At the midseason point of the 2019-20 season, the Denver Nuggets sat at 29-12 having won 70 percent of their games as they continued to look like a formidable opponent in the Western Conference.
Since, there have certainly been ups-and-downs, as Denver has pulled off improbable victories against the NBA’s elite while also suffering some tough losses to potential playoff opponents. Since the Game 41-mark, the Nuggets are 12-7, but some of the team’s wins may shine a better light on the group’s potential.
With road wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz (the latter of which came with just seven players in the rotation), Denver proved it can hang with and defeat some of the best teams in the league. This third quarter of the season has also included victories over the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors, two teams that have been surging as of late.
However, this recent stretch also included losses to the Detroit Pistons and tough defeats at the hands of potential playoff opponents such as the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Let’s break down the last stretch of Mile High Basketball in greater detail.
Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokić
This was a no-brainer. Jokić has been playing at an MVP level for over two months and has certainly been the driving force of Denver’s success as of late.
Denver’s two-time All-Star averaged 25.5 points, 10 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game across 10 February games. Jokić’s efficiency in those games is almost too good to be true, as he shot 64.2 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from beyond the arc and 87.8 percent from the charity stripe.
The Serbian big man posted five triple-doubles in the third quarter of the season, which included a 39-point triple-double against the Detroit Pistons to begin February. Jokić followed that up with a dominant 31-point triple-double (with 21 rebounds and 10 assists) in Denver’s upset victory against the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back.
Top performance: Jokić triple-double against Detroit
Although it was in a disappointing overtime loss, one can’t fault Jokić for his effort or performance. In the 128-123 loss, the Serbian big man scored 39 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in his 40 minutes of action.
Even more impressive is the efficiency in which Jokić scored. The two-time All-Star shot 16-of-23 from the field, good for 69.6 field-goal percentage. Just for good measure, Jokić added three steals and two blocks to his stat line in one of his most well-rounded performances of the season.
Surprise development: Murray’s breakout February
Murray went down with his ankle injury in Denver’s 40th game of the season, which kept him out until Feb. 4th when he returned against Portland. However, ever since that return, the 23-year-old has played at a near All-Star level. In nine February games, Murray averaged 23.6 points and 5.7 assists per game on an impressive true shooting percentage (TS%) of 64 percent (a significant increase over his 56.1 TS% over the course of the season).
“Jamal went out there and hooped and it was great to see him have a game rhythm right out of the bag,” Malone said, following Murray’s return performance against Portland, which saw him drop 20 points and six assists on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.
Murray started March off strong with 22 points and five assists in a convincing win over the Raptors. If the 23-year-old continues to produce at this level, the Nuggets’ playoff ceiling increases significantly.
Area for improvement: Taking care of the ball
Over the past couple of weeks, turnovers have become a significant issue for Denver’s offense. The Nuggets have turned it over at least 13 times in each of the past five games, including two games in which Denver coughed it up at least 18 times.
"It's something that we're trying to figure out," Malone said following Denver’s loss to the Clippers. "It's been a huge problem. When you're playing against a quality team like the Clippers and turn the ball over, you're going to make it near-impossible to win on the road against a team like that."
Denver ranks 24th in the league in turnovers per game since the All-Star break with an average of 16.4 per game. When compared to their average of 13.6 over the course of the entire season (which ranks seventh in the league), it’s clear that valuing each possession must be a point of emphasis down the stretch of the regular season.
Best win: Shorthanded victory over Jazz (Feb. 5)
There were two main candidates for this award, as the Nuggets also defeated the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back on the road but given the lack of bodies that Michael Malone had to use against Utah on Feb. 5, this win over a division rival gets the nod.
In the 98-95 victory, only seven players took the court for Denver as a result of injuries and trades. Monte Morris, Jamal Murray and Jokić all played over 40 minutes, while Vlatko Čančar and P.J. Dozier played at least 17 minutes off the bench as the only two reserves.
While Jokić dropped a 30-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, Murray also led the charge with 31 points. It’s important to note that Murray had just returned the night before and was limited to 20 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers. The win showcased the Nuggets’ resiliency and never give up attitude, which has been a staple of their success over the past two seasons.
Toughest defeat: 128-123 OT loss to Pistons (Feb. 2)
Although the Nuggets suffered tough losses to both LA teams over the past month, the latter of which was a demoralizing loss to the Clippers on national TV, Denver’s loss to Detroit to kick off February was a tough pill to swallow given the opponent and in-game circumstances.
Yes, the Nuggets were playing their third game in four days following a sweep of a back-to-back over the Jazz and Bucks but considering that they built up a 21-point lead in the first quarter, the loss stung.
This game was before the Pistons traded away Andre Drummond and released Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris, but Derrick Rose only played 13 minutes in this game due to injury. Regardless, the Nuggets couldn’t pull out the win despite Jokić’s 39-point triple-double.
Quote:
"Yeah, he’s a First Team All-NBA center for a reason. He wins games, he hits game-winning shots, and he makes the right play." - Nuggets head coach on Nikola Jokić’s dominant play.