About two hours before tip-off, Nikola Jokić was added to the Denver Nuggets injury report as questionable with a non-COVID illness. Nuggets fans immediately began to panic, knowing how important Jokić is to the team. He was ruled out about an hour later, and he was replaced by newly signed center DeMarcus Cousins in the starting lineup.
Apparently, it was much ado about nothing with how well Boogie played tonight.
Cousins kicked off the festivities with a three-pointer and never stopped putting the ball in the basket once he got started. He finished with 31 points in just 23 minutes, helping lead the Nuggets to a 116-101 victory over the Houston Rockets. Cousins added nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block to the tally as he dominated the game from the inside-out. The Rockets had no answer for Cousins, and the Nuggets kept feeding the big fella in many of the same ways they feed Jokić.
Cousins posted his first 30-point game since 2018, which actually occurred four days before he tore his achilles. It’s great to see Cousins out there after an achilles and ACL injury, finding his rhythm once again on a team that can use his immense skill set well.
The Nuggets are in a great place with DeMarcus Cousins, who has proven many doubters wrong in his quest for consistent rotation minutes again. Boogie has stepped up for the Nuggets in a big way, and there’s no question that the Nuggets are happy with their choice of big man before the end of the regular season.
Check out Boogie’s highlight mix below.
