The last time Nikola Jokic faced the Clippers, his emotions got the best of him and also his frustration spiraled to an ejection.
Jokic obtained his revenge on Thursday night.
Jokic dictated the pace along with his fifth triple-double of this season, along with the Nuggets throttled that the Clippers 121-100 due to their 11th consecutive win at the Pepsi Center. His 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists drew another chorus of MVP chants since the first-place Nuggets increased to 28-12 on this season.
“Just another really excellent home win from a team that embarrassed us at L.A.,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated. ” … Another triple-double (such as Jokic). The man continues to amaze. ”
It didn’t count for an assist, but with the direct firmly in hand, Jokic handed to himself off the backboard at the fourth quarter and put it in in what amounted to a different show of his own dominance.
The Clippers were led by 19 points in Lou Williams, but the Nuggets’ shield was vastly improved and kept Los Angeles to just 43 percent from the field. Unlike in their last meeting, the Nuggets matched the Clippers’ physicality and pounded them onto the glass 53-38 while winning the battle in the paint, 66-50.
Jokic captured control of the game in the next quarter as the Nuggets hauled away. He feasted round the rim with nine points, snatched nine rebounds, and also provided the highlight of this night with a seamless help to Jamal Murray to give the Nuggets a comfy 73-60 lead. Jokic hauled into a missed 3-pointer out of Clippers guard Avery Bradley, wheeled and rocketed a full-court, one-handed heave that struck Murray in stride for an easy dunk.
“I believed his pass to Jamal Murray, he can play NFL teams the way he passes the ball,” Malone stated.
Together with Gary Harris overlooking his second consecutive game due to hamstring tightness, the Nuggets got important contributions from nearly all areas. Mason Plumlee had a season-high 17, Malik Beasley buried 15 points along with Monte Morris chipped in 14.
Thursday marked the return of Danilo Gallinari, playing in his first game back in Denver since he was dealt at a sign-and-trade into the Clippers two summers ago. His first season with the Clippers was mostly lost to various injuries, but he’so in the middle of a career year this year with averages of 19.5 points and 6.2 rebounds. An All-Star selection isn’t out of this question since he ranks fifth in the NBA at 3-point shooting percentage at 44 percentage and is now second in free throw percentage at 92 percent.
“Whatever the fans need for me, hopefully it will have been love,” Gallinari said. “Hopefully they’d great memories about me. ”
Gallinari was welcomed with a warm reception during player introductions and proceeded to blitz that the Nuggets in the 3-point lineup at the first half.
“I think that the biggest thing for Gallo, ” he ’s with a hell of a calendar year, is he’s wholesome,”” Malone stated. “That’s always been the question. Can Gallo remain healthier? … I root for him. I root for men who were and helped me as a young head coach kind of get this thing off and running. ”
Though he’s a borderline All-Star in the wealthy Western Conference, Clippers coach Doc Rivers reported that’s not exactly what drives him.
“Gallo wants to play basketball, go home and see golfclubs, ” Rivers stated. “And then some day hopefully he can learn how to play golf. This ’s exactly what he really wants to do. He enjoys basketball, but he’s never wanted that the fanfare with it. This ’so unique in this world. ”
Malone appeared like he opened old wounds when discussing their last meeting against the Clippers, an embarrassing 132-111 pounding on Dec. 22.
“They had their way ,” Malone stated. “They were more physical, they struck us about. They had been laughing and joking at our cost. Have to have a hit mentality tonight. We’ve done a great job about the time of being a very good rebounding team. ”
The Nuggets assembled a 16-point lead simply to see it dwindle as the next quarter wore . They stopped making the excess pass on offense also got lackadaisical on defense as the Clippers reeled off an 18-7 run before the Nuggets salvaged that the half an hour. Murray led all scorers with 14 and has been among four most Nuggets players in double figures along with Beasley, Plumlee and Torrey Craig.
The Nuggets had 50 points with 7:56 left in the next quarter, which has been fueled by blistering outside shooting and strong bench play.
Craig, in particular, was a revelation in the 3-point lineup on top of his own stout defense. Over the last month that he ’s shot 37% from 3-point array after connecting at an 18 percent clip during early December.
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