Jokic casually earns his 10th triple-double of the season as Nuggets cruise

It all seemed so effortless. In only 29 minutes on the floor Wednesday, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic poured in 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and collected 10 assists for yet another triple-double – this one his 10th of the season and the 51st of his career – as the Nuggets looked as if they were on cruise control the entire night in a shockingly easy, 129-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

“Regardless of who we play, we know that we have an MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic, and we’re going to play through him,” head coach Michael Malone explained after the game. “If they’re going to play him straight-up, you know Nikola can score. If they’re going to double-team Nikola, we know he’s going to make the right play, find the open guy.”

As if to make a bigger statement, Jokic set the franchise record for double-doubles in style, too — logging his 228th of his six-season Nuggets career, passing Dikembe Mutombo after tying the legendary shot-blocker only two days prior.

“Everybody knows ‘Joker’ is going to do what he does every single night. He can do it all,” said Michael Porter Jr., who led the team on Wednesday with 28 points and 13 rebounds. “If he wants to score 30 points, he can score 30 every single night. But he makes sure we get involved and we find our rhythm — and that’s what great players do.”

With the Nuggets enjoying what ballooned to a 34-point lead, Jokic, Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray all departed after playing 29 minutes, ceding the spotlight to an increasingly effective teammate.

Twenty-nine-year-old Argentine rookie Facundo Campazzo, whose clever passes occasionally rival Jokic himself, handed out 10 helpers for the first double-digit assist game of his NBA career before explaining how his playing style has continued to mesh with his teammates. “I think I love more playing with them than they love playing with me.”

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NEXT UP: Nuggets (23-16) vs. Bulls (18-21) | Friday, Mar. 19 at 7:00 p.m.

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TEAM NOTES

• Monte Morris may return from his quadriceps injury as soon as next week, and when he does, head coach Michael Malone said that he’ll be back in the starting lineup. Paul Millsap will move to the bench while Michael Porter Jr. goes back to the “four;” an idea endorsed by Millsap, of which Malone said, “I don’t take it for granted.”

• The Nuggets have won seven of their last eight games and climbed to within one game of the L.A. Clippers, who currently hold the fourth seed in the Western Conference. As the hottest team in the West, however, Denver can reasonably set their sights higher; they’re only three games out of the second seed.

• The Nuggets are in the league’s top five teams in scoring (fifth, 115.7), field goal percentage (third, 48.7) and point differential (fifth, plus-5.4). In their win over the Hornets Wednesday, Denver scored 129 points, shot 57.8 percent from the field, and outscored Charlotte by 25 — all of which would easily lead the league in each category.

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PLAYER NOTES

• Michael Porter Jr. continued his red-hot play, scoring 28 points and collecting 13 rebounds to lead the team in both categories, while playing only 29 minutes in Wednesday’s blowout. After shooting an efficient 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) against the Hornets, Porter Jr. is now averaging a double-double in March (20.6 points/10.1 rebounds) while shooting an extraordinary 63.2 percent from the field. Even better? Head coach Michael Malone raved about Porter’s defense on Charlotte’s Gordon Hayward after the game.

• Will Barton is averaging only 12.7 points per game on the season, but after scoring 23 on Wednesday, he’s had 20 or more points in each of the Nuggets’ last four games.

• R.J. Hampton, who hasn’t played since Feb. 27, is expected to rejoin the team this week, once he clears the league’s COVID-19 health protocol. “It seems like R.J. Hampton has been gone forever,” said head coach Michael Malone. “It’ll be really good to get R.J. Hampton back in the next day or so just to have another healthy, active body that we can use.” Prior to his illness, the rookie was earning Malone’s trust — and more minutes. The Nuggets are already missing Monte Morris and Gary Harris to injury, and need another guard; it may be an opportunity for Hampton to carve out immediate minutes upon his return.

• Bol Bol may have only played for five minutes in Wednesday’s game, but on back-to-back possessions, he nimbly dribbled through the Hornets’ confused defense for an easy, two-handed dunk, and then blocked a shot by Charlotte forward Jalen McDaniels only moments later as the Nuggets’ bench exploded in excitement.

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THE FINAL WORD

“And now I can go home and celebrate with a pint of Guinness. Or two.” — Head coach Michael Malone, following the Nuggets’ 129-104 demolition of the Hornets on St. Patrick’s Day.

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INJURY WATCH

• Gary Harris (left adductor strain) sat out the Feb. 21 game and is expected to miss more time. On Mar. 17, coach Michael Malone said that Harris was out for the “foreseeable future.”
• Monte Morris (quadriceps) missed the Mar. 13 game and is considered day-to-day.
• R.J. Hampton (COVID-19 protocol) missed the Mar. 1 game and is expected to return sometime before the month ends.

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ROTATION (MINUTES)

Starters:
G Jamal Murray (29)
F-G Will Barton (33)
F Michael Porter Jr. (29)
F Paul Millsap (20)
C Nikola Jokic (29)

Bench:
G Facundo Campazzo (25)
G-F P.J. Dozier (22)
F Zeke Nnaji (19)
F JaMychal Green (12)
F Vlatko Cancar (7)
G Markus Howard (6)
C-F Bol Bol (5)
C-F Isaiah Hartenstein (4)
F Greg Whittington (DNP-CD)

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