The Nuggets Show Absolutely No Mercy In Portland

The Nuggets scored 157 points in Portland on Friday Night. That was the most ever in franchise history on the road. Not only that, the 157-103 beatdown was a scorigami, a score that has never happened before.

It was a shaky night for Denver at first. The game started 10-2 in favor of Portland, and it looked a little dicey for Nikola Jokic and company. That lead quickly vanished midway through the first, and the Nuggets never looked back.

In the first half, the visitors scored 41 in each quarter. The game was a laugher at halftime as it was 82-53 for the Nuggets. Their shooting splits are out of this world.

Denver shot 57.3% frm the field and 51.2% from three on 41 attempts from beyond the arc. Their offense has been the best in the league so far, and this game just confirmed it.

Four out of the five starters had a plus/minus of at least +39. Six players scored more than 10 points. Jokic and Murray, after a rough game against the Los Angeles Clippers, combined for 57 points.

The duo recorded a 25 point five rebound, and five-assist game each for the 18th time in NBA history. That is four more than any other duo in the last ten years.

Righting The Ship?

It’s been a weird couple of weeks for the Nuggets. Since Jokic’s return, they have gone 4-5. In the 16 games he missed, the team went 10-6, so it was weird to see them take a step back when he came back.

In fairness, a lot of the games came down to the wire in this mini slump. Of the five losses, three of them were within three points, and the fourth one was a game in overtime. The only loss they suffered was to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who thoroughly outplayed them.

After so many brutal losses like the Clippers game, Denver needed a game like this. A reminder to the league that they are among the elites, no matter what. I feel like people were forgetting that, especially the oddsmakers.

The Nuggets came into the game as 1.5-point underdogs in Portland. That’s pretty rare when Jokic and Murray are healthy. They needed to send a quick reminder to everyone that their little slump was not going to derail their season.

There are two encouraging signs for this Denver team. Christian Braun is slowly but surely getting his confidence back. He’s been in double figures four of the last five games, which included a 20-point game right before the break.

The other thing is that Julian Strawther might be for real. He has scored 10+ points in his last seven games and 18+ in four of the last five. His emergence was not on the cards.

The Nuggets acquired veteran bench talent to bolster that squad. Now, however, the young talent is hitting its stride in Peyton Watson and Strwather. I am convinced that seeding is not going to matter for this team.

If Denver is fully healthy come postseason time, only the Thunder stands a chance in the west.

End Of My Nuggets Rant

The Nuggets came out with a statement on Friday night. Is this a sign that they will go on a little run here? Or was this a blip on the radar?

After the game against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon, the team has a tough stretch. Denver hosts the Boston Celtics, then goes to OKC and hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’s time to ratchet up for the final stretch of the season.