NEW YORK — No team can cure an crime like the New York Knicks.
The Nuggets began their road trip with a resounding win that was 129-92, yanking the Knicks their eighth consecutive loss. The win enhanced Denver’s listing to 6-2 and 14-5 away from Pepsi Center.
“We (had) lost two matches in a row,” Nuggets trainer Michael Malone stated. “If you would like to be a group which ’s really rival late at the playoffs, you can’t afford streaks. You gotta right the ship straight away. ”
Against one of the worst defenses in the NBA, the Nuggets functioned like a unit. Their moves were sharp, and their shooting was blistering. And Nikola Jokic, his scrutinized superstar, was at the helm.
He also paced their offensive operation with six points,10 rebounds and a team-high eight aids. Denver’s departure — they listed a season-high 38 assists allowed for a season-high 21 3-pointers. Even more indicative of their unselfishness, twenty of the 3-pointers came through assist.
“He simply makes the right play,” Malone stated. “What I love about Nikola is that he is selfless. Totally. He illustrates what we speak about with regard to our civilization. ”
The win allowed Denver to really go deep into its seat, playing 12 guys, with a game in Boston tomorrow .
The Nuggets’ seat pounded on New York’s 74-54 as eight unique players reached double digits. Boos rained down times at Madison Square Garden while Denver’s direct eventually ballooned to 43 in the fourth quarter.
Despite Jokic’s shooting struggles, Malone vehemently defended his superstar player.
Asked how he can help Jokic recover his dominance, Malone didn’t hesitate.
“Continue to proceed to himplay him” Malone stated. “The thing I get a kick from, here’s a man averaging 16, 10 and 6 and everybody says that he ’s not playing. I’ll accept that player daily if he’s averaging that kind of points, rebounds and assists and people are saying that he ’s not only playing nicely. He’s not shooting he as well as it ’s capable of, but he’s doing a great deal of great things for us and he’s a part of us being 13-5. ”
After two losses and criticism over Jokic’so play, Malone gave the New York press a fact check on the state of his group.
“Maybe we’ve set the bar high as everybody thinks the sky is falling apart,” he said. “We& & rsquo;re 13-5, we’ve got the 2nd best defense in the NBA and we & ’re doing this with our player not even being close to the degree we understand that he &rsquo. ”
The first half did plenty to relieve that anxiety.
Whatever was the source of Tuesday’s awful outside shooting to Los Angeles didn’t travel with the group to New York. The Nuggets buried 11 3-pointers from the first half, with six unique players. Led by three from Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez, the Nuggets jumped into a 67-45 halftime lead on the Knicks.
Even more reassuring for a Denver crime that had vacillated between patriotic and wayward, every one of their first half 3-pointers was made a help off. In total, the Nuggets had 22 assists on 26 made field objectives and shot 60% from the field. Denver’s unit pounded New York’hence with a 34-21 edge that is scoring.
Jamal Murray and Beasley had 11 points per day, however Jokic helped create a few of those opportunities with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He picked apart New York&rsquodefense with a number of possessions funneling throughout his post position to allow him to kick it outside to a shooter.
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