The Denver Nuggets defeated the Indiana Pacers 117-100 in a game where both teams were missing starters. With Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon out for precautionary reasons on the second night of a back-to-back, the Nuggets handled their business against the injury-stricken Pacers. Indiana fought hard but just didn’t have the scoring power to keep up with Denver when the Nuggets went on their runs. Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists to pace the Nuggets, while Peyton Watson had 16 and Cam Johnson added 12 with 4 assists as starters, and Tim Hardaway Jr. put in 17 for the bench.
The Pacers got 25 from Aaron Nesmith and 22 from Andrew Nembhard, but Denver’s wings held Pascal Siakam to 14 points on 16 shots and the Pacers ran out of firepower in the second half. Denver now heads out on a three-game road trip starting in Sacramento, but going 4-0 on the homestand is a great standard to set for their season early.
Game Flow
The Nuggets opened the game with a couple of turnovers from Jokic, followed by a pair of Jokic assists to Jalen Pickett and Peyton Watson. Watson had a monster dunk but Jarace Walker scored right back on Watson and then Andrew Nembhard had a pull-up jumper off a Pickett turnover to give Indiana the 7-6 lead. Watson and Christian Braun missed shots before Jokic cleaned upon the glass for a bucket. Walker had a Pacers bucket, Jokic turned the ball over but then dunked the next time down, but the Pacers were more aggressive early and fought hard on the offensive glass. Watson fumbled a Jokic pass for Denver’s fifth early turnover and giving more free throws to Indiana. Tim Hardaway Jr. came on and immediately hit a corner 3 for the Nuggets, then Braun got to the line for free throws on one possession and finished a traditional 3-point play in transition the next. to put Denver up 19-14. Watson bricked one three but then took a nice hook pass from Jokic for a corner three. Spencer Jones had a wonderful block for Denver, then found THJ for a last second three, and Joker had a great baseline spinning hook shot. A beautiful backcut dime from Jokic to Hardaway completed a dominant close to the quarter for the Nuggets and gave them a 31-18 lead.
Jonas Valanciunas hit a step-back to open the second, and Julian Strawther answered Indiana’s bucket with what was thought to be a last-second floater but overturned on review. Bruce Brown hit a drive, Val got blocked on what should have been a foul but got his own block in return that turned into a Spencer Jones dunk. Jones hit a three, Brown got blocked but Jonas got another in return and Hardaway buried a transition 3 to make it 43-25. The bench got a little winded but still handed most of the starters a 16 point lead when they returned. Jokic and Big Val stayed on the court together briefly while Cam drove the hoop for a 3-point play. Cam Johnson airballed a 3 but got back on defense and drew a charge. Nesmith made a three for Indiana, CB missed a wide open one, but Joker got free throws to make it 50-34. Jokic missed a drive but got a rebound on defense and connected with Watson for a transition dunk. Nesmith and Bradley made shots trying to keep Indiana in reach, and Pickett missed a drive at the 2 minute mark. Indiana cut the deficit to 10 with free throws from a high of 19, but Braun got a steal and Joker got to the line. Nembhard hit a three in the closing seconds, Watson tried to do too much and got called for a charge as Denver finished up 56-47.
Pascal Siakam came out angry, scoring 5 of Indiana’s first 7 points of the half, but Jokic and Watson answered back at the rim for Denver. Jackson got free throws for the Pacers, Braun had a nice drive, but then missed a three as the refs called shooting fouls in Indiana’s favor to start the second half, to the point that Aaron Gordon got a tech for yelling at the refs even though he wasn’t in the game. Indiana closed to 64-61, forcing a Denver timeout. Jokic had a couple of buckets and Cam Johnson finished a pair of drives at the rim including a really tough finish through pressure. Nembhard and Watson exchanged traditional 3-point plays and Hardaway had a great long three out of a transition started by Johnson for an 11-3 run and an 81-69 lead for Denver. Cam Johnson had a great pass to CB for a finish, then Watson had yet another dunk in transition. Jokic had a season-high in turnovers as the Nuggets remained careless with the ball. Bruce Brown had a nice drive and finish but the Pacers kept fighting and getting free throws, then pressuring the Nuggets down the court. THJ hit a curl three though, and Valanciunas came in with an immediate block and finish on the other end. Spencer Jones got a steal, and Bruce Brown fought through contact to get his own rebound and a putback to give Denver a 95-82 lead going into the 4th.
Julian Strawther hit a great one-handed finish to open the fourth for the Nuggets, then snagged a rebound. Julian had a finish-and-one to get Denver 100 points and a 14 point lead, and Valanciunas had a soft finish. Jokic got back in the game and got free throws, a steal and an assist on a Watson dunk in the span of 30 seconds, then made a deep three to go up 21. The refs then made it all about them for about 10 minutes of real time, but when basketball was finally allowed to be played again Julian had another nice floater. Julian then airballed but Jokic got back to the free throw line as he secured the victory for Denver despite the fouls and poor pacing of the half.
Final Thoughts
-Denver’s mortal enemy really is turnovers. 10 first half giveaways only cost them 8 points, but it also cost them the opportunities to utilize their high-powered offense to score more points. Jokic had 8 of Denver’s 16 total turnovers himself, and really those were the only times the game really bogged down for them (other than when the refs got whistle-happy). When the Nuggets take care of the ball it’s just that much harder to catch up to them.
-Peyton Watson’s offense can still be an adventure, but he showed up on defense. Pascal Siakam was 1-for-10 with a turnover in the first half as both Watson and Spencer Jones hounded him. Flexing that defense against the only real star Indiana was able to put in the game was a good showcase for Watson, and proof that Denver’s big wing defense can hold up without Aaron Gordon in the game. Watson and Jones are going to have key roles on defense this season, and it’s good to see them get turnovers and transition buckets and look to impact the game and start Denver’s attack by shutting down the opponents.
-Cam Johnson might not be making jump shots, but he should have the ball in his hands more. He’s got a better handle than most of Denver’s wings, he has really good vision developed as the lead ball-handler for the Nets, and he just plays more confidently when he is forced to make read-and-react decisions with the ball in his hands instead of repositioning around the perimeter and trying to fit in. Don’t fit in, Cam – stand out. He is not MPJ and Denver is better when he is using more of his skills rather than hoping he morphs into simply a deadeye catch-and-shoot distance sniper immediately.
