After playing the Houston Rockets on Monday and defeating them handily, it was definitely a possibility that the Denver Nuggets wouldn’t take Wednesday night seriously.
It’s very difficult to win both ends of a two-game series, even for a heavy home favorite like Denver. The Nuggets were major underdogs against the Dallas Mavericks in a similar situation earlier in the month, and they managed to win the second game by surprising the Mavericks. It was always possible that the Rockets could do something similar on Wednesday.
That was, until the game actually started.
The Nuggets won 120-100 in blowout fashion over the Rockets, dominating from the opening tip and maintaining the pressure until the game was over (or at least out of reach). Denver led by 20 points after the first quarter, 27 points at halftime, and 24 after three quarters. It just wasn’t a close game, and both teams played like it for the majority of the second half.
Jamal Murray led the way with 26 points, scoring 20 of those in the first half. Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown chipped in 20 and 18 points respectively. Nikola Jokić had 17 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds in some reluctant minutes as a scorer. The Rockets didn’t challenge the Nuggets at all, and Denver played like it for most of the night.
Here are my primary takeaways from Denver’s thrashing of Houston on Wednesday night:
Taking care of business can be fun too
Early on, the Nuggets were having fun creating some good shots. The defense never really came into focus until midway through the first quarter as both tams were scoring with ease. The Nuggets turned on the jets when the subs came in though, with reserves like Vlatko Čančar, Ish Smith, and DeAndre Jordan (along with staggered starter Bruce Brown) playing the up-and-down game pretty well.
The highlight of the night was Vlatko taking off from just inside the free throw line for a transition dunk, surprising everybody in the building.
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 1, 2022
The Nuggets started to really have fun out there after that. Denver racked up 26 fast break points, scoring 19 points on 14 Rockets turnovers, and getting out in transition as often as possible. When the Nuggets run, their offense gets even better, finding new opportunities to score with ease that replace situations when the offense can stick in the halfcourt.
Joker capped things off for all intents and purposes with this behind-the-back pass for a Brown dunk. It was fun to be in the building.
YOU’RE KIDDING ME WITH THIS NIKOLA JOKIĆ pic.twitter.com/jw0e4Iqn7C
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) December 1, 2022
Jamal Murray’s playing with high levels of confidence
It’s been a process, but Jamal Murray is rediscovering how to score at a high level of efficiency. 26 points on 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. That stands out as one of his more impressive high volume scoring games. He could have had more points had he kept the pedal to the metal, but he tapered off in the second half (just six points on three shot attempts) like many other Nuggets.
As the Nuggets look to become the best version of themselves that they can be, Murray is well on his way to being the player the Nuggets need. His scoring off the dribble has been much better of late. He’s up to 17.8 points per game on 44.5% from the field and 37.9% from three-point range. Those are quite simply solid numbers, independent of context that he started the year slow. He’s progressing nicely and is exactly the player the Nuggets needed next to Jokić last season.
The Nuggets fit around Jokić so well
Speaking of Joker, it’s just so clear that the Nuggets have built a team that fits around him as well as they ever have. The additions of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have emphasized Denver’s strengths a ton. Gordon continues to progress in his chemistry with Jokić, complementing what he does well on both ends of the floor. Getting Murray (and Michael Porter Jr.) back has only added to the show.
There’s a reason why the Nuggets are playing so well with Jokić on the floor. Almost every combination they have works with Joker. The starters? The best fitting lineup in the NBA. Brown is the super sub that ties every lineup together. Bones Hyland and Ish Smith are finding ways to set the table well. Vlatko, Jeff Green, and Zeke Nnaji know both how to make themselves available and also get out of the way.
Denver’s in a great place with their Jokić lineups, and that matters more than just about anything else.
Final Rotations
