Recap: Nuggets take second-quarter punch from Minnesota, come back to win 123-116

The Denver Nuggets flirted with disaster throughout the game, especially in a second quarter in which they gave up 43 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Denver ultimately prevailed 123-112. Nikola Jokic again struggled with fouls in the first half (as well as verbal arguments with the referees), but finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists to drag Denver to the finish line.

Gary Harris and Will Barton combined for 28 points on a night in which Jamal Murray scored 15 points on just 7 shots, and JaMychal Green had a crucial 17 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. D’Angelo Russell had 32 points and Juancho Hernangomez returned to Denver to score 25 points and 8 tables, but that was not enough as Denver won their second straight game from Minnesota this year.

Game recap

Minnesota won the tip but Nikola Jokic got an immediate steal which turned into 2 free throws for Gary Harris. Denver gave up a practice but Millsap scored against Juancho Hernangomez. Jamal Murray hit free throws and Harris scored on a practice, but Hernangomez buried a three for a 10-8 Denver lead early. Murray had more free throws and three of his own, then a tough 2 turnaround. Will Barton tore Malik Beasley apart – showing him after a tough outing in Minnesota where Beasley brought him – and dunked for a Denver 19-10 drive.

Jokic took a foul of annoyance as he felt fouled himself and wanted to talk to the referee, a bad habit that the MVP candidate has yet to shake off, then made a turnover. But it took a lick of paint, and Barton fed Paul Millsap for another bucket. Jokic got a backhand in the glass, Harris missed a layup but earned a tip and Jokic turned him into Barton three and the Nuggets racked up 28 points with 4 minutes remaining. The Nuggets loosened up a bit with the basketball in the first (and Jokic had his second foul) but that was their only real flaw because that Jokic-to-Green rebound pass was special:

The Nuggets played JaMychal Green down center for the final 2 minutes of the first and – with Murray securing time with the bench unit and despite the cold on the pitch – finished the quarter with an assist from Monte Morris to Green for a dunk and a 34-22 lead nugget.

Denver started the second quarter with a 24-second clock violation and a few too many assists, but Green hit a three and Facundo Campazzo blew through Reid for a layup. Murray orchestrated the offense for open shots and foul shots, and Green buried another deep shot for a 43-29 lead in Denver. Millsap got a great tip and then the Jokic-Campazzo connection paid off with an acrobatic hook-up. Anthony Edwards got Jokic in a poster dunk, but Denver still had a 14-point lead halfway through the quarter.

Minnesota then went on an 11-4 run thanks to some turnovers and no-calls on Jokic, and a pair of threes from D’Angelo Russell and Juancho Hernangomez closed it at 55-48 Denver. Jokic was later called in for a tech to do a pull on the rim after a dunk – something that was considered a mythical feat for the Denver center, like killing the Lernean Hydra or getting the Golden Apples from the Hesperides. . Here’s something special, folks:

It was well worth the tech, but Jokier then got another tech for yelling at the refs for not fouling him, then got his third foul on a cheap call from an angry referee to get him to sit them down. Last 2 minutes as Minnesota. kept coming in, finishing a 30-6 run in the second quarter to give up the entire lead and nothing but turnovers and fouls for Denver. Juancho murdered Denver in the first half with 21 points, Jarred Vanderbilt played as Draymond Green against his old team, and Denver lost 65-62 at halftime.

The Nuggets came out for the second half looking unhappy, but Minnesota looked loose and ready, and despite Jokic’s orchestration, the Nuggets couldn’t close the gap. Russell and Hernangomez kept hitting, creating an 11-6 in Minnesota to extend their lead to 8. The Nuggets took a time out, rallied and found an effort from both sides. Barton hit a three, Jokic finally got the free throws he wanted, and Denver at least challenged shots (a weird Murray duck before he was put aside). A Harris float and a Barton snap reduced Minnesota’s lead to just 2 at 82-80. Denver couldn’t get over the bump though, exchanging baskets while the starters were there and trying to keep up with Vanderbilt’s bustle of Minny and others.

Denver worked their way to the free throw line as fouls piled up against Minnesota, but they missed 10 with 15 minutes left in the game. Still, a steal from Barton led to a PJ Dozier layup and a draw at 87. Green hit a three to ultimately get Denver to the lead in the third, but Russell responded for Minnesota. The bench without Jokic started to falter, however, and Jokic came back with a minute left in the quarterback and responded to three Timberwolves with one of his own. Still, the quarter ended with Denver in the same position: still behind by 3 at 96-93.

The Timberwolves started the quarter with two back-to-back baskets before Jokic got a pair of bank shots and Monte Morris buried a three for his first bucket of the game to tie it to 100. Both teams had empty possessions and rushed, but Jokic got a pushback. and the Nuggets started to grind. Campazzo scored on a drive, Jokic blocked a drive and then got Barton a nice assist on a 15-0 run in Denver and a 108-100 lead. Denver had great defensive energy with Jokic turning down Minnesota’s smaller players in the paint. Vanderbilt eventually scored for Minnesota but Jokic forced the 5th quarterback foul on the Timberwolves and came to the line with just over 5 minutes to go. Minnesota started pushing for their own points in the paint, but the Nuggets continued to build offense, including a phenomenal no-no-no-YES game where a stray pass to Murray was pointed out to Harris who passed to Barton for the finish.

The Nuggets retired but couldn’t pull away from a spirited Timberwolves team, missing key opportunities to extend the lead. But Jokic ultimately crushed the Timberwolves throughout the quarter, keeping that lead above six, ending with a 30-20 fourth quarter and attempting a much needed 123-116 victory.

Final thoughts

– Doing back to back Not all NBA teams get Jokic respect from referees. I can’t think of a top 10 player in the league who got this lack of whistle against non-star defenders hacked him for a very long time, and that’s consistent with Nikola. Marc Gasol might have been close, but he wasn’t the player Jokic is. It’s maddening, honestly, to see him get hacked without a whistle and it already cost Denver a win already this year (the first game of the Sacramento Kings).

I’m not sure which movie needs to go to the NBA or what kind of fines Michael Malone needs to rack up in his post-game talks, but since I don’t expect the former to do any good and I don’t don’t. Expect Malone to pay out of pocket to criticize referees or take in techs, Jokic is going to have to figure out how to stay focused on the game. Tonight was blatant in the first half, however.

– If Jokic is not turned on, the rest of the team also has trouble concentrating. The Timberwolves scored 43 points in the second quarter, and botched turnovers and poor execution were a scourge team-wide. No one could calm the team, neither the coaches nor the players. That’s the problem when your star is distracted by the officials and interesting no-calls that keep the Timberwolves racing. The Nuggets couldn’t stop the race, however, and that’s a bigger problem going forward. They must contain the damage and tonight, in the second quarter, taxes have burst.

– Some of the actors in Denver stepped in at the appropriate time. Will Barton had excellent defense against Malik Beasley in the first quarter, getting him out of his game and disrupting his pace. With Jamal Murray taking just 7 shots on the night, someone had to score and Barton’s 18s, JaMychal’s 17s on the bench (and three 3-pointers) and Facundo Campazzo harassing D’Angelo Russell on the straight and in scoring 11 big points helped spell the difference. For as much of a heartache as the bench had this year – and rightly so – they had crucial performances to help a starting unit that all finished in double digits.