The Denver Nuggets got a big home win tonight against the Golden State Warriors, winning 119-115 in a fourth quarter comeback effort. The Nuggets were down by as many as 10 points midway through the fourth quarter, but steady progress, a key three-pointer by Michael Porter Jr., and a better defensive effort helped the Nuggets out big time.

Nikola Jokic led the way for both teams with 38 points, shooting 14-of-24 from the field. Jokic was having a subpar scoring day for a while but locked in exactly when the Nuggets needed him to be great. He added 10 points, six assists, and an impressive five steals. The Nuggets have done a good job learning how to defend the Warriors with Stephen Curry, and though there were some breakdowns overall, the Nuggets did pretty well. Jokic was a +23 in his 40 minutes tonight (that meas the Nuggets lost the other eight minutes by 19 points, but to each their own).

The Nuggets trailed late in this one but finally locked in defensively when they needed to. For awhile in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets couldn’t guard anyone, but they found a way to sit down and guard late. The Warriors repeatedly brought Jamal Murray into the action defensively to cover Curry, and Murray held up reasonably well.

“Take it personal. That’s what I would say,” Michael Malone shared of how the Warriors were hunting Murray defensively late. “They’re calling you up for a reason, and prove to them you’re not that guy. Because in this league, the streets talk.”

Murray ultimately held up, even blocking Kuminga at the rim late in the fourth. That play, combined with a loose ball recovery by both Russell Westbrook and Christian Braun diving on the floor on separate occasions, showed some serious hustle from the Nuggets in completing the comeback.

“I hope somebody’s got a snapshot of Christian Braun laying out for that loose ball before he didn’t call a timeout,” Malone joked. The Nuggets didn’t have any timeouts at the time, and it would have been a technical foul if seen by the referees in that moment. “That’s what it takes.”

Denver’s overall level of competitiveness the previous few games wasn’t as high as tonight. Denver knew they needed this one, and the Nuggets all thought the communication and willingness to give effort was better.

“I think our guys were about all the right things tonight,” Malone shared. “I felt, in the huddles guys were talking, guys were supporting, guys were holding each other accountable, and I felt that we were out there five guys working as one.”

The Nuggets needed a bit of hustle in this one to take down Golden State, who were coming off a four-game losing streak. Denver made it five, and it took awhile for the Warriors to open up their locker room for postgame. It appears the Nuggets aren’t the only team going through something right now.

Finding a Way

It took a lot of effort and energy for the Nuggets to contain Steph Curry tonight. He had 24 points and 11 assists but took 23 shots to get there and had five turnovers to go with it. The Warriors were still positive in Curry’s minutes though, particularly when Curry was on the floor and Jokic was off. The Nuggets deployed Zeke Nnaji tonight at backup center for five minutes. The Nuggets were -11 in those five minutes, so Zeke didn’t see the floor again. Instead, Aaron Gordon played backup center, continuing to show his versatility and accepting challenges the Nuggets put his way.

Gordon started tonight in place of Peyton Watson, who played just 18 minutes tonight. The Nuggets are going to have to find ways to keep Watson involved in the rotation. He played 18 minutes and attempted one shot, a made three-pointer in his first minute on the floor. For the most part, the Nuggets went through Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., who had 22 points in his 31 minutes.

The Nuggets also went through Murray, who continues to struggle as a scorer. He had 12 points on 12 shots, though he did contribute eight assists and three blocks compared to just one turnover. Murray was challenged tonight, and though he wasn’t helpful as a scorer, he set the table for Jokic and made some plays defensively.

Right now, the Nuggets are finding a way to win. It isn’t really coming naturally. I didn’t like their process offensively for much of this game, and though they finished with 33 assists, they probably could have had 45 if they wanted to. There were too many selfish plays made, guys trying to get themselves going, taking some ill-advised shots. It was interesting to watch.

There’s a quote that Dario Saric shared with me prior to the season. Essentially, the Nuggets are going to have to find ways to win while they aren’t at their best. They have to win anyway, even if it doesn’t look pretty. It has to manifest in wanting it more than the other team, and while there were some rebounding issues tonight, the Nuggets clearly wanted it.

It’s going to be interesting to see how this upcoming road trip goes. The Nuggets might be great. They might look terrible against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don’t really know what to expect on a night to night basis.

What I do know is this: if the Nuggets play with consistent effort and are willing to fight on the defensive end, everything else will take care of itself. They’re too talented NOT to win if they can execute a defensive game plan.

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