The Denver Nuggets absolutely thrashed the Philadelphia 76ers 144-109 in a 35-point blowout win.

Nikola Jokic logged (another) triple-double in just three quarters with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in just 30 minutes. Jokic didn’t play in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets extended the blowout, the fourth straight game he hasn’t had to reenter the contest.

“I don’t think any words I say will do him justice, to be honest,” Michael Malone said in a glowing response to Jokic’s efforts this year. “We’ve been talking about it for years. I often say it, best player in the world.”

The Sixers kept pace with the Nuggets through the first half behind impressive outside shooting and dynamic play from Tyrese Maxey. The Nuggets turned it on in the third quarter though, winning the period 40-27 and turning what was a 10-point margin into 20+ points.

Jokic was a big reason why, locking in on the defensive glass, accumulating steals, and pushing the tempo in transition with hit-ahead passes. Jokic always seemed to be ahead of the defense tonight, and it’s a big reason why the Nuggets scored 144 points.

Outside of Jokic, The Nuggets had four other players log between 19 and 23 points: Julian Strawther, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon. All three shot well over 50% and took advantage of the attention paid to Jokic and Jamal Murray. Strawther in particular had a career scoring night with 23 points, making four three-pointers in the first half alone.

The Nuggets are clearly in a great rhythm, finding opportunities to run a fast break every chance they get. The Nuggets converted 39 fast break points tonight as a team, an incredible number showing how relentless they were.

Jokic gets a ton of credit for his playmaking as he should. Russell Westbrook and Braun were the transition leaders tonight though, and Porter converted on some offensive rebound putbacks before the Sixers defense had a chance to get back.

Murray had a quiet night, but it didn’t need to be loud with all the scoring around him. The Nuggets guard had just nine points but added seven assists and six rebounds in his minutes. He set the table nicely for Strawther and Watson for threes in the first half and was more than willing to get out of the way so Strawther could continue to shine.

The Sixers didn’t have a chance tonight. This was their seventh straight loss, and at no point did Ball Arena think the Nuggets were going to lose. From the jump, it was clear that the Nuggets had the extra gear, and it was cool to see the Nuggets thoroughly dominate. They won every quarter, allowing just 15 points in the fourth quarter to emphasize the blowout. It showed Denver’s very close to hitting another gear as a team.

The Nuggets have leveled up

Since the loss to the Washington Wizards on December 7th, the Nuggets are 16-6. They have the third best point differential in the NBA during that time at +9.5, according to Cleaning the Glass. The only teams better? The 35-7 Oklahoma City Thunder and 36-6 Cleveland Cavaliers,

It’s been interesting to see the Nuggets turn around their season in real time.

“I feel like everybody’s chipping in, and everybody’s doing their job,” Julian Strawther shared postgame when asked why the Nuggets are so dominant right now. “Sometimes when you watch the NBA, a lot of guys are trying to do someone else’s job. I feel like right now, everybody’s kinda finding their groove and what works, what works for the team.”

Every night, the Nuggets are finding contributions from different places. Jokic is a stalwart. Early on it was Michael Porter Jr. saving Denver’s perimeter scoring. Christian Braun has fit into his role well, even through the ups and downs. Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook have stepped up. Jamal Murray is back to being a consistent threat every night. Strawther’s found his rhythm. Now, Aaron Gordon is back and impacting the game.

It feels like the Nuggets are finding their stride with different guys stepping up when the moment is right for their skill set to shine.

Christian Braun remains hard on himself and the team though, expecting even greater things to come in due time.

“I think that we’re not really close. I think that we have flashes on defense. We’re not close to where we want to be, but nobody is,” Braun shared postgame. “Just get better as the year goes on defensively. That way when we get to the playoffs, we’re at our peak defensively and we’re at our best.”

Even through Denver’s 16-6 stretch, they still rank 19th in the NBA in defensive rating. There are still improvements that need to occur, but they’re starting to show in the month of January especially. The Nuggets have the NBA’s second best offense and ninth best defense in the month of January, per Cleaning the Glass. They’re moving toward being the elite team on both ends they will need to be when it’s all said and done.

“We know what the Western Conference is, how deep it is, how talented it is,” Malone shared. “Things are just getting started.”

I didn’t know if the Nuggets had this gear in them. They’ve clearly shown they can level up when the time comes. There are still things for them to do, namely prove they can match up with elite teams and still perform at a high level. Those tests will come.

For now, the Nuggets are banking wins in a professional manner, and that’s all anyone can ask for.

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