The Denver Nuggets flirted with disaster throughout the game, especially in the second quarter in which they conceded 43 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Denver ended up winning 123-112. Nikola Jokic had foul problems in the first half again (as well as some verbal fights with the referees), but ended up with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists to drag Denver to the finish line.
Gary Harris and Will Barton added 28 points on a night when Jamal Murray got 15 points from just 7 shots, and JaMychal Green had 17 crucial points and 6 rebounds off the bench. D’Angelo Russell had 32 points and Juancho Hernangomez returned to Denver for 25 points and 8 bags, but that was not enough, as Denver made his second consecutive game against Minnesota this year.
Game recap
Minnesota won the lead, but Nikola Jokic had an immediate robbery that turned into 2 free throws for Gary Harris. Denver gave up a drive, but Millsap scored back over Juancho Hernangomez. Jamal Murray hit free throws and Harris scored in one play, but Hernangomez buried a three for a 10-8 lead to Denver early. Murray hit more free throws and three for him, then a difficult turn. 2. Will Barton attacked Malik Beasley – showing him after a difficult game in Minnesota, where Beasley hit him – and dived for a Denver 19-10 drive.
Jokic took a lack of annoyance when he felt that he had committed a foul himself and wanted to speak to the referee, a bad habit that the MVP candidate has not yet abandoned, so he made a comeback. But he gave a stroke of paint and Barton gave Paul Millsap another bucket. Jokic got a reversal on the glass, Harris missed a tray, but won a tip and Jokic deflected Barton three and the nuggets scored 28 points with 4 minutes left. The Nuggets loosened a little with the basketball in the first (and Jokic committed his second foul), but that was his only real flaw, as Jokic’s pass to Verde was special:
The Nuggets played against JaMychal Green in the center in the last 2 minutes of the first and – with Murray gaining time on the bench and despite being cold on the field – finished the room with an assist from Monte Morris to Green for a dunk and a 34-22 Lead nuggets.
Denver started the second quarter with a 24-second clock breach and a little overtaking, but Green hit a three and Facundo Campazzo passed Reid for a tray. Murray orchestrated the attack for open shots and false shots, and Green buried another deep shot to Denver’s 43-29 lead. Millsap received a great tip and then Jokić’s connection to Campazzo was rewarded with an acrobatic hit and miss. Anthony Edwards hit Jokic with a poster, but Denver still had a 14 point lead in the middle of the quarter.
Minnesota then had an 11-4 run thanks to some upsetting and not called Jokic, and a pair of three from D’Angelo Russell and Juancho Hernangomez closed to 55-48 Denver. Jokic was then called in by a technician for raising the ledge after a dunk – something that was considered a mythical feat for downtown Denver, such as killing the Lernean Hydra or obtaining Golden Apples from the Hesperides. Here’s something special, guys:
Nikola Jokic was stolen twice by @NBAOfficial refs here:
First, a total shitty technology to hang from the rim with much less demonstration than most players do when they take a big dunk.
So, as Wolves announcers point out, he was not credited for putting Monte’s FT back. pic.twitter.com/R4RhNnZyS5
– Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) January 6, 2021
It looked like the technique was worth it, but then Jokier got another coach for yelling at the referees for not scoring a foul for him, and then received his third foul on a cheap call from an angry referee to make him sit in the last 2 minutes. as Minnesota kept coming, ending a 30-6 streak in the second quarter to give up the lead and nothing but Denver turns and fouls. Juancho killed Denver in the first half with 21 points, Jarred Vanderbilt played as Draymond Green against his former team and, somehow, Denver lost 65-62 in the interval.
The Nuggets left for the second half looking unhappy, but Minnesota seemed loose and ready, and although Jokic orchestrated the Nuggets, he was unable to close the gap. Russell and Hernangomez continued to hit, scoring an 11-6 straight in Minnesota to increase their lead to 8. The Nuggets took a break, got together and found some effort on both sides. Barton hit a three, Jokic finally got the free throws he wanted and Denver at least shot for the shots (a stranger Murray dodged before being buried on his side). A Harris floater and a Barton slam reduced Minnesota’s lead to just 2 in 82-80. Denver failed to overcome the obstacle, however, swapping baskets while the starters were there and trying to keep up with Vanderbilt’s bustle of Minny and others.
Denver paved the way for the free-throw line again with the accumulated fouls against Minnesota, but they lost 10 with 15 minutes remaining. Still, a steal from Barton led to a PJ Dozier layup and a draw at 87. Green hit a three to finally put Denver in the lead in the third, but Russell answered for Minnesota. The bench without Jokic started to falter, however, and Jokic returned with a minute to the end of the room and responded to three Timberwolves with one of his own. Still, the quarter ended with Denver in the same position: still losing by 3 in 96-93.
The Timberwolves started the quarter with two consecutive baskets before Jokic hit a pair of bank shots and Monte Morris buried a three for his first bucket of the game to tie at 100. Both teams had some empty and rushed goods, but Jokic had a setback and the Nuggets started to grind. Campazzo scored on a drive, Jokic blocked a drive and then gave Barton a nice assist in a 15-0 run in Denver and a 108-100 lead. Denver had great defensive energy with Jokic denying Minnesota’s minor players in the painting. Vanderbilt finally scored for Minnesota, but Jokic forced the Timberwolves’ fifth foul of the fourth and reached the line just over 5 minutes from the end. Minnesota began to press for its own spots in the painting, but the Nuggets continued to create an offensive, including a phenomenal no-no-no-YES move, where an errant pass for Murray was denounced to Harris, who passed it on to Barton to finish.
The Nuggets gave up, but failed to move away from a Timberwolves squad, missing out on important opportunities to expand the lead. But Jokic ended up taking down the Timberwolves throughout the quarter, keeping the lead above six, closing with 30-20 in the fourth quarter and trying a much-needed 123-116 victory.
Final thoughts
– Making a back-to-back of all NBA teams is not receiving Jokić’s respect from the referees. I can’t think of a player in the top 10 in the league who hasn’t managed that lack of a whistle against non-star defenders hacking him in a long time, and that’s consistent with Nikola. Marc Gasol may have been close, but he was not the player that Jokic is. It’s annoying, honestly, to see him get hacked without a whistle and it already cost Denver a win this year (Sacramento Kings’ first game).
I don’t know what movie needs to be sent to the NBA or what kind of fines Michael Malone needs to accumulate in his post-game chats, but as I don’t expect the first to do any good and I don’t expect Malone to pay out of pocket to criticize referees or hire coaches, Jokic will have to figure out how to keep his focus on the game. Tonight was striking in the first half, however.
– If Jokic is not, the rest of the team also struggles to concentrate. The Timberwolves scored 43 points in the second quarter, and sloppy turns and poor execution were a plague for the entire team. Nobody could calm the team, neither coaches nor players. That’s the problem when your star gets distracted by the referees and some interesting non-calls that let the Timberwolves run. The Nuggets were unable to stop the race, however, and that is a bigger problem going forward. They have to contain the damage and tonight, in the second quarter, rates have broken down.
– Some of the Denver role players stepped up when needed. Will Barton had an excellent save over Malik Beasley in the first quarter, taking him out of the game and interrupting his pace. With Jamal Murray making just 7 shots the night someone had to score and 18 from Barton, 17 from JaMychal off the bench (and three from 3 points) and Facundo Campazzo harassing D’Angelo Russell in the final stretch and scoring 11 important points helped to mean the difference. As much as the bank has suffered this year – and rightly so – they have had some crucial moves to help an initial unit that ended in double digits.