The Denver Nuggets were able to get a second win in a row by beating the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, 128-112 for their second-straight win. Below are my takeaways and key performances:
Jokic’s Triple-Double
After failing to reach a triple-double in Denver’s 121-115 comeback win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, Nikola Jokic effectively filled up the stat sheet against the Trail Blazers.
Jokic logged 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists to power his team to victory and log his 35th triple-double of the season. In 35 minutes of play, he went 10-18 from the field.
The first half is when Jokic did most of his damage as he scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out eight assists. This season, he is averaging 28.1 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.5 assists through 55 games; making his performance on Friday an anomaly and his effort on Sunday indicative of a return to form.
Cam Johnson’s Hot Hand
Statistically, Cam Johnson’s first season in a Nuggets uniform has gone well.
He has averaged 11.7 points per game on 42.3% shooting through 45 games — filling his role as a perimeter wing threat. On Sunday, he could hardly miss a shot.
Johnson logged 19 points while going 7-10 from the field and 5-7 from 3-point range in less than 30 minutes on the floor. He also added two steals in the win.
In Wednesday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Johnson produced a similar performance (20 PTS, 5-6 3PT), but Sunday yielded better results for his team.
Defense
The Nuggets were able to make it hard enough on Portland’s offense, which aided in their double-digit victory.
The Trail Blazers hit only 43.3% of their field goal attempts; over half of which came from the perimeter. Portland attempted 50 3-pointers and only converted 16 of them (32%).
The only effective player from beyond the arc for the Trail Blazers was third year forward Toumani Camara, who hit four of his six 3-point attempts and five of his eight shots overall for 16 points.
Getting Out on the Break and Working the Paint
When it came to transition opportunities, the Nuggets made the Trail Blazers pay.
Denver was able to outscore Portland in fastbreak points, 27-9. In other areas of the postgame team comparison, things were close. However, the Nuggets were able to create such a disparity in this category helped them tremendously.
Additionally, the Nuggets were able to outscore the Trail Blazers in the paint, 54-46. Of the three team comparison categories regarding points, Denver only fell short to Portland in second chance points, 14-8.
Where do They Stand and Who is Next?
At 44-28, the Nuggets remain in fifth place in the Western Conference. They currently have a half game lead for their position over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they are right on the heels of the Houston Rockets for the fourth seed.
Denver has 10 regular season games remaining with plenty of upcoming challenges filling various spots on the schedule. With games against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and other playoff bound teams, the Nuggets will have to work hard to maintain or improve their standing.