Recap: Nuggets extinguish Thunder behind overall starter performance

The Denver Nuggets demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder in a wire-to-wire explosion on Saturday night, winning 126 to 96 behind a variety of great performances from beginners and bankers. Jamal Murray led all scorers with 26 points, 9 out of 15 pitches and adding five assists. Nikola Jokić had a triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds on 8 out of 10 on the field.

Michael Porter Jr. was the beginning of this game’s history, scoring 14 points and adding four rebounds only in the first quarter. Some of the shots he was taking were ridiculous, and he diminished the quality of the defense along the way. The second-year striker finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes, possibly presenting his best performance of the season from an overall perspective.

Monte Morris and Will Barton were also very good at filling in the gaps. They combined 28 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, doing so in complementary roles around Denver’s top three scorers, and seemed very comfortable doing it.

I’m going to do the recap a little differently tonight. I made brief notes for each quarter and also included items at the bottom. Enjoy it all!

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1st quarter

• Entries were excellent at both ends to start this game, with great drives and cuts from Monte Morris and Will Barton
• Michael Porter Jr. had the best quarter of his career, even hitting some ambitious three-point shots after winning a rhythm. 14 points and 4 rebounds only in the first quarter
• Jamal Murray did that too
• Nikola Jokić played a versatile offensive game and only facilitated the drives, cuts and kicks of others

2nd Quarter

• Bench was not ready to go in and make an impact.
• PJ Dozier has made some decent moves, but still needs to get back to playing speed
• Isaiah Hartenstein continues to fight in space at both ends
• The Starters came back and put pressure on Thunder again
• Jokić fought defensively in space, but it didn’t matter much

3rd Quarter

• Jamal Murray kicks off with a three, has scored constantly in every quarter
• Jokic continues to pass open players, hits his triple-double on the post for a sharp Will Barton. Extremely efficient performance
• Monte Morris and Will Barton with good games in general. Not 100% success rate on drives, but much better than against WAS
• PJ Dozier made an impact in the end
• Explosion at this point

4th Quarter

• Jamal Murray started the fourth, hit a few trios and came out with 26 points
• Facundo Campazzo destroyed OKC’s overtaking lanes this quarter, only attacking young guards and decision makers who were not prepared for him
• Lots of trash followed, but a big dunk at RJ Hampton
• Greg Whittington’s first minutes of the season

Great Takeaways

The best game of the season for Michael Porter Jr.

Michael Porter Jr.’s progression in recent games was just what the Denver Nuggets needed to see. Although the entire group has gone up and down and Porter is far from perfect, the 22-year-old has been increasingly looking like the versatile scoreboard and athletic perspective that the Nuggets expected him to be. Tonight was the decisive moment so far: 20 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes don’t really represent how efficient and effective he was at both ends to start this game. It may not have been his best statistical performance, but his level of engagement and execution at both ends of the track was very impressive.

The initial unit played exactly as it should at both ends

Nikola Jokić was the orchestrator, but the ball moved between him, Porter, Murray, Morris and Barton in a fluid and organic way. Jokić finished this game with 13 assists, the result of Denver hitting so many shots to the pace of his passes. Morris and Barton did a good job of cutting the edge. Porter and Murray were excellent behind the hoop and jump shots. In addition, they combined for a strong defense of the team, forcing Thunder to try jumpers that they could not do.

Good to see PJ Dozier back

The Nuggets lost Dozier. He is the most versatile point guard in Denver, spending time on guard throw, small attacker and powerful attacker, all while having the playing skills and facilitation of a decent point guard. He looked rusty to begin with, but he quickly found the next gear. I think it will be an important part of the Denver playoff race if they can remain consistent enough for that.

Final Rotations