Denver finally played a game to Michael Malone’s liking, defeating Phoenix convincingly 117-90! The key was the third quarter, won 45-28, allowing Nikola Jokić to rest a bit – everything was resolved in time.
An interesting and unusual stat is that Jokić finished the game with only two rebounds.
It’s as if Denver took out its frustration on Phoenix after the oscillations, uncertainty, and drama against Portland and the Pelicans. Portland defeated the Nuggets, while the weak Pelicans severely harassed Denver and fell only after overtime.
Michael Malone’s voice grew louder, and there was more and more talk of trades (including Bogdan Bogdanović to Colorado), but he got the desired reaction against Phoenix.
Nikola Jokić casual cooking tf out of Plumlee pic.twitter.com/D1astJLFoQ
— Tatiana (@Tatianaclinares) December 24, 2024
Although the Suns started the game better and had a slight advantage until the end of the first quarter, Denver took over in the continuation, although they couldn’t significantly pull away on the scoreboard. The Colorado team went into halftime with a +4 lead.
The third quarter, which has often been fatal for Denver this season, finally gave the right result, with a big surge. They first went up by double digits, then to +24 at 95-71. Moreover, Denver scored a whopping 45 points in the third quarter, compared to Phoenix’s 28.
This gave Michael Malone the luxury of resting Nikola Jokić, who has played a large number of games in which he had to give his all in terms of minutes. There were few games with the comfort of allowing the best player on the planet to relax and spend a little more time on the bench, and now the opportunity has presented itself.
Jokić finished the game with 32 points, seven assists, and only two rebounds. The Sombor native spent 29:44 minutes on the court, shooting 12/17 from the field, hitting four of six three-pointers, and going 4/5 from the free-throw line. He lost one ball and had no steals or blocks. Porter added 24 points and six rebounds, along with four assists.
Gordon had 12 points, while Westbrook had 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Pickett was also in double figures with 11 points and eight assists. In Phoenix, Booker and Durant had 23 points each, and they were the only ones in double figures.
On December 26th, Denver will face the Suns again, but this time on the road. After that, Jokić will play two home games against Cleveland and Detroit on December 28th and 29th, followed by a visit to Utah on December 31st. In his first game of 2025, he will host Atlanta and Bogdan Bogdanović.
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Source: Sportal; Photo: AP Photo/David Zalubowski