The Denver Nuggets are rolling. Now, they are also well-rested and suddenly shorthanded.
The Nuggets have had four days off since they won their fifth straight game — a 122-120 home victory against the Dallas Mavericks last Sunday. They begin a three-game road trip when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is out for personal reasons.
Coach Michael Malone used just eight players against the Mavericks, knowing that the ensuing days off provided “a chance to give our guys a break mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever you need” and then “try to continue to play at this same level that we’re playing at.”
Denver swept its five-game homestand over the course of nine days. Three of the victories came by two points.
“It seems like every game goes down to the wire,” Malone said.
The winning points against Dallas came on Michael Porter Jr.’s mid-range jumper with 6.5 seconds remaining. Jokic had his fourth straight triple-double (37 points, 18 rebounds, 15 assists) and added three steals. He made 13 of 21 field-goal attempts, all three of his 3-point attempts and all eight of his free throws.
“I know we’re all running out of adjectives and ways to describe his greatness and his impact,” Malone said of Jokic. “I think the simple way is to say that he’s the best player in the world. That’s the best way to say it, in my opinion.”
Jokic is averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists but was ruled out Friday for personal reasons.
Denver hasn’t missed a beat in the absence of starting forward Aaron Gordon, who has missed the three games due to a calf strain that will sideline him for multiple weeks.
Peyton Watson has replaced him in the lineup and even though Malone said Watson’s primary role is as a defender, he has scored in double figures in all three starts and made all four of his 3-pointers against Dallas.
The short-handed Pelicans have several players taking on larger roles just as Watson has for the Nuggets.
They have lost six straight and nine of 10 after a 106-88 loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. In addition to the absence of leading scorer Zion Williamson (hamstring), New Orleans played without its top three ball-handling guards — Dejounte Murray (fractured hand), CJ McCollum (adductor) and Jose Alvarado (hamstring).
It showed as the Pelicans committed 24 turnovers, leading to a 29-4 advantage for the Thunder in points off turnovers.
“The turnovers killed us,” coach Willie Green said. “Some of the turnovers were just mistakes on our part.”
Green admitted that other turnovers were a result of Oklahoma City’s defense, which leads the NBA with an average of 19.5 forced turnovers.
Brandon Boston Jr., a shooting guard playing on a two-way contract, has been forced to take on more ball-handling and had six turnovers against the Thunder. Brandon Ingram committed eight as he continues to see added attention from defenses.
“He’s been fantastic as we go through this as a team,” Green said of Ingram. “He understands what we’re facing night in and night out. He’ll see double teams, triple teams at times. We all understand the scenario he’s in and we’ve just got to continue to push through it.”
Friday’s game is the NBA Cup opener for both Denver and New Orleans. The teams are in West Group C.
