Bruce Brown returned to Denver for the first time since winning the NBA Finals last season. He received his championship ring before the game started. His former teammates made sure to give him his congrats and show they missed him on the team.
Brown had a great game in his return, adding a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out six assists. He led the Pacers in scoring and rebounding, but it ultimately fell short as the Nuggets won 117-109.
Nuggets’ Positives
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to the win, unsurprisingly. He dropped a near triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Jokic also happened to shoot 12/13 from the field. Over the last nine contests, Jokic has managed to miss one shot or less in six of those games. SIX GAMES! In that span he’s shooting 81% from the field while averaging over 11 shots a game. There are not enough words to describe Jokic’s greatness.
The Nuggets’ starting lineup showed out Sunday, proving yet again their championship pedigree. The starters combined to shoot 42/60, a staggering 70% from the field. Michael Porter Jr. was on fire from the three-point line shooting 7/11 from the arc. He also had 8 boards and added 5 assists, tying a career-high. Aaron Gordon sneakily added a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jamal Murray also contributed with 25 points and eight assists.
It is clear the Nuggets’ starting lineup is one of, if not, the best starting lineups in the NBA yet again. They are clearly primed for another deep playoff run and have proved they can flip a switch when they want. There is currently not another team in the league with more chemistry than the Nuggets’ starting five, especially on the offensive end.
Nuggets’ Negatives
The Nuggets played sloppy in the contest. They had 18 turnovers in the game, with Jokic and Murray combining for 12 of those. Although this was an issue in this game, the Nuggets are currently the fifth best team in turnovers per game, so it doesn’t raise any red flags.
Bench inconsistency is still an issue for the Nuggets. They clearly miss Bruce Brown and his reliability, but there is still upside. There has yet to be a lineup that has clearly cemented themselves as official backups. Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan continue to see minutes interchangeably as both have been wildly inconsistent. Peyton Watson and Christian Braun continue to see inconsistencies on the offensive side of the floor especially, but both have proven they belong in the rotation.
Overall the Nuggets played very solid and handled business against a depleted team. Their next game is Tuesday in Philadelphia.
