Nuggets coach Mike Malone had a right to be concerned heading into Tuesday nightap game against the .
“Everyone right now is telling us how good we are,” he said Tuesday.
Whereas last year Tuesday’s game – sandwiched between Golden State and the – would have been rife for a letdown, the Nuggets never trailed and trounced the Kings 126-112.
At 4-0, itap their best start since the 2009-10 season, when they began 5-0. Though the defense snapped its franchise streak of holding opponents to under 100 points, the dormant offense came alive.
The Nuggets were up 112-87 with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and cruised from there. It was a dominant performance on the offensive end – more like last season’s Nuggets than this year’s version, which entered Tuesday with the league’s best defense. The Nuggets pounded the paint with 72 points and found their mark with a season-high 11 3-pointers.
Eight players, including four of five starters finished with double-digit nights, and Denver’s bench produced for the second consecutive game. Perhaps most encouraging was that , who has been battling nagging ankle injuries, had 14 of his team-high 19 in the third quarter and found his offensive rhythm. Murray knocked down two 3-pointers without hesitation after his 0-of-9 shooting performance in Sunday’s win over Golden State.
“I made a concerted effort to go to him to start the third quarter, get him going, get him back into the game, and obviously he did in a big way,” Malone said.
’s offense came around as well as he finished with 15 points. finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, which came on the heels of his third career Western Conference player of the week award. Tuesday morning multiple Nuggets deemed him the top center in the NBA.
“I’m rolling with him every night of the week, 10 times out of 10 times,” said, who had 18 of his own. “I’m rolling with him for sure.”
Jokic, one of the most underrated players in the NBA, may not be the only Nuggets player not garnering respect.
“Maybe, I mean we always think he is (underrated),” Malone said of Harris. “I think he has the respect of his peers in the NBA. They know what Gary is all about, and when they have to compete against him, they know what they’re in for that night.”
The Kings, now 1-3, haven’t held an opponent to under 120 points in any of their games.
Malone said his message to his team was to not overlook the Kings.
“Itap never about who we’re playing, itap about us coming in with the right mindset and challenging ourselves to play to a high standard regardless of our opponent,” Malone said. “You have a great win against Golden State. You don’t want to give that win back.”
Harris and Jokic carried the Nuggets in the first half as they built a 68-55 lead. Harris led the Nuggets with 16 on 7 of 10 from the field as Denver shot 59 percent. Jokic logged a first-half double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Both carried the offense for stretches.
The Nuggets are still adjusting to life without , who had surgery on Tuesday to repair hip and core muscles. He’ll be re-evaluated in six weeks. In the meantime, itap their offense that has looked out of sorts since the season started. They entered Tuesday’s game with the fewest 3-pointers made (7.7 per game) in the NBA.
The Nuggets had a strong first quarter behind Harris and Jokic, the two most consistent players of the young season. Harris actively hunted for his shot, shredding the Kings’ defense for 11 points on jumpers and drives. Jokic added seven points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Nuggets’ primary facilitator.
