ESPN “IMPRESSED” Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combine for 63 pts to snag the 122-117 win over Nets
Yeah earlier this season uh Michael Malone said in reference to some of the road struggles that um it was offense that was the biggest culprit um they just weren’t being able to get them uh their personality up there in the basketball court they did that especially in the second half today uh
They really found the groove and and uh look I I don’t think that there’s any coincidence that this is also the time where this team is most healthy and they’re just playing and being able to um have the same lineups out there a long time they’re getting comfortable
How about Jamal Murray in the second half of this game specifically Ally the third quarter where he scored 16 of his game high 32 in that third quarter he was efficient he was deadly from the outside finishes four of six from the three-point line he did a little bit of
Everything look at that nine assists and five boards yeah I I like that bottom number I mean he went all ballistic in that third but in the fourth quarter they got after him a little bit harder and he said fine I’ll just make passes including the one the Joker on that uh
High pick and rooll they love running and that gave them the lead that they never relinquished yeah you know he just looked for a shot more in the second half and you know it was what he wasn’t going to do is have a as inefficient a shooting performance as he had in
Toronto the other day um so you knew he was going to come out really try to get to his spots really establish himself as a shot maker in a very high efficient uh efficiency shot maker today uh he was able to do that uh and in that second
Half I I just love how you know he still didn’t Rush the game um but he was much more aggressive and uh you saw the fruits of all that yeah you know this is how about between Joker and Jamal 16 assists one turnover that’s efficient that is really good peanut
Butter and jelly hard at work in this game we mentioned Jamal but Nicole yic Three assist sh another triple double by the way he’s gone four straight games now without a triple double it’s like crazy right 31 Points 11 rebounds 7 assist he also had a pair of steel or
Three steals they credit him with in this game and he made all the necessary plays when they needed them most so Nicole leic they only make one of them and he proved to be a Difference Maker look at that block shot that was critical yeah you know uh Joker getting
So efficient but how about him knocking down couple three-pointers at Key time there were sort of a momentum swing and Brooklyn starting to get away a little bit and boom Joker knocks down threes well nobody has more double doubles in League know nobody has more triple doubles no I mean he’s the consistency
Is just off the charts with with Nicole yic and uh 25 double doubles I mean you just know what you’re getting from him every single night he steps on the court it’s going to be a double double and we’re not talking 10 points and 10 rebounds we’re talking major statistical
Production on that also always equals victories future is in your hands presented by The Ball Corporation take a look at this future screen here they’ve scored now this starters tonight 20 uh 9999 points to the bench’s 23 points we’ve talked so much about the bench and the way they’ve improved over the last
Couple weeks well tonight they got doubled up boys uh 4723 they were outscored in this game yeah D so pyton Watson had a really nice game he made like I don’t know four out of five shots yeah and so if you take that out it was
A tough night uh for a lot of the guys off the bench but at the end of the day you win the game and if we’re being honest look Brooklyn’s got three players on the bench who used to be starters in the NBA and so um you’re they’re built
Differently they’re they don’t have one overarching star player uh I think seven of them scored in double figures the team wide and so um you’re going to be able to catch these kns Brooklyn is where bench players score a lot of points just because uh the opportunities present themselves um they’re all kind
Of comparable players and I think that’s what we saw um with this Brooklyn Nets team ver bench versus the Nuggets bench all right nuggets survive Brooklyn they won four straight on the roof you it wasn’t um know we got up to such a great start tonight and then like the bottom
Fell out for a while and I didn’t recognize the team on the floor and um I thought Jamal Murray was great you know I think he kind of helped will this team to a win tonight um so we’ve won three in a row three in a row on the road uh
Nine and eight now on the road and uh we have to finish it up in Charlotte tomorrow night um but very proud of our group you know things weren’t going our away um you thought you had the game won then a certain play would happen you
Know and that’s why you got to play All 48 minutes but very proud of the group to find a way to win I think that’s the key about you know being a good team you have to be able to win a lot of different ways and I thought tonight we
Showed that even when we’re not at our best you know we have some pretty good players that can find a way to make big plays to get timely stops to make clutch free throws whatever it may be and to get the win as much as Jamal’s dealt with the injuries and the minutes
Restrictions and everything how nice is it to sort of just get a reminder at this point in the season of of what he can do when he gets hot in the second half like that yeah I don’t need a reminder I mean I’ve been with Jamal for
Eight years now I I fully know what he’s capable of so I’m just really was so impressed with his game tonight I mean 32 points 26 in the second half as I mentioned nine assists only one turnover but you know he goes four- six from the three-point line 11 19 from the field
And I thought on both ends was a defensive player of the game as well I I felt he was just leaving all of himself out there and uh you know that was that was a great to see from him talk to Nicole at the game about the young guys
On the bench and they’re growing I said what are you do in a night where they may struggle just a little bit do you know get on them do you motivate him he goes no you just get some details in him and then let them learn how to play
Through it would you agree with that assessment yeah I mean that unit’s been playing at such a high level and tonight wasn’t necessarily their night uh which is going to happen especially when you’re playing as many young players as we are but like that play late in the
Game you know I put Payton in and he winds up fing a jump shooter you know that’s he’s not trying to make a mistake but that what a valuable experience to learn from because that that is the um the biggest lesson that you can learn is being in game situations and failing and
Saying you know what I can put myself in that position next time so um and you you it’s really important for me Scott the last thing I’d say with that is e easy thing to say well let’s go with Justin let’s go with this guy but I
Got to even when they’re not playing well I got to find a way to stay with them give them another chance because that is me showing I have confidence in them and I know what they’re capable of if every time things don’t go right and I yank them that they’re not going to
Build any confidence and that’s the greatest gift I can give all those guys so yeah rough night for them but I know they’ll all be better tomorrow night when did Watson um earn that spot to be on the floor for a defensive possession in the final minute yeah he’s uh you
Know just his body of work this year you know with 30 games in now and um he’s been tasked with the responsibility of guarding some of the opposing team’s best players and he’s done a hell of a job and um you know whether you it’s Kevin Durant one night it’s dearon Fox
It’s Demar de rozan um you know he’s a guy that we have complete confidence in and uh you know the offense we getting from him the three-point shooting that’s all gravy but pton is a guy that can be a disruptive versatile Defender and um putting him out there with his length
And uh you know he’s he’s going to get better and better the more comfortable he gets no situations have you done anything different with the free throw shooting has Ryan mowen changed anything with free throw shooting and was a good night PR yeah and it’s been it’s it’s
Been really good you know and there’s two things with that K not just the percentage but the volume we’re getting there and if you’re getting to the fat line what does that equate to a being aggressive being physical playing to the basket and and not settling um you know
Tonight we only took 26 threes which is not a great number in terms of volume but we made you know I think 11 of those for 42% but we’re getting to the free throw line Aaron Gordon’s been tremendous in that regard and I think he
Has a lot to do with not only the attempts but also the efficiency there he’s stepping in taking his time and knocking them down at a high level but um I kill Ryan bow when we don’t make him so if you want to give Ryan bow and
His hours go ahead is it is it uh when the team starts the season as as low in percentage as they did can it be a bit of a confidence boost to have to go to the line late in games and and have to make those shots to to ice it away for
Gordon for Jamal for everyone to go to the wind up well I’d say when when you start the season off ranked 30th in free throw shooting there’s only one way to go you can’t get to 31st so um our group is and we talk about it it’s something
That we say fellas we got a stop leaving all these points on the freee throw line it’s going to come back and bite you and so to your point yeah when Aaron goes eight of nine and Jamal six of eight that was a huge offensive rebound off
The Miss by the way you know now we go back and makes two now it’s a two possession game but um yeah I think our guys are getting a lot more confident and um the schedule’s been crazy I can’t say enough good things about our group in terms of handling this schedule it’s
Been a it’s very very demanding schedule I think more more demanding than most teams and guys are 20 and 10 we’re finding a way to win consistently on the road now and um you know that that hopefully we can finish off this three- game trip with the win tomorrow night in
Charlotte which will be a really tough game for us is going to set more and more records obviously we watch to play every night tonight he passes a Hall of Famer and Dan Isel for the most rebounds in the career that’s a Denver Nugget um
One by the way he was impressed in his nickname was the horse he kind of appreciated that but good thoughts on on him passing guys what seemen so early in his career that are just Legends yeah I mean and Dan isle is a legend you I mean
Uh horse missile whatever you want to call him uh I saw Dan this summer and he is a was a hell of a player even better person you know so have so much respect for who he is and for nicool to 6,631 rebounds and pass him you know we
Joke about it but it seems like every night there is some kind of note with Nicole yic this guy and when you’re in the same conversation as a Dan ISO you know you’re doing something right and um we all realize how fortunate and blessed we
Are to have Nia in Denver and uh he’s going to be a nugget for life and uh we’re all going to see him pass and break a lot more records one yeah have to dial it’s your former teammate Isel the missile yeah who pulled down a lot
Of boards but by by the end of the day by the end of his career um safe to say Nicole yic will own every record in the book you know there’s one way haven’t talked about most blood drawn by an NBA player I mean the dude is just car he
Looks like you took a carving knife to him he might have the NBA lead in that one he was bleeding profusely at times tonight hey um a coach mentioned it pton Watson it’s great when you get a younger player to learn on the job and you win the game this happened with under
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ESPN “IMPRESSED” Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combine for 63 pts to snag the 122-117 win over Nets
