**ESPN:** [recap](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401469041) – [boxscore](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469041) – [gamecast](https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401469041) | **NBA.com:** [boxscore](https://www.nba.com/game/0022200886) – [shotchart](https://www.nba.com/game/0022200886/game-charts)
||**Q1**|**Q2**|**Q3**|**Q4**|**Final**||
|:—|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|
**DEN**|**31**|**25**|**33**|**26**|**115**|[](/DEN)|
**CLE**|**26**|**31**|**34**|**18**|**109**|[](/CLE)|
**Team**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
[](/DEN)**DEN**|**39-84 (46.4)**|**17-36 (47.2)**|**20-23 (87.0)**|**18**|**47**|**30**|**16**|**7**|**2**|**20**|**115**|
[](/CLE)**CLE**|**43-89 (48.3)**|**6-26 (23.1)**|**17-20 (85.0)**|**12**|**40**|**24**|**10**|**10**|**2**|**21**|**109**|
**[](/DEN)DEN**|**Min**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|**+/-**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
M. Porter Jr.^^SF|28:47|8-14 (57.1)|6-10 (60.0)|3-3 (100.0)|2|6|0|1|0|0|0|25|+13|
V. Cancar^^PF|26:12|3-6 (50.0)|1-2 (50.0)|3-3 (100.0)|2|3|1|0|0|0|2|10|+9|
N. Jokic^^C|35:51|8-13 (61.5)|2-2 (100.0)|6-6 (100.0)|7|18|13|7|2|0|3|24|+14|
K. Caldwell-Pope^^SG|34:28|6-6 (100.0)|4-4 (100.0)|1-1 (100.0)|0|3|2|2|3|1|2|17|+7|
J. Murray^^PG|33:10|6-19 (31.6)|3-11 (27.3)|1-2 (50.0)|0|1|9|2|2|0|2|16|+13|
B. Brown|21:41|1-5 (20.0)|0-2 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|2|2|0|0|0|3|2|-3|
J. Green|21:48|5-10 (50.0)|0-1 (0.0)|1-2 (50.0)|2|2|1|0|0|1|1|11|-3|
R. Jackson|18:20|2-8 (25.0)|1-4 (25.0)|2-2 (100.0)|0|4|2|1|0|0|3|7|-7|
C. Braun|7:46|0-0 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1-2 (50.0)|1|2|0|1|0|0|2|1|-8|
T. Bryant|11:57|0-3 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|2-2 (100.0)|4|6|0|2|0|0|2|2|-5|
**Totals**||**39-84 (46.4)**|**17-36 (47.2)**|**20-23 (87.0)**|**18**|**47**|**30**|**16**|**7**|**2**|**20**|**115**||
**DNP:** ***DeAndre Jordan***, ***Ish Smith***, ***Peyton Watson***, ***Jack White***
**Inactive:** ***Collin Gillespie***, ***Aaron Gordon***, ***Zeke Nnaji***
**[](/CLE)CLE**|**Min**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|**+/-**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
I. Okoro^^SF|20:09|1-1 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|2|2|1|0|0|0|4|2|-7|
E. Mobley^^PF|37:50|12-19 (63.2)|2-4 (50.0)|5-5 (100.0)|2|9|1|1|1|1|4|31|0|
J. Allen^^C|29:53|6-10 (60.0)|0-0 (0.0)|2-2 (100.0)|4|12|2|1|1|0|3|14|-6|
D. Mitchell^^SG|35:23|9-21 (42.9)|2-7 (28.6)|2-2 (100.0)|1|3|3|2|4|0|3|22|-1|
D. Garland^^PG|36:48|7-20 (35.0)|1-6 (16.7)|7-8 (87.5)|0|1|5|2|2|0|2|22|-12|
D. Wade|7:43|1-2 (50.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|3|0|1|0|0|2|2|-4|
C. LeVert|31:57|3-5 (60.0)|0-2 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|4|9|1|0|1|1|6|-3|
C. Osman|26:40|2-8 (25.0)|1-6 (16.7)|0-2 (0.0)|1|2|3|1|0|0|1|5|+1|
L. Stevens|13:36|2-3 (66.7)|0-1 (0.0)|1-1 (100.0)|2|4|0|1|2|0|1|5|+2|
**Totals**||**43-89 (48.3)**|**6-26 (23.1)**|**17-20 (85.0)**|**12**|**40**|**24**|**10**|**10**|**2**|**21**|**109**||
**DNP:** ***Danny Green***, ***Robin Lopez***, ***Raul Neto***, ***Dylan Windler***
**Inactive:** ***Mamadi Diakite***, ***Isaiah Mobley***, ***Ricky Rubio***
||**PITP**|**2^^nd PTS**|**FB PTS**|**BIG LD**|**BEN PTS**|**TOT TOV**|**TOV PTS**||
|:—|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|
**DEN**|38|18|14|10|23|16|15|[](/DEN)|
**CLE**|68|16|9|7|18|11|15|[](/CLE)|
**Lead Changes: 24** | **Times Tied: 12** | **Gametime: 2:09** | **Attendance: 19432**
*Officials: James Capers, Tom Washington, Evan Scott*
by BigHoneyBot
25 Comments
Good ass win against a really solid Cavs team at home. They have the #2 Net Rating in the league this season and a 25-6 home record prior to this game. One of the best wins of the season. Few things tho:
​
* Jamal has been *back back* lately. In the last 20 games prior to this one he has averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists on only 2.2 TOs w/ .488/.450/.897 shooting splits. He’s obviously crucial to this team and the type of bucket getter that is needed on every playoff team to clean up possessions when the easy stuff gets cut down on against the best defenses. That being said, he will call Jokic over for a screen, look for his shot even if there was a window where Jokic was open, not be able to beat his guy & create an advantage and then reset the PnR again. It just sticks out and takes away from Jokic-ball offensive proccess sometimes, which costs the Nuggets. I think the #1 priority for Murray (or anyone really) in PnR should be looking for Jokic to score and giving him the ball in an advantegous situation. The added PnR that comes with Jamal already takes away a little from Jokic-ball, but when we’re watching Jokic’s role in the offense being just a gravity [screen setter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACN01NE7aZY) and then Jamal *missing* the shot for a few possessions, it becomes tough to watch. The damning stat here, **Harden > Embiid has 2x more assists than Jamal > Jokic this season**. Yes Harden and Jamal aren’t the same players and the offenses differ but **two times more** is too much. We did see an adjustment by Mal in the 2nd half, he passed to Jokic on the roll/ pop pretty every time down, though because he was cold af at that point or it was a cognizant adjustment i don’t know. u/couponuser9 said this the best before and i stand by it 100%, can’t find the comment right now but it’s something in the lines of- wanting to see a monster Jokic scoring game where the deep cut is that Jamal might have had the better game cutting up the defense with his timing and delivery playmaking for Jok & the rest off Jokic’s scoring. Tryna see a Jamal 15 assist game dishing to a- Jokic 40 point 4 assist game brothermen. There is more to back this Murray PnR spam not getting Jokic the ball enough taking away from Jokic-ball thing:
​
|PG|SG|SF|PF|C|Net Rating|Possessions|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Jamal Murray|Kentavious Caldwell-Pope|Michael Porter Jr.|Aaron Gordon|Nikola Jokic|+15.6|876|
|Bruce Brown|Kentavious Caldwell-Pope|Christian Braun|Aaron Gordon|Nikola Jokic|+22.6|321|
|Bruce Brown|Kentavious Caldwell-Pope|Michael Porter Jr.|Vlatko Cancar|Nikola Jokic|+22.9|162|
|Bruce Brown|Kentavious Caldwell-Pope|Michael Porter Jr.|Aaron Gordon|Nikola Jokic|+22.7|119|
Obviously there are a lot factors to this, amongst others- playing worse lineups in some of those minutes at the end of the 1st etc. But Jamal is also a better player than the guys replacing him and the overall sample is pretty big as these 3 non Jamal lineups have close to 600 possessions together. Definitely think the thing i’m talking about has been a factor, pretty obvious IMO that the offense has looked different, smoother- more Jokic-ball centric in those minutes.
**TL;DR Pass to Jokic more on the roll and pad assists / run PnR less in general Mal, especially outside of crunch time.**
Not all is on Jamal, Jokic needs to be more aggresive scoring wise in general, i think he definitely will be in the playoffs though but why cost yourself a RS game or two just because deffered too much. The guys have already settled in around him, we’re 3/4 of the season in.
​
* Table also brings me to- It has been one game, **but hated the new rotation**. Murray – Reggie – Brown – Jeff (would be Vlatko) – Jokic lineup to close the 1st & 3rd quarters instead of one of the ones in the table is crazy to me. These Brown-Jokic no other PG lineups have been our most successful lineups this season (127 ORTG in 500 minutes btw). I see 0 reason to go away from it in order to play 3 PGs next to Jokic (he needs 0 really) sacrificing defense and size. Mirror KCP with Jokic instead & still stagger Jamal but limit his minutes is what i’d like for the bench right now. You can also, you know, stagger Jamal and still run a 10 man rotation. I’d 100% prefer Braun playing just those spot 4 minutes per half next to Jokic to end the 1st and 3rd instead of that 3 PG lineup.
​
* It’s still early but, eager to see Bryant involved more. He’s easily the best offensive player off the bench we’ve got. Dude has averaged 20 pts/ 75 possessions on a **league leading** .710% TS this year. I think, especially if we’re not staggering, the bench offensive identity should be running a lot of the offense through him. Post him up, force him the ball on the roll. He’s really good guys and one of the best scoring centers in the league. He been looking like a 4th scoring option tho w/ Jeff posting up occupying his space, Reggie waving his screen off etc. Being used like a role playing big on offense when his defense is bad is ⁉️
Fucking grizzlies folded to Harden & the 769ers smh bums 💀
Are we gonna be able to keep kcp next year? What is his contract situation looking like
On-brand Grizzlies matchup tonight. Bunch of 1-on-1 showing off for the ESPN highlight reels and then forgetting to win
Unrelated note: the Grizzlies fuckin suck.
Best defense ITL and we put up 122.3 ORTG on them. Cracked offense.
Memphis could end up the worst 2 seed in NBA history
The comment saying that was the best defensive game of Embiid’s career “considering the opponent”
Like, are we considering they don’t have a center lol
Morant and Embiid combined to be 10-41 tonight.
I didn’t realize I wasn’t watching the GWS-LAL game in the background anymore until I heard something about a “backdoor cut by Kidd for the basket!”
Our bench was actually fine tonight. Our bench outscored theirs by 5 points and only looked bad because they kept their starters in. Although Tommy Bryant could’ve been better, he should be way better.
We won tonight and we’re winning the next one too! Gogo Nuggets!!
https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1628956518367506432?s=46&t=UJweG49IF9PMgBtSfygYpg
Amazing content. Team is so good together! The Mike Mike Mike kills me! But I love what Malone says there at the end. “Stay hungry, stay hungry.”
Thats how we gotta finish this season. We gotta want to finish 1st and want to put teams away for rest. Staying hungry to wanting to prove we can win is how teams win. Never get complacent, Grizzlies did and look at em. Warriors stayed hungry last year. I love Malone saying that from just strictly a basketball perspective
So we rooting for Warriors? Keep Lakers lower in standings and move Warriors out of play in.
Let me start early: More like the Midphis Glizzys
“Getting warm starting late next week”- me texting my boys trying to plan to hoop at the park again.
Weather man- “expect temps and winter weather to roll in 2nd week of March.” ☹️
Just trying to hoop bro
Good win against a very good defensive team but man I need a 40 point Jokic game like a highschooler needs a hit from their vape. A Steven Adams-less Grizzlies would be a decent target despite Embiid getting clamped tonight by them apparently.
Mobley thought he was unleashing a prime version of MJ tonight but still got the L
Oh yeah, forgot to say the line
GOODNIGHT CLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU.
Will Sixer fans burn down Philly if Embiid doesn’t win MVP again? Embiid did great on defense and all they can talk about is Jokic. Rent free lmao.
Warrior really do not look like the Same team without Curry
yea the Ls are making the play-in i’m afraid. Potentially playing LeBron/ Steph R1, Luka/ Kawhi R2, KD Suns WCF, Giannis Finals either a fucking nightmare scenario or a Jokic top 10 all time ticket.
Good Birthday for Jamal! 🎂🇨🇦⛹🏿♂️
Draymond stays being a bitch.
I will unsubscribe from r/nba and probably take an entire summer off from twitter if Jokic wins the MVP but the Nuggets don’t at the least make the finals. The slander will be so loud from the fans, shitposts & national media, I don’t want to be apart of any of that.