The Denver Nuggets took care of business against the short-handed Utah Jazz, cruising to victory 129-103. The Nuggets had 39 points on Utah turnovers and ran all night despite being on a back-to-back, using the game to get right with the starters and finding a bit of flow with the bench at the end. Nikola Jokic had another Sombor Double with 27 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists in just 3 quarters of work. Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points, Christian Braun had 17 and Julian Strawther paced the bench with 19 points in what was finally an easy victory for Denver this season.
Game Recap
Utah won the tip and Walker Kessler got to the line to make 1 of 2. Westbrook was fouled by Kessler under the basket on the other end but missed both free throws, but Nikola tipped in his own miss the next time down and then MPJ hit a baseline jumper. Cody Williams made a layup for Utah but Aaron Gordon threw a great oop to Westbrook for a dunk. After a turnover, Christian Braun made a layup in transition for the 8-5 Denver lead. Jokic kicked out to MPJ for a corner three, then got a steal he passed forward to Mike for a transition 3 to stretch the lead to 9. Aaron Gordon with a corner three of his own, continuing his good shooting from Minnesota, while Jokic gobbled rebounds and forced Utah to foul him. Jokic hit free throws, Porter buried another long three and Denver had a 22-8 lead halfway through the quarter.
Westbrook skied high on one end for a steal on an oop attempt, then on the other end for a rebound after a missed Braun three. He missed both free throws again though and after transition buckets and a Keyonte George three the Jazz cut the deficit to 7. Julian Strawther came in and immediately got free throws, but John Collins answered with a layup on the other end. Jokic hit a paint bucket, Peyton Watson was blocked on a layup but got fouled on the second attempt, and Braun got tied up for a jump ball going for a transition bucket. Jokic got called for a weak foul on a three-point shot and Johnny Juzang made all 3 free throws, and Nikola’s frustration with not getting calls on the other end was evident. Strawther got called for an offensive foul on kicking his leg out that was dicey as well, but Hunter Tyson got a steal on a deflection and hit a transition layup-and-foul. Strawther hit a push shot and a deep three pointer as the bench stretched this lead, and despite a sloppy end to the quarter with some fouls and turnovers, the Nuggets finished the first up 37-26.
Watson got to the line to start the second and made both free throws, answered by a pair from Collin Sexton. DeAndre Jordan missed a layup, and Eubanks made a bucket on the other end. Sexton and Westbrook traded threes, but Myjhailiuk also made a Utah three as Denver’s bench struggled on both ends to start the quarter. Braun turned the ball over on a charge, Sexton made a jumper and Utah closed to within 42-38. Walker Kessler dunked to make it a one-score deficit and force a Malone rage timeout, but Williams made a layup afterward anyway to tie it. Jokic had a nice pass to Braun for a layup, then got on the floor for a ball to force a 24-second turnover and hit MPJ with an immaculate 60 foot sideline pass for a Porter three to make it 47-42. Jokic then hit Braun for another three to make the lead 8, then got free throws after a challenge to regain a double-digit lead. Gordon hit a layup around Kessler, then Mike got to the line in transition for a 58-46 lead. Collins stopped a 14-0 Denver run with free throws and Eubanks made a layup for Utah, but AG hit another 3. Keyonte George answered with a 3 of his own and then a weird tech was called on Hunter Tyson, who had good energy in the half. Denver missed a couple of threes from AG and MPJ, but Braun made free throws and Gordon forced a turnover on the inbounds that led to a Braun-to-AG dunk and Denver went into halftime up 65-56.
Jokic got beat down the court by Kessler to start the second half after a Jokic miss, but Nikola got the layup back on the other end. Then Jokic had a shot-clock violation after an uncalled foul and Denver started flat. Braun got credited with a layup after a goaltend, but Jokic missed a three and Denver’s legs looked like they were feeling the back-to-back. Westbrook bricked early in the clock, but Gordon tipped in a Braun transition miss to make it 71-58 Denver. George hit a layup for Utah but Braun answered with a pair of threes. Collins and Johnny Juzang both made threes for the Jazz, but Jokic made a layup and then MPJ had a transition bucket to get the lead back to 13 as Denver’s active hands kept the turnovers coming and the transition game hopping. Jokic buried a three for 84-68, then made a technical foul and hit a baseline jumper over Eubanks. He had the ball stolen from him under the basket for a bucket but then came back with a three to make it a 20 point Denver lead. Sensabaugh hit a Utah three, but Jokic answered from deep yet again and then Strawther missed a layup thanks to Kessler but got the rebound and the bucket. Jokic had a massive 19 point quarter to put Denver up 99-75 going into the final frame.
The Nuggets gave up the first four points of the quarter, but Strawther hit a three to get Denver on the scoreboard and over 100. Jordan made a pair of putbacks, George answered with a three and Watson had a pair of nice layups as Denver maintained it’s 20+ point lead. Jordan had another dunk, Strawther hit another three, and Hunter Tyson had a great breakaway dunk as Denver’s bench finally found a little rhythm. By the time rookie Trey Alexander checked in the game was well and truly into garbage time. They kept the tempo up though with transition buckets from Strawther and Zeke Nnaji, and Denver coasted to a final victory of 129-103.
Final Thoughts
Jokic was a monster. He was +16 in the first half, and could have been more, but Westbrook’s bench minutes dragged Russ down to just a +4 in the half despite starting with Jokic. Nikola did everything for this team tonight, putting up 27 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal and was +31 through 3 quarters, which is all he played. He had some amazing passes, ran the floor hard all game, made three 3-pointers and kept this game well out of reach despite the lackluster first half bench effort that let Utah tie it back up in the second quarter. The beat-up Utah Jazz had no answers, nor should they have – the best player in the world flexed tonight and it showed on the scoreboard.
Denver was great in transition. The Nuggets outrebounded the Jazz by 13 and had 28 fast break points, which doesn’t count some second chance points and extended possessions. The Nuggets being willing to run all game despite being on a back-to-back was a good sign not just for their conditioning but also as a way to overcome the limitations of the current bench. Getting those tips and hands in passing lanes is how Denver has to generate easier buckets and avoid playing against set defenses. Some of that was the starters but that energy can carry over to the bench minutes too.
The Jazz are not a good measuring stick for the bench but it was good for those guys to get minutes. The first stint for the bench was brutal, but the only starter that played the 4th quarter was Westbrook who needed to get his chemistry right with the bench – and the Nuggets won the 4th 30-28. Hunter Tyson got minutes with both the bench and next to Jokic, but the Jokic minutes seemed to set him on a good path to using his hustle play to scramble for loose boards and ride in transition buckets through fouls. Julian Strawther also played next to Jokic and with the bench, and despite getting 5 fouls (again) he worked hard on his rhythm for making cuts and taking threes. Finding their rhythm with the starters seemed to carry over well, and it might help Denver to find ways to integrate bench players like Strawther into more of a hybrid role – if he can limit his fouling tendencies.
Regardless, finally getting minutes where they weren’t getting blown out allowed players like Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji to find a bit of consistency that they can hopefully take forward in the season. The bench doesn’t have to be great – it just needs to find a way not to drag the starters down, and keeping all of Denver’s regular starters firmly planted on the bench for the whole fourth with not even a hint of anxiety was a wonderful gift for the first time this season.
