The Denver Nuggets took down the Philadelphia 76ers in a prolonged 124-96 blowout win.
It was an impressive performance vs an injured Sixers squad though also comes with important caveats. The Sixers were without all three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, rolling out an overwhelmed and overmatched squad that saw VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Cameron Payne, and MarJon Beauchamp all attempt double-digit shots. Only one of those Sixers shot above 50% from the field, and I bet you all knew it was Beauchamp (shoutout to Ryan’s 2022 NBA Draft evaluation).
So yes, the Nuggets were operating at a significant advantage, but they also made the necessary plays to ensure this was a blowout early. A 38-22 first quarter and a 34-18 second quarter extended Denver’s lead to 30+ points before halftime. After that, the Nuggets cruised comfortably for the rest of the game.
“It feels like, you know, we’re more complete, we’re more whole. So there’s definitely some excitement,” Braun shared postgame about Denver’s team-wide effort tonight. “Obviously, we’re one piece away still, but you want to get rolling at the right time, I think we’re about to do that.”
Braun led the way for Denver with 22 points tonight on 7-of-9 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. He added 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and was perhaps the player to take the most advantage of Philly’s shorthanded nature. His main defensive assignments were the aforementioned Edgecombe and Grimes, but the two guards scored just 21 points on 8-of-24 from the field combined. It was a far cry from Braun’s previous defensive matchups last week.
Joining Braun in the scoring column was Cam Johnson, who chipped in 18 points on 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from three himself. Johnson’s aggressiveness and willingness to call his own number was on display tonight, which Adelman shared came down to simplifying his mindset.
“I feel like he is thinking less than just playing. If I’m open, shoot it. If I’m not, drive it. Somebody steps up, pass it,” Adelman stated plainly. “When you have your mind that clear, good things happen.”
“I thought before maybe he was being a little too passive trying to fit in,” Braun echoed. “But we need him to score the ball, and that’s what he’s been doing the last few games.”
In his last four games, Johnson has averaged 17.0 points per game while shooting over 62% from the field and 55% from three. He’s clearly trending in the right direction, and the Nuggets have made significant efforts to help Johnson get back into the right headspace as one of the most potentially impactful players down the stretch of the season.
Beyond Braun and Johnson, it was a quiet night for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray who combined for just 20 points in three quarters of play. Both were exceptional playmakers with Murray often setting up Jokic and Jokic distributing the ball on the short roll for assists to Braun, Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and others. Jokic finished with 14 assists, but Denver didn’t need their stars to score that way to be an exceptional offense.
Off the bench, Bruce Brown scored 12 points and shot 2-of-3 from three. On top of his pesky, hounding defense, Brown has made over 45% of this three-pointers in 14 games post All-Star break. His comfort level appears high.
The Nuggets are playing better basketball than they have in a while. Adelman postgame made sure to state that despite the 2-2 record against West playoff teams last week, he has seen Denver make progress in the right direction. If this game is any indication, the Nuggets are figuring out their capabilities on both ends of the floor at just the right time.
Of course, that implies the Nuggets continue to take steps in the right direction. The story of the last two months of Nuggets basketball has involved taking just as many steps back as they have forward, often right after the other. Denver’s been very inconsistent, and finding some consistency is at the top of the list of desires going forward.
Up next for Denver is a matchup vs the Memphis Grizzlies on a back-to-back that wasn’t originally on Denver’s calendar, but a postponement caused Denver to have an extra back-to-back traveling West to East.
“We need to win the game. I don’t think anybody on the outside is gonna care about our travel situation or our schedule, so nobody’s gonna feel bad for us,” Braun implored postgame. “We just gotta go to Memphis to take care of business.”
We will see if the Nuggets can do just that. If they’re actually making progress, it shouldn’t be too difficult to do so.