Denver played another disastrous game on its home court, and Jokić and his team managed to allow the worst offensive team in the league to score as many as 131 points. And it cannot even be said that Dallas played that well — it was the Nuggets who played atrociously poorly, 121:131!
Coach Adelman will urgently have to change something if he intends to keep his position, because the team that drastically strengthened this summer is showing nothing close to what made everyone place them among the big favorites in the West before the season, already imagining them in the May and June battles for the title.
It is certainly an aggravating circumstance that two of the five starters (Gordon, Braun) are currently out, but this Denver, unlike last year’s, has depth, has a bench, and has enough quality and experienced players available.
In such a team, Nikola Jokić is giving his absolute maximum offensively, but one must be realistic and admit that besides him “a draft is blowing” in the paint, with opposing players easily finishing attacks and grabbing balls that Denver’s interior line should be securing.
Last night too, Jokara met and exceeded his quota, recording a triple-double with 29 points (for him a low shooting percentage (24-10, 10-3 from three)), 20 rebounds and 13 assists, but it was not enough for the final victory.
How hard it is for him and how dissatisfied he is could be seen on Jokić’s face as he was leaving the arena, face flushed, rushing to get to the locker room as quickly as possible to escape the spotlight.
A bright spot in the home team was Jones, who makes use of every opportunity, plays excellent defense, and tonight he also shined offensively, scoring 28 points (5 rebs), while Watson (15 pts, 5 rebs) was also above average.
Among the Mavericks, the leaders were the experienced Davis with 32 points (13 rebs, 4 ast), teenage star Cooper Flagg (24 pts, 8 rebs), but the engine of the team was Nembhard with 28 points and 10 assists.
Denver remains 4th in the West with a 14–6 record, while Dallas is in 11th place (7–15).
The Nuggets play their next game on Wednesday, on the road against Indiana.
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Source: Antonije Kovačević Foto: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images.jbg