After completing a back-to-back series with Oklahoma City, Denver lost the first game this weekend but then took sweet revenge on Monday evening with a 140-127 win. The Nuggets dropped the most amount of points any team have scored against the Thunder during this present campaign.
Not only is OKC the best record in the Western Conference, they are also the NBA’s best defense, which just goes to show how the Colorado club has been improving throughout the season. Denver has now an incredible 12-1 on “no-rest” games, which are matches on consecutive nights.
Every single Nuggets player contributed immensely to this victory, as the team shot 60.5% from the field, 56.3% from beyond the arc, and 90% from the free-throw line. “Big-time response,” said Michael Malone. “You talk about everyone contributing, this was everyone stepping up and making big plays.”
As usual, Nikola Jokic led the way with 35 points that came off 15-of-20 shooting, plus 18 rebounds, and 8 assists to his name. The Serbian big man became the first player to ever post these stats on 75% shooting with only one turnover or less. “There’s a reason he’s the best player in the world,” his coach said. “He can dominate in so many different ways and forms.”
On the other hand, Jamal Murray followed with 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting and 3-of-7 from range. “Jamal was aggressive. He looked very comfortable out there,” Malone assessed. “He was finding his spots, stepping into his shots, and shooting it with confidence.”
After the match, Nikola admitted that he was playing the best basketball of his career, which is true considering he’s averaging 28.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for Denver this 2024-25 season, while shooting 57.7% from the field and 43.0% from threes.
“This is my third or fourth year in a row so… I can’t control it… I will say I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life, so if that’s enough, it’s enough,” Jokic said after beating the Thunder. “If not, the guy deserves it. He’s really amazing.”
