With seven seconds to go and down by just one point, the Denver Nuggets elected to not call timeout and run two-man game between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
A tale as old as time, the Nuggets set up a high pick and roll between their two stars. The Dallas Mavericks switched Anthony Davis onto Murray, who made the right play dishing the ball to Jokic at the nail vs Caleb Martin. Jokic quickly turned, reading a defense that was collapsing on him, and made a read to pass the ball to a wide open corner shooter in Peyton Watson.
Unfortunately, the shot rattled out, and the Nuggets lost. Sometimes, that’s just how it goes.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 24, 2025
Jokic has been selfish in these situations before, almost to a fault at times. He’s missed some shots late in the game, especially right near the buzzer this season, more than he has in the past. Jokic is oft considered an incredibly clutch player, but he and the Nuggets have had their struggles in the final minutes this season.
That being said, I think Jokic made the right decision for a litany of reasons.
First and foremost, it’s really hard to make a lightning quick decision when the defense rotates at you. One player that’s difficult to spot in this play is Daniel Gafford, who’s lurking as a shot blocker.
Whether Gafford would’ve blocked or altered this shot attempt is a question we will never get an answer to, but what Jokic generated instead was a wide open shot for a high level corner three-point shooter.
Yes, Watson is exactly that: a high level corner three-point shooter who entered this game shooting a preposterous 55.8% from the corners this season. He’s even better from the left corner which is his best spot on the floor efficiency wise. He doesn’t have that reputation yet as an outside shooter, but with the amount of work Watson has put into his game as a three-point shooter, it shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point.
Jokic and Murray nearly ended up with identical stat lines somehow, Jokic accumulating 29 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds, and Murray accumulating 31 points 14 assists, and 7 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit 7-of-12 threes en route to 23 points off the bench himself. Would the Nuggets have liked the ball to end up in their hands to shoot? Sure. It’s harder to generate those specific shots in practice though. Perhaps Denver should’ve called a timeout to give their guys a breather.
Unfortunately, Watson didn’t hit the shot, but I stand by the decision. The Nuggets need Watson to be ready for the upcoming playoff run, and the best way to earn trust is to get the needed reps in the Nuggets offense.
How did Aaron Gordon become such a trusted player for the Nuggets in clutch situations? It was repetition. In the 2020-21 season when Denver traded for him, Gordon shot 0-of-0 from three in the clutch. In 2021-22, he shot 4-of-9. In 2022-23, he shot 3-of-5. In 2023-24, he shot just 1-of-6. In 2024-25, did the Nuggets stop trusting Gordon? Of course not. He shot 5-of-12.
Chemistry and trust takes time. Through success and failure. It’s more about how Watson and the Nuggets respond to him missing rather than the actual shot itself.
Because the Nuggets really need Watson with this Cam Johnson injury. Johnson went down early in the fourth quarter grabbing his right knee. He exited immediately, limping off the court in significant pain. If the injury is as bad as it looked, the Nuggets may be without Johnson for longer than they would like.
Watson is the natural replacement at small forward for him in that case. A lineup with Murray, Christian Braun, Watson, Gordon, and Jokic is the one that makes the most sense for Denver going forward if Johnson misses extended time. Denver will still need to improve defensively, but having three capable defenders between Jokic and Murray gives them a good chance.
And in many of those lineups, Watson will be spotting up in the left corner, where he’s most comfortable and extremely effective, hoping to take and make that shot again.