Not even the terrifyingly territorial wingspan of Victor Wembanyama can enter the House of Jokic and prevail.
When the Nuggets need a win — and they needed one badly Sunday — Ball Arena is their old reliable, always waiting for them with open arms back at altitude. They are 8-0 at home this season after a 132-120 rout of the Spurs in Wembanyama’s first visit to the Front Range.
The highly touted rookie registered 22 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and six steals, but Nikola Jokic managed to win the opening tip against all 7 feet and 4 inches of Wembanyama, foreshadowing the next two hours. Jokic piled up an efficient 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to hand San Antonio its 12th consecutive loss.
The Nuggets’ only three wins in the last eight games have come against teams with losing streaks of five or more games. But never mind the opponent: They needed this one coming off a 1-4 road trip that ended with group stage elimination from the in-season tournament. Especially with three more road games waiting in the next six days, starting Monday at the Clippers in a back-to-back.
“Last year we only had 19 road wins, and that was a point of emphasis going into this year,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “… We have to find a way to be more competitive on the road, and it starts with our defense.”
The Nuggets (11-6) outscored the Spurs 64-46 in the paint in a return to form. They got bounce-back performances from Michael Porter Jr. (25 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3) and Reggie Jackson (20 points, seven rebounds, six assists).
A 20-point lead opened up in the second quarter, but it was 12 by halftime and seven when Malone called a timeout two minutes into the third. Denver responded with a 14-2 run to stretch the lead back to 19 at the halfway point of the quarter.
After Friday’s loss in Houston wrapped up the dismal road trip, Malone told his players he planned to make changes to the rotation because he was seeing too many “empty minutes” off the bench. A right heel strain caused Aaron Gordon to miss Sunday’s game and might have also interrupted Malone’s vow, but his depth chart at the four was noteworthy nonetheless. Justin Holiday replaced Gordon in the starting lineup, so Michael Porter Jr. started at the four, guarding Wembanyama.
Second behind Porter was Zeke Nnaji, sharing the floor with Jokic while DeAndre Jordan eventually backed up Jokic at center. But Nnaji picked up two fouls in his 1:06 on the floor, planting him back on the bench and forcing Malone to go small around Jokic for the remainder of Porter’s rest minutes.
Peyton Watson, seemingly the odd man out in this version of Denver’s bench, ended up starting the second quarter whether by plan or necessity. His minutes were characterized by a tangible increase in energy after he was prone to disappearing throughout the road trip. He soared for a block on a corner 3-pointer and fearlessly went after Wembanyama with the ball in his hands, even if those attacks often turned out poorly. In two stints, he was one of the best hustle players on the floor for either team, finishing with a pair of blocks, a pair of assists and a floater that somehow got over Wembanyama’s outstretched arms.
“I think the best way to go at a guy like that is to go right through his chest and be aggressors,” Malone said. “And we tell our guards, when you’re driving into the paint against a guy like Victor Wembanyama, you have to get the ball up on the rim, because he’s coming to block the shot. … You’ve done your job if you draw him to you and look for the late pass or the kick-out, but both those things are predicated on us getting the ball in the paint.”
Jordan was making his second appearance this season, and the minutes were productive. After giving Jokic a six-minute rest in the first half, the 35-year-old went to the bench with six points (despite an 0-for-3 at the foul line), five rebounds and a handful of respectable defensive possessions against Wembanyama.
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