Luka Doncic put on a sensational, long-distance, one-man show, but he was no match for the Nuggets’ multifaceted balancing act.
Led by big nights from Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets cruised to a 130-104 victory over the Mavericks Monday night at Ball Arena.
“That’s who we are, we share the ball, and that’s been our identity for a long time now,” coach Michael Malone said. “Unlike some teams, we don’t just play with our teammates, we play for that guy. I think we had countless examples of a guy passing up maybe a good shot to a teammate for a great shot.
“I know that’s a cliche in this business — good to great — but it’s something we do try to live by.”
Murray, who led the Nuggets with 22 points and drained all four of his 3-point shots, said the Nuggets’ quest to repeat as NBA champions requires unselfish play.
“I just think we are trying to win … we are trying to hold everybody to a high standard and we have a lot of young guys, so (the veterans) have to lead by example,” Murray said.
Doncic, an MVP candidate who entered the game averaging 32.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, scored 38 points. He drained six of his 12 3-point attempts, even though a Nuggets defender often had a hand in his face.
Denver, which committed just eight turnovers, held a comfortable lead most of the game despite a relatively quiet night from center Nikola Jokic, its own MVP contender. Jokic took just eight shots and finished with eight points, though he did dish out seven assists and pulled down nine rebounds in just 28 minutes. Jokic entered the night averaging averaging 27 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.5 assists.
“Nikola took eight shots tonight and doesn’t have a care in the world,” Malone said. “They were doubling him in the post, they were doubling him in the pocket, but he’s not going to fight the game, he’s going to make the right play. I think that’s contagious to everybody else. I think it’s the right way to play and I love our style of basketball.”
A prime example of the Nuggets’ unselfish team chemistry came midway through the first quarter. Murray hustled the ball down the court and dished to Jokic, who deftly floated the ball to Gordon for an alley-oop jam — a scene that’s become quite familiar at Ball Arena.
Despite Doncic’s 28-point first half on 10-of-16 shooting (including 6 of 9 on 3-pointers), the Nuggets led 68-59, paced by Gordon’s 16 points. Denver’s bench had a big night, scoring a season-high 62 points.
“I thought our entire group off the bench was outstanding,” Malone said.
Gordon finished with 21 on 7-of-9 shooting. Jackson came off the bench to add 18 points in 18 minutes. Zeke Nnaji was the fourth Nuggets player in double figures, scoring 14 points.
A subplot to Monday’s game involved Jokic and Mavericks reserve forward Markieff Morris, who were facing off for the first time since Jokic decked Morris in retaliation for a perceived cheap shot on Nov. 8, 2021, when Morris played for Miami.
With 2 minutes, 39 seconds remaining in Denver’s 113-96 victory, Jokic rebounded the ball and brought it down the court, then passed off near midcourt. Morris, attempting to stop play, struck Jokic with a hard elbow to Jokic’s exposed right side as he was throwing an overhead pass.
Jokic, clearly angered by the flagrant foul, quickly went after Morris, decking him with a hard right forearm to the back. The Miami forward went down hard and missed the next 58 games due to injury. Jokic, who called his actions “stupid,” was suspended for one game.
This September, during a podcast, Morris said Jokic was “gonna get his.”
“Sucker shot,” Morris said. “That’s what we call it in my hood. … Took a sucker shot. They call it snuck. He snuck me. It was a sucker shot. He’s gonna get his though. Don’t trip.”
But nothing came of the threat, in part because Morris played just 13 minutes and scored only two points.
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