Nikola Jokic recorded his 12th triple-double this season on Friday night with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 116-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. In the last eight games, Jokic is averaging 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists per game while shooting 59% from the field, 45% from beyond the arc and 93% from the free throw line.
“I love playing with him,” Gordon said of Jokic. “His court vision, his passing ability, his passion for the game. Just his ability is tremendous. Playing with somebody like that is just fun. It makes the game fun. He plays the right way. He makes the right reads. He’s unselfish. [He’s a] high character guy and just an amazing basketball player. He’s fun to be around and fun to play with.”
Denver’s supporting cast also put up numbers. Aaron Gordon scored 20 points while Monte Morris had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Bryn Forbes scored 14 points off the bench alongside Zeke Nnaji’s 11 points. Austin Rivers had 12.
“I think we’re paying attention to detail,” Gordon said. “We’re really locked into the game plan. We’re not making so many mistakes. We’re really sharing the ball as well and I think that’s what it’s really coming down to. Our assist numbers are really good. Our offense is clicking. Defensively we’re doing what we need to do.”
Denver’s defense held New Orleans to just 39% from the field and 15% from 3-point range. The Nuggets shot 50% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc and had 29 assists.
Every time it looked like the Nuggets could build on a large lead, the Pelicans kept coming back. Denver went up by nine points a few times only to see New Orleans steal the lead back and capitalize on turnovers. The Nuggets had 21 turnovers which resulted in 22 points for the Pelicans but Denver managed to build a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter that was just too much for the Pelicans to overcome.
“You’re playing with fire when you turn the ball over that much,” Malone said. “You can get away with it some nights but going against the defending world champion that’s recipe for disaster so that’s something we have to nip in the bud.”
Both the Nuggets and Pelicans spent the first half of the third quarter trading baskets until Josh Hart tied it up 59. Malone had seen enough and called a timeout. That sparked an 11-2 scoring run for Denver with Jokic putting up 16 points in the quarter to take a 71-63 lead with just over five minutes left. The Nuggets kept shooting at a high clip going 61 percent from the field and 50 from downtown to go up 86-78.
Forbes was in his bag in the fourth quarter scoring 12 points. He extended the Nuggets lead 103-87 until Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 11 points to ignite a 14-5 Pelicans run. Denver only had a five-point lead with two minutes left but the reigning MVP was there to close it out for the Nuggets. He scored six straight points to give them the 116-105 win.
“The first half our bench unit struggled but I thought in that second half to end that third quarter and start the fourth quarter they were great and they ran extended minutes deep into that fourth quarter because they were playing so well,” Malone said. “Bryn Forbes, just seeing that ball go in, it’s just a matter of time. His resume, his body of work, you know he’s going to make shots.”
This is Forbes’ fifth game in a Nuggets uniform and he says he’s feeling more comfortable and getting into a rhythm. He also said playing with a guy like Jokic makes his job a lot easier.
“I think I’m starting to understand my spots,” Forbes said. “Pretty similar offense to the ones I’ve played in but I’ve never played with a guy like Jokic. I’ve played with Giannis but he’s a different player but even when you don’t think he sees you he sees you so just staying ready to let it fly whenever I can.”
The Nuggets have won nine of their last 12 games and three in a row on the road. However, the next three road games will present a challenge. They face the reigning champions, the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, a team that they lost to earlier in the season. After that they head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves and then they go to Utah to play the Jazz, a team they’ve lost all three games against this season.
But it’s looking promising for Denver despite all the setbacks it has had. Sitting at a 27-21 record, the Nuggets are just a half-game out of the five seed behind the Dallas Mavericks. They’re almost at full strength as they wait for Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr to recover from their injuries.
