THE The Denver Nuggets have had a considerably unusual season thus far, as they’ve struggled to play their finest basketball for prolonged durations of time. Wednesday night time was a type of unhealthy nights because the Nuggets have been defeated by the Phoenix Suns 110-100 on Christmas Eve.
Star huge man Nikola Jokic performed at a excessive stage Wednesday night time in Phoenix, scoring 25 factors and including 15 rebounds. Nevertheless, just a few of his Nuggets teammates appeared sleepwalking all through the sport and did not play properly, permitting the Suns to tug away within the second half.
At a number of factors on this and different video games, Jokic was visibly pissed off with the workforce’s play and among the errors his teammates made. It is not one thing Jokic has been recognized for all through his profession, but it surely confirmed up a number of occasions this yr because the Nuggets struggled to seek out their footing.
On one event earlier within the season, Jokic’s frustration summarized in a post-match interview after a victory towards the Golden State Warriors on December 3.
“We will shock everybody in a great way and a foul manner,” Jokic stated after that match. “Actually everybody.”
Throughout Wednesday night time’s sport, there have been a number of situations the place a turnover from a teammate prompted a response from the large man. When ahead Michael Porter Jr. threw the ball within the third quarter, Jokic raised his hand and yelled one thing whereas working again on protection.
Nuggets may want a enterprise shakeup to return to contender standing
In some methods, the Denver Nuggets method appears quite a bit like what it is appeared like during the last 5 or so seasons since Jokic turned among the best gamers in basketball. The Nuggets win his minutes when he is on the ground and lose their minutes with him off the courtroom, and he is nonetheless some of the dominant offensive gamers in basketball.
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The distinction is that the Nuggets not getting the identical manufacturing from Jokic’s teammates as they’ve completed lately. Jamal Murray has seen his play crumble this season as he battles accidents and struggles to get going. Michael Porter Jr. has been inconsistent at occasions. Aaron Gordon was banged up. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is in Orlando.
Merely put, it is troublesome for Jokic to do rather more with what he will get from others, and so a commerce may very well be on the horizon. THE The Nuggets have been linked to Bulls guard Zach LaVine on the commerce market, and the prolific scorer would give this Nuggets workforce some juice and offensive creation. Any deal for LaVine would possible contain sending Porter Jr. within the commerce.
The Nuggets are gifted sufficient to compete even when they do not make a deal, however standing nonetheless places them vulnerable to losing one other yr of getting the most effective participant in basketball. I am unsure Calvin Sales space and firm will accept that.
