The Denver Nuggets have claimed the top spot in the Western Conference.
Denver took down the Chicago Bulls, 123-101, on Saturday night to secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 6-1 record. Denver remains undefeated at home with a perfect 4-0 record at Ball Arena.
This was Denver's fifth game in seven games, and the Nuggets won four of them. Saturday's game was also on the wrong side of a back-to-back after taking down the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. A big 72-point second half push helped Denver cruise across the finish line with the win. The arduous back-to-back scheduling didn't affect the defending champions' efficiency, who went a combined 51.9 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three.
"There has been no (championship) hangover coming into the season. There has been no, like, 'Well, we can just turn it on at some point, we're the defending champions.' That's not who we are. That's not who we've ever been, and I would never allow that to happen," said head coach Michael Malone. "But our guys, to give them a lot of credit, they've understood the responsibility that comes along with winning a championship and they've, for most of the nights this year, come out with the proper mindset and approach."
Nikola Jokić turned in another outstanding performance: 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists.
"It is fun to be his teammate," said Reggie Jackson after the win. "It's fun to watch him operate and see how dominant he is. Not just because he's one of the biggest guys on the court, but his mind. Like, he really uses that thing to the best of his abilities... he was in command the whole game."
After his big 24-point performance against Dallas, Michael Porter Jr. had an even better follow-up. He finished with a season-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 5-of-10 from deep.
"He's been locked in and we definitely need him to be at that level," said Jackson about MPJ. "But he's been special. The best part is, like, he's always the hardest on himself. So, you don't really have to say much to him. He holds himself to a high standard."
The Nuggets won the rebounding battle for the second straight game, 49-37. Jokić's 16 boards obviously played a big part in that, but Aaron Gordon contributed 12 rebounds, as well, which earned him substantial praise from coach Malone after the game.
"I give Aaron credit. Aaron and I talked after shootaround yesterday... I said, 'Listen, man, get yourself going get on the glass.' He was averaging four rebounds a game after the first five (games). Aaron should be getting 8 to 12 rebounds every night," said Malone. "Yesterday, he had 8. Tonight, he had 12. So, I think he's taken that message to heart, which is great to see."
Both teams started slow, which wasn't all too surprising given that they were both on a back-to-back. Chicago made just 38.1 percent of their shots, while Denver only hit 12.5 percent of their threes. Gordon led the charge for Denver and put up a team-high 7 points by getting to the line twice, and the Nuggets held a 23-22 lead heading into the second quarter.
Malone put a different group of reserves on the floor to start the second quarter to account for the rigorous back-to-back; neither one of DeAndre Jordan nor Julian Strawther played against the Mavericks the night before, so ideally they'd give the team a boost. Jamal Murray exited the ball game within the first minute of the quarter with hamstring tightness and did not return. Without Murray, Chicago was able to build a slight edge, and the Bulls entered the second half with a 53-50 lead.
Denver started to pull away in the third when Chicago's shooting went cold. The Bulls began the first six minutes of the period just 3-of-11. Denver was also overpowering Chicago on the glass, 13-3, through the first six minutes, allowing the Mile High squad to go on a 25-8 run. Jokić stretched the lead with 13 points in the period as Chicago continued to struggle, and Denver entered the fourth quarter with an 86-74 lead.
Chicago was looking like it was going make it a ballgame and got the lead down to 10, but then Jokić quieted the noise by taking Nikola Vucevic down to the right block for a pair of floaters. Porter Jr. suddenly erupted into an inferno and rained down 13 points in 9 minutes—including a lethal sidestep three-pointer—to blow the game open and give Denver a 20-point lead. Denver never looked back and won their second straight game.