The Nuggets were on track to reassure the Nets floor with an authoritative victory. The final table is a bit more mixed, but Mike Malone’s men, at the heart of the worst pass of their season (a victory in six games including a loss a week ago against the Nets), leave Brooklyn with the victoire.
A success that bears the mark of a very inspired local “Big Three”, all of whose members have exceeded the 20-point mark, and thanks to which Denver has counted up to 22 points in advance. But as a long “garbage time” loomed in the last quarter, Mike Malone had to dismiss his incumbents to fend off opposing substitutes.
Without having been really worried, however, since the locals only returned to two possessions with the final shot from Seth Curry. The Nets who seek to secure their 6th place in the East thus lose a third meeting in a row at the worst time, before the double reception of the Cavs, then especially a trip to Miami, a direct competitor.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Nuggets’ dream first half. Launched by a gallant Jamal Murray in the first period, the visitors made a very strong impression in the first 24 minutes of the match, which ended with an excellent 62% success rate on shots. A first half all the more remarkable as the Nuggets showed much better defensive intentions than in recent weeks. By closely monitoring Mikal Bridges (3/11 on shots at the break), the visitors thus turned with a 15-point lead at the break (48-63). They then experienced a delicate recovery, with several careless errors, before resuming their march forward.
– The resistance of the “second unit” of the Nets. By leading by 20 points (71-91) twelve minutes from the end, the Nuggets seemed to have something to be quiet about. It was without counting on the unexpected reaction of some players from the bench opposite. With the outside address of Seth Curry and Cam Thomas, not to mention the inside impact of Day’Ron Sharpe, which will generate Nikola Jokic’s 4th and 5th personal foul, the New Yorkers went 17-2 in four minutes . It should be noted that the locals, who kept this five for almost the entire quarter, continued this “run” despite the return of the holders opposite.
– Another triple-double and another victory for Nikola Jokic. The final evaluation, monstrous (47!), is up to the new mammoth match of the pivot who still did everything while limiting the waste as much as possible: three missed shots and a single loss of ball. He was particularly impressive at the very end of the third quarter, going 8-0 on his own. It was his 28th triple-double of the season. Since the recent end of his crazy series of 29 triple-doubles in a row ended with a victory, the pivot remained on two defeats in a row in this context.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray. The first, still sometimes limited in defense, showed regularity in his “scoring”, even if he suffered more in the last act. The second was sparkling with skill in the first period during which he scored… all of his 25 points! Mikal Bridges tightened his defense on him afterwards.
✅ Nic Claxton. He unsurprisingly had a lot of trouble containing the “Joker” but the young pivot also gave the Serb a hard time in defense, against whom he had already scored 20 points a week ago.
⛔ The Nuggets bench. If Zeke Nnaji brought a little of his presence under the circle, the bench of the Nuggets as a whole was shown to be hyper discreet compared to the holders, or even to the opposing bench.
MICHAEL PORTER JR. DUNKE ON… NIKOLA JOKIC!
Nikola Jokic had just missed a small shot near the circle when he was caught from behind by his own team-mate, Michael Porter Jr, who smashed the ball inside the circle. Putting in passing a good involuntary nudge in the face of the pivot. Proud of his comical and spectacular gesture, the winger returned to defense all smiles, the Serb much less…
THE FOLLOWING
Nets (39-32) : reception of the Cavs on Tuesday.
Nuggets (48-24) : trip to the Wizards on Wednesday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rg3OERjRlY
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