The Nuggets are keeping pace in the top 4 of their conference. Mike Malone’s men confirmed their good form – 6 wins in 7 games – by very easily defeating Sixers (144-109) still deprived of Joel Embiid.
Behind Nikola Jokic’s new triple-double (27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists), no less than four players (Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Julian Strawther) finished with 19 points or more. While Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray did not have to force their talent.
This shows the offensive reservoir of this team which played its basketball for 48 minutes. After the first quarter, the locals had scored 35 points, before stringing together two quarters in a row with 40 points or more against an overwhelmed opposing defense. At the break, however, the gap was only ten points in favor of Denver (77-67).
Which is no small thing when we know that the Nuggets have a perfect record of 15 wins in as many outings this season when they lead at halftime. Which makes them the league leaders in this area. It was especially the return to play after going to the locker room that was fatal for the visitors.
The locals signed a quick 7-0 to distance themselves and impose their rhythm a little more in transition. Michael Porter Jr. shows off his 3-point skills, Nikola Jokic his know-how inside and at the high post in his transmissions while Russell Westbrook steals a ball to finish at the circle on the counter-attack. Denver easily took a 20-point lead, and as the visitors offered no rebellion afterwards, it ended in a very big spanking.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Nuggets attack at full throttle. With 144 points scored, the Colorado players equaled their best mark of the season. Last night, they scored with disconcerting ease, whether in transition or on set plays, where they had no difficulty cutting through the opposing defensive lines. The genius of Nikola Jokic has a lot to do with it, of course, but Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray also contributed to the 39 assists generated by the Nuggets. The Sixers tried to move into the zone in the third quarter, but they did not weigh heavily defensively. They conceded 68 points in their racket, and 39 on the counterattack!
-– The good note Guerschon Yabusele. While Paul George did not weigh much in the debates and Tyrese Maxey did what he could, the Frenchman, who also combined well with “PG”, still played in an uninhibited manner. Regularly forgotten by the Nuggets on the “pick-and-roll”, he punished effectively behind the arc, and did not hesitate to impose his muscles underneath. Like his baseline dunk in the third. At the finish, a career record equaled.
– The Sixers still further from the “play-in”. By losing again, on the Nuggets floor, Nick Nurse’s men have seven defeats in a row. With above all a very mediocre record at 15 victories for 27 defeats. That’s four successes less than the Bulls, currently 10th in the East. The Sixers are traveling to Chicago on Saturday for a match not to be lost, the day after receiving the Cavs. Then, they play home games, but with a tough schedule (Lakers, Kings, Nuggets, Celtics, etc.).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
