-double…at the end of the first half! After 12 minutes, when the Nuggets led 49-19, fans could’ve packed their stuff up and headed home. The game was a wrap as the Nuggets set a record for point differential in any quarter in franchise history, tying for second-most points scored in the first quarter in team history.
The 146 points Denver laid on were the most points they scored all season. Did I mention they did all this without Murray? You know, the All-Star-worthy guard who put up a season-best 41 points the last time he laced up his shoes.
And yet at the end of the game, there was a palpable, bittersweet feeling held by Porter Jr. who was coming off his best game of the season. He has had good friends leave the team before and it feels like saying goodbye to Bones will be rough too.
“It’s really heartbreaking for me to see him leave just because he’s such a good player and we’ve had such a good connection since he got here,” Porter sighed and soulfully said about the possible departure of his good friend Hyland. “Seeing the shots, he shoots and the shots I shoot, we just have a mutual appreciation for each other. He’s just a really good dude. If it doesn’t work out here, I know we are gonna be looking back like ‘Dang.'”
Jokic was asked how he felt about Bones and the trade deadline. The two-time, soon-to-be three-time MVP said, “no Comment.”
Jokic wasn’t angry or upset by the question, he just sees things differently.
What may seem a bit cold, is really just the reality that these players exist in.
Jokic was seen hugging and goofing around with Bones on the bench late in the game. He has a deep appreciation for the young guard. What Jokic is focused on is winning a championship beyond everything else. The fact that a sensitive star like Porter is so thoughtfully able to reflect on Bones is balanced by Jokic’s steely-eyed focus on the main prize, an NBA championship. These are the moments when you know you are watching something special.
Whether Bones stays or Bones goes, it truly doesn’t matter. At the end of the game, Hyland spent time greeting a few friends from the Wolves. He said his goodbyes and bounded off the court, dashing through the tunnel to the locker room without pausing for a second to say goodbye to a Nuggets crowd that in his short time in Denver, he often captivated with his brilliant play and energy. The truth is the team won’t miss a beat. They absolutely don’t need to add anybody. If Bones stayed, he absolutely wouldn’t be a distraction. But they hardly need him.
We have hit a bizarre period in Nuggets’ history. They are brilliant and can win in a myriad of ways that are equally confounding and awe-inspiring. The trade deadline is Thursday afternoon. The Nuggets will be venturing on a three-game east coast road trip when the ultimate decision on Bones needs to be made. One way or another, it truly doesn’t matter. The Nuggets are headed for a championship, and nothing is going to slow them down.
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