The Denver Nuggets got back on track on the last day of the month, routing the Chicago Bulls on the road 125-107. The win was a critical one for a Nuggets team that has dipped since the All-Star break.

The storyline out of Denver lately was the regressing play of Nikola Jokic. Following the All-Star break, Jokic looked gassed and out of sync with a noticeable drop in performance. His stats were down and so was the flow of the team. The team’s path to the eighth seed dimmed a little bit during the dry spell; however, in the teams win Tuesday night, Denver reaffirmed the fact that the final spot in the West belongs to the Nuggets, for now.

Jokic was superb from the get-go, filling the stat sheet from tipoff. The Serbian ended up stringing together his third triple-double of the season, recording 19 points, 10 assists and 16 rebounds, shifting the eyes of basketball fans back to the Nuggets.

The difference when Jokic is clicking and the offense is running through him is more than noticeable. The Nuggets are virtually an entirely different team when this happens. While the defense still needs improvement, the offense is able to go toe to toe with just about anybody when firing on all cylinders.

Denver’s offense currently ranks fourth in the league in points per game, averaging 110.6 a contest.

This style of play will certainly not lead Denver to a path of fruition and winning in the immediate future; however, it may just be enough for Denver to accomplish their short-term goal of locking up a spot in the playoffs this season.

Tonight’s victory bumps the Nuggets record up to 27-33 on the season, good for a two-game lead on the Sacramento Kings for the West’s final playoff spot.

One thing is clear: the team needs to run through Jokic.

His ability to keep the offense fluid and loose makes him the flow man, the guy that keeps the Nuggets running. As long as Jokic is playing well, the Nuggets path to the eighth seed will be clear. With that, if Jokic’s play drops, so do the hopes of cracking the franchise’s three-year playoff drought.

Jokic is the lone impact player on Denver’s roster capable of leading the team down their most important stretch of games in three seasons.

Tonight’s victory reassured the fact that the Nuggets were down but now out; however, in order to make the playoffs, the Nuggets will need to establish a level of consistency in the team’s final 22-game playoff push.