Despite the 131-121 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 1, Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman still found some positive takeaways from the contest, including the recent improved play of forward Spencer Jones. 

“I think it’s just experience on the floor,” Adelman said during the postgame press conference. “It’s minutes. I brought this up a lot about [Jones], he shot the ball so well last year in the G League. And I know some things don’t translate if you play less minutes, because it’s a lot different to not play 30-plus minutes."

"You find your rhythm through multiple shots. But now he’s playing minutes, and he’s finding a rhythm to something he’s already been doing really well, just not here and not with us.”

Against the Mavericks, Jones scored 28 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. This marked the third consecutive game in which he tallied a career high. 

In the Nuggets’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 28, Jones’ nine points were enough for a career high. Then, against the Phoenix Suns the following day on Nov. 29, he scored 16 points to make for a new career tally. 

And finally, in last night’s contest, Jones upped his personal best by 12 points. 

“I loved [Jones’] energy tonight,” Adelman added. “He’s one of the few guys I would say really competed defensively on the ball, got into people physically, and that’s what we need more of from the other guys. So [Jones] had a career night. Unfortunately, it was a night that we just didn’t do enough on the defensive end, so we could enjoy it for him.”

Jones is averaging 4.5 points and is shooting the ball at a 56.3% clip through 16 games. He has proven, as of late, to be yet another offensive option for Denver alongside the team’s regular staples like Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.

What Happened to the Nuggets' Consistency? 

The Nuggets have endured somewhat of a topsy-turvy stretch over their last eight games, going just 4-4 since Nov. 17. 

Prior to that, Denver went on a seven-game winning streak from Nov. 3 to Nov. 15, but the Nuggets have yet to fully return to the sustained dominance they grew used to in starting their season 10-2. 

Now, their record is 14-6, which is still competitive in a Western Conference that could certainly be described as such. 

The Nuggets’ next contest is slated for 7 p.m. on Dec. 3 against the Indiana Pacers, whom Denver defeated 117-100 back on Nov. 8.