Jokic’s last-second “block” seals two-point win for Nuggets

In the box score, it was a block. In actuality, it wasn’t. But in the final moments of the Nuggets’ narrow, 114-112 victory over the Pelicans, MVP favorite Nikola Jokic got a “star call” on his last-second block of a might-have-been Zion Williamson dunk that would have sent the game to overtime.

The Nuggets held a nine-point lead with under a minute to go in the game, but a combination of careless play from Denver and a furious comeback from New Orleans led to the fateful, game-saving play, even if replays showed that Jokic should have been called for a foul; Jokic clearly hit Williamson’s hand and head, but the call stood, and the Nuggets snuck away with a win.

“I was there to stop the drive; he (Brandon Ingram) shovel-passed to Zion, he went to dunk, and I was going hard to just not let him score,” Jokic explained. “I was aiming for the ball and I was going as hard as I can. Even if it’s a foul, don’t give him an and-one.”

To his credit, the Pelicans’ young star was sanguine in his response.

“I’ve got to earn my respect,” Williamson said. “I’m only in year two. Got to get a couple more years under my belt, and hopefully things change with that.”

The frenetic final minute, as expected, didn’t sit well with Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who nevertheless seemed more forgiving as his overworked team fought through a tough, physical contest.

“The game should never have been that close. We all realize that,” Malone admitted. “We all have to be better.”

While that’s true, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, something that a coyly smiling Jokic explained after his block that probably wasn’t.

“The basketball gods always give a little bit of luck to the people who are playing hard.”

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NEXT UP: Nuggets (41-21) vs. Raptors (26-36) | Thursday, Apr. 29 at 7:00 p.m.

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NOTES

• The Nuggets are now 7-1 since losing Jamal Murray to a season-ending ACL injury.

• Aaron Gordon’s defensive impact is obvious to the naked eye, but on Wednesday, the numbers backed that up. Coming into the game, the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson averaged 34.5 points per game in their previous two meetings this season — both without Gordon. With Gordon, Williamson had 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting, and was held without a single rebound until there was only 10:36 left to play in the game.

• Michael Porter Jr. rolled his left ankle in the fourth quarter, causing Nuggets fans everywhere to cringe as he hobbled off the court. He did return to the game, however, and brushed off concerns afterward. “It’s fine,” he said. “It will be cool tomorrow.”

• Facundo Campazzo had his best game as a Nugget. Campazzo scored 19 points on an efficient 9-for-13 from the field, and had 10 assists and a pair of steals. That marked not only Campazzo’s career high in points, it was also his first double-double. Campazzo’s play with Jokic is markedly better than it is when he’s coming off the bench, and it’s possible that he could remain the starter when Monte Morris returns, since Morris is equally effective with either unit.

• Austin Rivers played 26 minutes without scoring a point or grabbing a single rebound. Rivers, who went 0-for-5 from the field, including 0-for-4 from three-point range, might get a second 10-day contract since he’s the Nuggets’ best available option, but they need him to impact the game in some capacity more regularly. Not all was lost on Wednesday, however; Rivers led the Nuggets with four steals.

• Denver was uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at times, as the starting five had a total of 16 turnovers, with every player having at least two. Nikola Jokic led the way with six.

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THE FINAL WORD

“If you thought we were going to stop playing and quit because one player went down, well, then you haven’t been watching us for six years. We’re a good team.” — Michael Malone.

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ROTATION (MINUTES)

Starters
G Facundo Campazzo (36)
G-F P.J. Dozier (32)
F Michael Porter Jr. (40)
F Aaron Gordon (29)
C Nikola Jokic (36)

Bench:
G Austin Rivers (26)
F Paul Millsap (19)
C JaVale McGee (12)
G Shaquille Harrison (10)
F Bol Bol (DNP-CD)
F Vlatko Cancar (DNP-CD)
F JaMychal Green (DNP-CD)
G Markus Howard (DNP-CD)
F Zeke Nnaji (DNP-CD)

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INJURY WATCH

• Will Barton (hamstring) was injured on Apr. 23. Coach Michael Malone said Barton will be out “for the foreseeable future” on Apr. 24. It seems unlikely that he will be available until the playoffs, at the earliest.
• Monte Morris (hamstring) was injured on Apr. 16 and his return date is uncertain.
• Jamal Murray (torn left ACL) was injured in the final minute of the Apr. 12 game. His season is over, and realistically, Murray will be out until at least the 2022 All-Star break.

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Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar.

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