The Denver Nuggets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 128-103 on Monday night to begin a five-game homestand.

Nikola Jokic, in his return to the floor after sitting out the previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers, put up 29 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in his 31 minutes. Jokic was dominant throughout the evening and played a stellar game, helping put the Nuggets into a great position.

The game was a blowout early, with the Nuggets leading by as many as 30 points in the second and third quarters. Jokic was essential to Denver’s game plan throughout, but especially in the first quarter, scoring 16 early points and dominating his matchup with Jaren Jackson Jr, down low. Jackson picked up some early fouls and stayed in foul trouble throughout the game as a result. From there, the Nuggets mostly coasted, putting the pressure on every now and then but mostly playing with freedom and comfort, with Jokic at the center of it all.

“Knowing that Collin’s going to play, knowing that Julian’s going to play, I think Nikola loves to help those guys. I really do,” Michael Malone shared postgame. “Nikola just empowers those guys. He’s communicating. He’s talking to them. I think his mindset is that he’s going to play his game, but he’s also going to enjoy trying to help some of these other guys that don’t get regular minutes and make sure that we’re getting the most out of everybody’s minutes.”

“He makes everybody better. That’s why he’s a truly great player.”

 Everyone on the team played really well tonight. There were moments when the Memphis Grizzlies made a run with Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and GG Jackson playing solid basketball (though JJJ went 4-of-18 from the field tonight in no small part due to Nikola Jokic’s defense). Even when Memphis found ways to score, the Nuggets always found ways to respond. There were occasional moments when the Grizzlies cut the lead down to around 15 points, but the Nuggets pushed it right back up to 25+ in the blink of an eye.

Christian Braun also made a big impact with 17 points and five rebounds in his starting role. Braun shot 8-of-10 from the field and 1-of-2 from three, continuing to show a bit more confidence to go score. His ability and willingness to run the lane in transition also makes him an easy target for Jokic passes.

 “It’s hard to appreciate it [fully] every night, but I just hope the fans and everybody that watches him really appreciates how good he is and greatness that he shows every single night…I just hope the fan base appreciates and understands how difficult it is to do what he’s doing, every single night, showing up to work every single day. It’s why he’s so great.”

Braun has leveled up beyond just receiving Jokic passes though. He’s hitting jumpers at a high level getting more creative inside the arc, and finishing with confidence on a variety of moves around the rim.

“Just playing basketball the right way,” Christian Braun responded when asked if anything has changed for him since the All-Star Break. “Showing up to work, doing the same thing I’ve done every day since I’ve been here. Just continuing to stay hungry.”

Braun’s commitment to improvement has solidified Michael Malone’s confidence in him, not that it ever truly wavered.

Where Malone has had to push some buttons is with Peyton Watson every now and then, but Watson responded with a great, great effort of his own.

“Peyton Watson, 10 and 10, and three blocks,” Michael Malone credited the young forward for his production and impact. “Somebody asked before the game ‘what does Peyton Watson need to do?’ That’s what he needs to do…if he does that every night, he can really help this team.”

Watson took the assignment he had tonight seriously: rebound, protect the rim, and bring energy. It’s something he consistently tries to impart and is looking to improve as the year goes on.

“For me, it’s just more than anything consciously turning around, looking, checking my guy, making sure that nobody’s coming, then making sure to go grab the rebound above the rim,” Watson shared.

 Malone also lauded Julian Strawther tonight, who played an extended 22 minutes off the bench into garbage time tonight and had 14 points.

“For a guy who was in the rotation for roughly the first 35 games, hasn’t played in a while, I was so proud of Julian tonight. Really impressive because he went out there and it looked like he had not missed a beat.”

Strawther hasn’t had a bunch of extended run since his injury, but he’s back on the floor now and getting some reps, which is a good sign. He likely won’t make an impact in a playoff rotation this year, but as Nuggets fans saw with Watson at the end of last season, the final 10 games can still be meaningful.

The Nuggets are in a great place at the beginning of their five-game homestand. We will see what they bring going forward, but with the top seed in the Western Conference there for the taking, the Nuggets are going to try and get it done. They won’t do it at the expense of their health, as evidenced by Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon sitting out tonight’s game, but they will do everything within reason to get the top spot. They know how much it means to them after last year.

Final Rotations