Jokic clutch to force OT, leads Nuggets to another tight win

The Denver Nuggets are back to .500 after consecutive nights of clutch shots to force overtime where they sped past an Eastern Conference team. On Tuesday, it was Nikola Jokic tying the Brooklyn Nets just before the regulation buzzer to get it into an extra period where the Nuggets came away on top 144-139.

There were some real positives from a Nuggets team that had to get right back on the court. Denver paraded to the free throw line, got a ton from struggling new pick-up Russell Westbrook, finally won the points in the paint battle and firepowered back into the game on efficient three-point shooting.

Whereas Denver was down 15 multiple times in the second half a night before, the Nuggets were much more in a back-and-forth with the Nets. Still, Denver was down three with less than 30 seconds left after Christian Bruan and Jamal Murray misses. Again the Nuggets chose to go for a quick two and play the foul game. Denver found Jokic in single coverage, who quickly scored from the post. Then Jokic sprinted over to foul Brroklyn’s subpar shooter Dorian Finney-Smith. It was smart, DFS split the pair. With less than 20 ticks left the Nuggets went back to Jokic in the post, single-covered again by Finney-Smith and he tied it up. Finney-Smith then missed a wide-open possible game-winner.

Joker to force OT! pic.twitter.com/GOPvrgQ9mL

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 30, 2024

The Nuggets rolled in overtime, getting four and two from Jokic, six points from Murray, and five—including the dagger from Braun. The latter two more than made up for their misses.

“We are fighting, we’re not playing our best but we’re finding a way to win a game,” Jokic said on local TV after the game.

Jokic became the first player in NBA history to notch two 40-plus point games and two triple-doubles within the season’s first four games. Against the Nets, he tallied 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists on 9-of-16 shooting with 11 free throws on 13 shots.

“Another good night of execution down the stretch, and I thought us getting to the free throw line 47 times and making some clutch ones… was great to see,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the game.

Jokic marshalled the trips to the line, as the Nuggets shot their most attempts (47) from the stripe since January 2016. This is a big development since Denver also shot 30 free throws on Monday. Last season, the Nuggets only shot 30 or more free throws seven times last season, it all ended with the second-fewest trips to the line in the league. And Denver desperately needs easier scoring chances, especially in a back-to-back and on the heels of a season where they fell apart due to fatigue.

“Proud of our guys for finding a way in back-to-back nights of staying together, staying with it, believing in themselves, and finding a way to get a win in overtime,” Malone said. “And I just hope we don’t go to overtime every game the rest of the season.”

The way the Nuggets hung around was a much better effort from the bench, led by Westbrook. The veteran guard scored 22 points on 12 shots, adding five helpers while knocking down all 10 of his free throws. He was absolutely everything the Nuggets hoped for when they signed him this summer and in contrast to his rough play of the first three games. But Denver needs that firepower off the bench of the hope of it, last season they only got four games of 20 or more points from bench players.

“At halftime, and you got Russell Westbrook speaking up and imploring his teammates, you know about our defense or lack thereof, at that time, that is so valuable,” Malone said. “I’m just so thankful that he’s here and a part of this family and a part of this journey because I think he adds so much to the team.”

Westbrook was just part of a way more complete Nuggets attack. Denver nearly had five 20-point scorers, which would’ve tied a franchise high. Murray and Gordon also eclipsed that mark while Michael Porter Jr. got close.

The wins don’t erase the Nuggets holes, not entirely. They allowed 40 points in the first quarter and put him nearly half the deep balls Brooklyn shot. Still, Denver has climbed back to .500 with road wins 24 hours apart and that’s something to build off of as they travel to the Twin Cities for a playoff rematch as part of the first night of a back-to-back with the Jazz in Denver a night later.

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