If the Nuggets need a just-in-case formula to win big games without Jamal Murray, look no further.
Just make every single 3-pointer, open or contested.
Denver drained 21 of 33 attempts Sunday, a season-high 63.6%, en route to a 130-101 bounce-back win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena. With seven regular-season games remaining, the Nuggets (52-23), Timberwolves and Thunder remain within half a game of one another for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Relishing a difficult post matchup against Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Nikola Jokic amassed 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists. He had his 128th career triple-double by the end of the third quarter, moving him within 10 of Magic Johnson for third in NBA history.
But in order to snap a two-game skid without Murray (various leg afflictions), the Nuggets needed role players to cash in on the receiving end of Jokic’s facilitating after an 8-for-28 night from 3-point range Friday against Minnesota. Cleveland is characterized by a similarly suffocating half-court defense with multiple imposing bigs, but the difference this time started with the Nuggets’ outside shooting.
Reggie Jackson was 5 of 5 for 19 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 6 of 9 for 22. Michael Porter Jr., generally Denver’s second scoring option when Murray is missing, converted another 3 of 5 shots beyond the arc for 19.
The defending champions — 40-14 this season when Murray plays — improved to 12-9 without him.
Jokic wasn’t a sure bet to play either after coach Michael Malone voiced concern with the two-time MVP’s right wrist Friday night. Malone claimed to be surprised Jokic played at all against Minnesota, but the wrist was no longer bandaged as Jokic took the floor for the Easter matinee.
Christian Braun (0) of the Denver Nuggets drives on Marcus Morris Sr. (24) of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“There’s always times when you have to protect players from themselves,” Malone said Sunday when asked about the dynamic between himself and Jokic on matters of whether to play through minor injuries. “He’s prideful, he’s tough, and in his Serbian heritage, he never wants to sit down. He never wants to rest. And if you really took a deep look into his nine years, how many games Nikola Jokic has missed compared to other marquee players, it’s just incredible, his availability.”
Jokic’s six rest minutes to start the second quarter were the only troubling stretch for the Nuggets. Cleveland outscored them 19-11, a margin that might have been worse if not for Jackson’s shot-making. Then Jokic returned, and a lineup without a point guard turned a four-point deficit into a 65-56 halftime lead, fueled by a seven-point surge for Christian Braun. The starters opened the third quarter on a 15-2 run.
Evan Mobley led the Cavs with 23 efficient points, but the Nuggets supplied a more complete defensive effort than Friday, excluding the sluggish first three minutes of the game that prompted a quick Malone timeout. Cleveland guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were held to a combined 18 points on 5 for 20 shooting.
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