The Denver Nuggets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 137-134 in a back-and-forth matchup that went all the way down to the closing seconds.
Nikola Jokic had 28 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists, playing a very odd game for much of the contest but absolutely lighting it up in the fourth quarter. Jokic had 13 points in the clutch and helped the Nuggets outpace Tyrese Maxey, Guerschon Yabusele, and the Sixers spread offense.
Jamal Murray, sporting a fresh new afro, played a fantastic game himself with 31 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. He was locked in from the jump and made several important plays throughout the game. His overall production speaks for itself, but it was his control of the game and poise throughout that stood out to me.
Jokic and Murray were dynamic down the stretch. Jokic scored, and Murray set the table for him. It was unselfish of Murray to continuously feed Jokic in that situation, but he made the right play every single time.
The Nuggets as a whole had zero issues on the offensive end. They scored 30+ points in every quarter and often times looked like they were playing in an All-Star game out there. Of course, All-Star games feature no defense, and that held true for this matchup as well. The Sixers scored 30+ in every single quarter as well, and it was only some timely stops that helped Denver get enough separation to win the game at the end.
Maxey and Yabusele had a ridiculous 42 points and 28 points respectively, scoring extremely efficiently most of the night. Maxey’s buckets were hard, but his finishing and shotmaking were ridiculous all night. Yabusele’s buckets were extremely easy. Jokic and others didn’t offer much resistance throughout the evening.
But, a win is a win, and the Nuggets found a way to snap their road trip losing streak. However it happens is a good result. The Sixers had won four games in a row up until that point, so it’s never bad to win a road game under those circumstances.
Michael Porter Jr. shot the ball extremely efficiently in his 29 minutes, scoring 24 points and grabbing six rebounds on 10-of-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from three. His night was an excellent embodiment of the Nuggets offense as a whole. Denver was efficient from every spot, but given the lack of size and defensive discipline on the Sixers interior defense, there was little reason to chuck threes unless they were open. Porter made some excellent cuts, had an offensive rebound putback, and looked like an overwhelming force as Denver’s third scorer.
Off the bench, Christian Braun and Julian Strawther each had strong nights. Braun got Denver started with 15 points and five rebounds, 11 of those points coming early on. Strawther stayed consistent all night and took advantage of the shot attempts, scoring 18 points on 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from three. Both scored well in both halfcourt and transition. Despite the Nuggets cutting down their rotation to eight players, the three wings off the bench (including Peyton Watson) combined for 39 points. The Sixers got just 17 points from their bench.
Russell Westbrook struggled tonight with six turnovers in 25 minutes, but he left the game with hamstring tightness, which certainly could have affected his performance throughout the evening. We will see if Westbrook is able to suit up tomorrow vs the Charlotte Hornets.
Overall, a win is a win is a win.
Defense is about effort
It was odd. Denver didn’t give a ton of effort tonight on the defensive end. After three losses in a row, one would think there would be enough motivation to go out there and amp up the pressure defensively to try and earn a win. Instead, the Nuggets offered little resistance, and it nearly cost them.
Jokic was the primary culprit. He’s not the only culprit of course, but at center, he’s the most impactful defender either positively or negatively most nights. 13 clutch points notwithstanding, the Serbian superstar struggled with defensive effort throughout the game. As the center going up against a small ball Sixers unit, it’s a tough proposition to cover as much ground as he needed to. The shots he allowed were so incredibly uncontested though that it made me wonder if there was something wrong.
The defensive effort and execution has been poor throughout this entire trip for Jokic. Yes, he has an extremely difficult job on the offensive end, and it’s surely exhausting to play at high effort on both ends of the floor given that workload. Still, there’s a baseline level of effort that hasn’t been present for a while, and it nearly cost the Nuggets a fourth straight game.
Jokic is the leader. He’s so clearly the best player in the world. He mostly gets a pass when he doesn’t want to play great defense. The team sees that though and feeds off his energy, good or bad. The example he sets just has to be better, because even if things aren’t perfect around him, all he can control is what he gives individually.
Whatever the case, the Nuggets have to keep playing. They have a back-to-back tomorrow vs the Charlotte Hornets. Westbrook’s status will need to be monitored. If he’s out, expect the Nuggets to either utilize Jalen Pickett for brief stints or go with zero point guard looks with Jokic on the floor and Murray resting. Denver still needs to pick it up defensively, and they’re usually good at doing what’s needed on the second night of back-to-backs.
Final Rotations
