Without Nikola Jokic (Covid) or Aaron Gordon (sick), the Nuggets received the Knicks who were coming out of a great victory in Utah. Despite the efforts of Jamal Murray and Bones Hyland, both at 21 points, Denver fell at home (106-103) thanks to the duo of strong men from New York: Julius Randle (34 points, 11 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson ( 21 points, 7 assists).
Forced to juggle with his bench, and a racket of old veterans with DeAndre Jordan and Jeff Green, the Nuggets delivered a basketball of very poor quality, marked by 15 stray balls and an obvious lack of cohesion. Without rhythm or address from afar, like Michael Porter Jr. (5 points) who went through this match like a ghost, the Nuggets finally cracked in the last quarter.
Conversely, the Knicks had saved the best for last with a scathing 20-7 to regain the advantage and garner a second consecutive victory on the road. The Knicks’ “road trip” actually begins in the best possible way with a second consecutive success in Denver before going to challenge the Warriors in the midst of a crisis on Friday.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Knicks finish strong. At -9 at the start of the last quarter, the Knicks did not panic, like the duo Randle – Brunson. Holding the Nuggets to just 19 points over the period, it was on a 20-7 (including an 8-0 final) that New York would complete the match, regaining control of operations in the last minute and completely extinguishing the starters. Denver, at a zero point in the last quarter. Entering the “money time”, Quickley and Sims assured defensively on the final possessions of the Nuggets!
– First home defeat for the Nuggets without their MVP. We could have extended to their racquet since Gordon (sick) was also missing, but when we don’t have Nikola Jokic, the shortfall is huge with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists to compensate, not to mention the force of attraction of the Serbian pivot for the opposing defences. Without its MVP, Denver relied on Jamal Murray but the latter ended up cracking late in the game. Without a point in the last quarter, and a last attempt that had no chance of breaking through the net, Jamal Murray could not play the heroes and his team must concede their first loss of the season at home.
– First victory in Denver since 2006. The Knicks remained on nine straight losses in Colorado, the last success of New York in Denver dating back to 2006. It was Isiah Thomas who coached the team.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Julius Randle. Apart from his 3/10 from 3-pointers which remains largely perfectible, Julius Randle has indeed had his best game of the season in Denver. With 34 points, plus 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, the Knicks’ All-Star winger was in the oven and the mill for his team, the major player in his team’s furious comeback in the last quarter.
✅ Jalen Brunson. For his 9th game in November, Jalen Brunson managed a 7th outing with 20 points or more. With 21 points plus 7 assists and 5 rebounds, the starting point guard of the Knicks did nothing revolutionary, but, in his sobriety and his efficiency (7/13 on shots including 2/4 from 3-pointers), he still was the wise man of his team in the storm.
⛔️ RJ Barrett. Already next to the plate in the large defeat against OKC, where he finished 4 points at 2/10 on shots, the Canadian went through again last night, with 11 points at 4/18 including a new bubble, the 3rd in a row, 3-pointers: 0/9. He remains on a 0/16 behind the arc in his last three games…
⛔️ Michael Porter Jr.. Without Jokic or Gordon, MPJ had a good card to play against New York. Nothing happened since he was clearly in an evening without, finishing the game at 1/8 on shots for 5 very small points. All the more surprising since he came out of his best game of the season with 31 points in Chicago…
THE FOLLOWING
Denver (9-5) : a pair of “back to back” matches in Dallas on Friday and Saturday
New York (8-7) : third stage of the “road trip” in five stages in Golden State on Friday
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