Euphoric at the start of the game, the Nets did not know how to go the distance on the floor of Denver and still lacked the regularity to support the comparison with Nikola Jokic and his teammates.
After a balanced first half, on the theme of the attack and concluded with a demonstration of Nikola Jokic on both sides of the floor to end the second quarter (76-75), Denver surfed on the mastery of the Serb to create the first gap of the match.
On attack placed and even in transition, the “Joker” thus made live a nightmare inside the Nets (88-77). The Irving-Thomas-Griffin trio no longer responded and 3-pointers from Aaron Gordon and Will Barton confirmed the trend. Aaron Gordon’s dunk on Nikola Jokic’s caviar then made it 96-80.
The gap rose to +21 after the 3-pointers of the Nnaji-Gordon pair before being reduced to 14 lengths by Brooklyn, boosted by Kyrie Irving and Cam Thomas 12 minutes from time (105-91). 3-pointers from Cam Thomas and Patty Mills briefly brought Brooklyn down to -10 (109-99), but the Morris-Barton-Gordon trio responded perfectly, ensuring a quiet end to the game for the Nuggets.
Winners 124-104 after the tenth assist, synonymous with triple-double for Nikola Jokic, Mike Malone’s troops cling to 6th place in the West while the Nets are now 7th in the East.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– End of series for Denver, not for Brooklyn. In a very tight Western Conference, Denver was losing ground by staying on a three-game losing streak. To extinguish this early mini-crisis, the Nuggets responded by delivering a full second half on both sides of the floor to stifle the Nets over the length. Concern is growing, however, on the side of Brooklyn, which has lost eight in a row and whose irregularity over 48 minutes was still blatant in this match.
– The victory of a collective. Once back against the wall, the Nets unfortunately tended to freeze their offensive game, relying on one-on-one with Kyrie Irving or Cameron Thomas. Conversely, Denver for its part shone with its team play. The Nuggets have indeed distributed 37 assists out of 49 baskets registered, with Nikola Jokic, Monte Morris and Aaron Gordon as main distributors.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Nikola Jokic. The Serb turned the tide of the game single-handedly, first mounting the pressure late in the first half when the Nets were starting to gain confidence. Then by using great means after returning from the locker room to give the Nuggets an advantage that they were able to maintain until the end. MVP stats for an MVP game, with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists in the end.
✅ Aaron Gordon. A big dunk to start his game and decisive baskets, like his magnificent 3-pointer at the possession buzzer in the third quarter to finish the Nets and a basket in front of Kyrie Irving five minutes from time. Aggressive in scoring (17 points) and rebounding (9 shots), the interior also distinguished itself in creation with its 7 assists. A lieutenant match from the former Orlando player.
✅⛔ The Irving-Griffin pair. En the absence of Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin showed his best side in the first half by planting 19 points. Problem: he no longer saw the light of day in the second half, and the offensive game of the Nets suffered. Overall, Kyrie Irving had a rather good game, but his few air holes and his lack of bite when his team dipped to the score left a mixed feeling overall.
THE FOLLOWING
Memphis (29-24): after the Nets, the Nuggets will host the Knicks on Tuesday.
Brooklyn (29-24): the Nets continue with the reception of Boston on Tuesday.
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