Yesterday, the Denver Nuggets began a stretch of seven games that I see as a defining stretch for the team. The first? Against a vaunted rival in the Los Angeles Lakers, who were effectively fully healthy and hoping to prove their worth against another Western Conference playoff contender.
Mission failed, for the Lakers anyway.
The Nuggets led wire to wire in a 120-113 win that saw them jump out to an early lead while fending off Luka Doncic and the Lakers from making several comeback attempts throughout the evening. The game did come down to clutch time, but after winning a close contest vs the Utah Jazz on Monday, the Nuggets continued their clutch success with good execution on Thursday.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 28 points apiece to tie for the team lead in points. Murray shined early, scoring 20 out his 28 in the first half alone, making a litany of shots off the dribble and off screens. Jokic attempted just six shots in the first half as the Lakers scrambled to deny him the basketball consistently.
In the second half, the roles were reversed. Jokic took the lead on the scoring front while Murray took a back seat as the Lakers adjusted to his scoring punch. The Lakers threw a ton at both stars, often defending their two-man game with extreme coverages helping over from the weak side.
“Just take what’s available,” Murray shared postgame when asked about the changing scoring roles. “I had it going in the first, and then Jok had it going in the second, so that was perfect. Just not fighting the game, not forcing it.”
That forced Jokic and Murray to trust their teammates throughout the night and led to solid scoring performances from Julian Strawther (18 points), Christian Braun (15) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (14). Strawther in particular had a strong performance as a scorer on the weak side, slashing to the paint after over aggressive closeouts from the Lakers or hitting set three-pointers in big moments.
“If they’re going to bring five people across the floor…find the weak side. Trust those guys,” Adelman implored of Denver’s offensive process.
Braun, Hardaway, and even Bruce Brown hit big three-pointers throughout the game, emphasizing just how important it is for the Nuggets to use their floor spacers more consistently. Jokic and Murray sometimes forced possessions in the second half that didn’t yield any points, but the times when they were patient and trusted teammates often led to good results.
“I think we dealt with it much better, especially as a team,” Jokic said postgame of dealing with the Lakers’ scrambling style of defense. “And we didn’t force it. That’s the best way.”
Now, Jokic did have 9 turnovers to go with his 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. He wasn’t his most efficient self as a decision maker tonight; however he was far more willing to trust in others tonight, and that helps Denver’s process far more consistently than forcing tough shots in a crowd. Jokic did go 10-of-15 from the field though, a highly impressive number given the situation.
Denver rarely has issues offensively though. It’s often defense where the issues have happened. Not last night though for Denver, who held the high-powered Lakers offense to 113 points despite injuries to Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Cam Johnson, and Spencer Jones. It was Zeke Nnaji who started at power forward and did a solid job matching up with LeBron James, or as solid a job as anyone can realistically do.
Christian Braun spent the majority of time on Luka Doncic, while different Nuggets guards took on the Reaves assignment. Fortunately for Denver, while Luka made some very impressive shots, he and the Lakers also missed some easy ones around the rim, some open shots on occasion, and wasn’t as crisp as he could’ve been.
Denver didn’t give up too many easy looks though, and that’s progress. Denver’s making strides on defense post All-Star break, hidden in plain sight by some issues they’ve had in tough matchups lately.
“I thought our half-court defense since the All-Star break was really good,” Adelman emphasized. “The two outliers, to me, were more schedule things, where we were just exhausted.”
“We want to dictate what the offense is going to do,” Jokic shared. “I think our defense is much better since All-Star.”
Denver’s funneling teams like the Lakers into shots they’re willing to give up. The Nuggets are minimizing shots right at the rim and are willing to give up above-the-break threes, at least right now. They’re not perfect in that process, but the process is getting better.
Quietly, this was a really good win for Denver. The Lakers aren’t an elite team, but they’re a team that challenges the Nuggets in material ways. With the Nuggets in this tough situation with injuries and in the midst of a standings battle, this one was important. The Nuggets are now 1-1 vs the Lakers this year with a final matchup in a week or so. That determines tiebreaker and has some serious bearing on the West playoff picture.
The Nuggets don’t have the luxury of dropping too many of those matchups anymore, and they’re in need of finding their stride in some way. In addition, they play the New York Knicks on Friday, so the going doesn’t get any easier.
Although, a certain Aaron Gordon might make his way back for that matchup, which would significantly impact the Nuggets heading down the stretch.
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