If Nikola Jokic was asked to do any more than he already did Saturday vs. Sacramento, he’d probably be responsible for the team’s laundry.
Despite a monstrous overall effort from Jokic, including 36 of his career-high 50 points in the second half, the Nuggets fell 119-114 to the Kings for the third time this season. Without Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Facu Campazzo or P.J. Dozier, all missing due to injury, Jokic’s incredible night, which also featured 12 assists and eight rebounds, went for naught. The Nuggets fell to 12-10 on the season and will host Giannis Antetokounpo and the Bucks at home on Monday.
Disappointed with the outcome, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he was still proud of his team’s effort without so many key contributors. And regarding Jokic, it wasn’t his gaudy line that was the most telling.
“You guys aren’t going to understand this, but more impressive than the 50 points … was his approach, his mindset, his leadership,” said Malone. “He knew that we were undermanned. … I ran him the whole third quarter, and he said, ‘Hey listen, I’m ready to go. Get me back in the game.'”
The Nuggets had it within two possessions four separate times with less than two minutes left. Each time the Nuggets had a chance to close the gap, the Kings got a devastating bucket. De’Aaron Fox finished with 24 points while Harrison Barnes poured in 28. Together, they connected on nine 3-pointers.
“You gotta be able to guard as consistently and close to 48 minutes as possible,” Malone said.
Offensively, Jokic didn’t get much help. Paul Millsap, with 14 points, was the team’s next-leading scorer. Will Barton and Monte Morris each finished with 11. With all the injuries, reserve guard RJ Hampton played a vital role off the bench. He had seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, which included some admirable defense against Fox.
In the second half, just as it did against the Lakers, Denver’s defense betrayed it while allowing 66 points to the Kings.
“Our approach needs to be to win every possible game,” Jokic said. “We are not that good that we can give one game away.”
Before the game, Malone said he and his staff were exhausting options regarding their slow third-quarter starts. Entering Saturday, Denver ranked just 26th in the league in third-quarter scoring.
“Sometimes having a lack of focus or discipline, and getting complacent, and I don’t know why that continues to be the case,” Malone said.
For most of the third quarter, the effort was better. Jokic got scoring help from starters Morris and Millsap, but as the period dragged, the Kings started finding seams in Denver’s defense. Harrison Barnes had 13 points in the quarter alone, attacking Michael Porter Jr. in the paint and from the perimeter. The Nuggets’ ball containment plummeted, and Sacramento got inside with ease.
Jokic did his best with 13 points on 10 shots, but the supporting cast wasn’t there. The Kings scored 13 points over the final 3:18 to stake an 87-81 lead heading into the fourth.
Kings coach Luke Walton couldn’t hide his affinity for Jokic before the game. Asked what makes him so special, Walton said even on film, it’s apparent that he’d rather pass than score. He also said he should be considered among the frontrunners for MVP.
“He’s unselfish to his core,” Walton said. “It’s beautiful to watch him play.”
As the Nuggets reviewed their second-half collapse against the Lakers on Thursday night, Malone couldn’t help but wonder what the Kings thought of their porous transition defense.
“(They) must’ve been sitting watching that game drooling, excited to play us because the Kings are a top-five team in terms of transition points per game,” Malone said. “… We have to make sure offense is the beginning of our defense. We value the ball, we get quality looks, we don’t beat ourselves. Even if we don’t turn the ball over, on a shot taken, on a made basket, they’re still going to look to run the ball down our throats. De’Aaron Fox is playing incredible basketball.”
Even undermanned, the Nuggets played an encouraging first half that didn’t fuel Sacramento’s break. Denver entered the half down 53-52 despite relying heavily on guys who had barely played throughout the first quarter of the season.
Hampton, Markus Howard and Vlatko Cancar all saw productive first-half minutes that helped the Nuggets stay close without a handful of their regular rotation players. Hampton’s energy, in particular, was noticeable on the defensive end.
But forced to play without Murray, the offense naturally flowed through Jokic. He had 14 points on 10 first-half shots to go along with six assists. Even the new starters knew the golden rule of Jokic-ball: cut and he will find you.
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