Jokic demands honest accountability after a dominant win.
The Denver Nuggets needed this one.
After going just 1-2 coming out of the All-Star break, including a tough loss to a shorthanded Golden State Warriors team on Sunday, Denver delivered one of their most complete performances of the season Wednesday night at Ball Arena in a 103-84 blowout win over the Boston Celtics.
Jokic Sends a Message to His Team
After the game, the three-time MVP was asked about internal accountability, and his response said a lot about where his head is at.
"That's how it's supposed to be because this is our team," Jokic said. "It's just us. Nobody else is going to come and do the job for us. So, if you want to be better, we need to be honest with each other."
Those words carry extra weight given what this team has gone through lately.
The Nuggets dropped six of their last nine games heading into Wednesday, and their struggles in close games have been a recurring theme all season.
Denver is just 14-15 in clutch situations and 6-13 when Jokic is on the floor.
After Sunday's loss to the Warriors, Jokic admitted he was "definitely concerned" about the pattern, so his call for honesty felt like a natural next step.
Jokic Backs It Up With Another Big Night
Even on an off shooting night, Jokic showed why he is the best player in the world.
He finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while going 11-of-28 from the field and 4-of-13 from three.
It was far from efficient, but his presence on the glass and ability to spark Denver's transition offense kept the Nuggets in control.
On the season, Jokic is averaging 28.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 10.4 assists, continuing to build an MVP-caliber case.
The Nuggets trailed by a point at halftime but flipped the game late in the third quarter.
Denver closed the period on an 11-0 run and extended it to 15-0 into the fourth, turning a tight game into a blowout that saw Boston's starters pulled early.
Denver Gets It Done Without Murray
Denver played most of the game without Jamal Murray, who left in the first quarter due to illness after just eight minutes.
Murray has been one of the best guards in the league this season at 25.5 points and 7.5 assists per game, and his early exit forced head coach David Adelman to lean on his bench. Tim Hardaway Jr. stepped up with 14 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 11 on 5-of-7 shooting.
The win moved the Nuggets to 37-22, keeping them in the thick of a tightly packed Western Conference just percentage points behind Houston for the third seed. The Celtics fell to 38-20.
What Comes Next for Denver
Jokic's postgame words were not about pointing fingers, moreso about raising the bar.
Wednesday's defensive effort held Boston to a season-low 84 points and showed what this group can do when they bring that intensity on both ends.
Denver heads to Oklahoma City on Friday for a big test against the Thunder.
If the Nuggets want to clean up their late-game issues before the playoffs, Jokic's call for honesty might be exactly what they need.