The Denver Nuggets have picked up victories in their last two games, defeating the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers. 

They held the Lakers offense to 113 points on Thursday, and their overall defense has been much improved since the All-Star break. 

Prior to the All-Star break, the Nuggets had a defensive rating of 116.6, which ranked 24th in the league. 

Since the All-Star break, they have a 109.6 defensive rating, which is tenth in the league. 

The sample size is much smaller coming out of the All-Star break as the team has played only eight games compared to 55 games before the break. 

Speaking to the media after the Nuggets bested the Lakers, Jokic was asked what has changed for the team on the defensive end. 

We know what we want to do, and we're really trying to do that. We want to dictate what the offense is going to do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Our defense has been much better since the All-Star (break)," he said.

A big part of the turnaround for the Nuggets defense has been their ability to force turnovers. 

Before the All-Star break, they were dead last in the league in forcing turnovers at just 11.9 per game. That number was a .6 worse than the second worst team, the Charlotte Hornets. 

Since the deadline, that number is up to 13.6 forced turnovers per game. It's still in the bottom third of the league, but it's an improvement. 

The Nuggets' improvement on defense has come despite Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson being sidelined with hamstring injuries. 

Jokic said about Watson and Gordon, "We miss Peyton and Gordon, more on the defensive side. They are really good on offense and give us different variations on offense, but their length and ability to guard is definitely going to help us when they come back."

Gordon has been one of the most versatile players for the Nuggets since he was acquired in 2021. He can defend all five positions and has been Jokic's favorite target on offense, specifically in the dunker's spot. 

Watson stepped up when Jokic was out with a knee injury, showing his value on the offensive end as a scorer. On defense, Watson is a rangy playmaking defender with his length, averaging one steal and 1.2 blocks this season. 

Gordon is expected back on Friday, while Watson should be back sooner than later.