Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray whipped the Pepsi Center Audience into a raucous frenzy Sunday night, and the Nuggets continued their dominant Manners.
Jokic poured into a season-high 40 points, Murray fell 24 like a crunchtime floater and 2 clutch free throwsand also the Nuggets endured a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer from Damian Lillard to win 116-113 within the division competition Portland Trail Blazers. The two combined for 17 of the Nuggets’ 23 fourth-quarter points, outlasting the surging Blazers to improve into a NBA-best 18-3 at home.
Lillard ended with a team-high 26 points but was only 2-for-10 from the 3-point line.
Up 114-113, no basket was dramatic than Murray’therefore after he missed a floater, corralled the long run after which sunk two free throws after he had been fouled with time winding down.
“For decades it was the altitude,” Nuggets trainer Michael Malone stated. “What I like to believe today is it’s not only altitude, but you need a really talented team and you have great fan support where this construction is rocking every evening. ”
Sunday’s mentally charged triumph, including rowdy chants in the packed house, also improved their record to 6-0 against division rivals.
The Nuggets entered Sunday’s back-to-back finale with a 5-1 record on the second night of these sets this year. What’s more, in four of these cases, the Nuggets’ competitions had a minumum of one day of rest.
“It’s quite easy to make excuses in this league and to get into these explanations,” Malone stated. “All along, my message as well as our players know it. Instead of wasting energy on these explanations, allow ’s still find answers. Let’s find a way. ”
The Nuggets momentarily wrested control with a flurry of momentum-shifting buckets late in the third quarter but eventually gave everything back when Jokic moved into the bench. Jokic threw a sky-high alley-oop into Mason Plumlee to tie it at 78, and the Nuggets closed the quarter with 15 points over the final 4:22. Malik Beasley awakened two 3-pointers and finished a layup before Will Barton drained a corner triple to extend the guide to 93-83. But the Blazers immediately siphoned off a Lillard-fueled 11-0 run to take the lead once again.
Former Nuggets first-round pick Jusuf Nurkic, who was roundly booed during player introductions, was Jokic’s chief defender and fought mightily to contain his former teammate. Jokic utilized Nurkic’s aggression against himoften baiting and coaxing him off his feet.
Nuggets legend Alex English, who spearheaded a seminar finals run in 1985, shot in the match Sunday as part of the team’s signature rainbow jersey night. English, who had been particularly excited about Barton’s reunite, portends a similar run this year.
“I feel like (this season ’s team) will probably be at the Western Conference finals if they continue to perform like this because they have such a balanced group,” English stated, “and even though Jokic and Murray have a great deal of credit, when I see them, I visit a great deal of unique pieces that lead. ”
Barton returned from an lengthy months-long lack in Saturday’s dispiriting loss to Phoenix, and Malone re-emphasized how difficult it’ll be reintegrate his gamers straight into normal rotations. That procedure was delayed with Gary Harris overlooking his fourth consecutive game due to a tight hamstring and Trey Lyles overlooking his second match in a row with a wrist injury.
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“It’s hard, it’s frustrating, it’s not easy for us” Malone stated. “When you have as many injuries as we’ve got and today you’re attempting to include a man who’s missed 39 matches (at Barton), our bench unit has had fairly good chemistry and synergy all through the year. … When you receive a man like Paul (Millsap), Gary and Will back, who were outside for some time, working them back is not easy, because those guys want to get their rhythm back. But it’s not about the person. It’s on the collective unit and also that ’s very best for the group. It’s fine line, it’s a delicate balance. ”
Whether it’s the fact that they’re division rivals or that they have so much shared transactional history, matchups between these two teams rarely disappoint.
Both teams were physical in the first half with the Blazers leading by as many as nine points early before the Nuggets clawed back to track only 60-58. Jokic had a game-high 17 points through the first two quarters away from a run of clever post moves and two 3-pointers. He was almost matched by Lillard, who uttered the Nuggets’ shield with comparative ease and ended the half with 15 points.
In a battle of big men, Nurkic has been the aggressor vs. Jokic with nearly all of their 12 points coming from close variety.
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