TORONTO — It had all the trappings of another play in a long highlight reel of beautiful Nikola Jokić–Jamal Murray moments.
The two have been at the center of the Denver Nuggets’ recent run. Specifically, they are the copilots of the two-man actions that define the offense. With the Nuggets down 2 on Monday, Murray threw an entry pass to Jokić and came screaming around the big man’s back, taking a handoff and forcing a switch from the Toronto Raptors. Murray got past Raptors big Jakob Poeltl before exploding to the rim, ultimately finishing a cinematic reverse layup. It forced overtime in a 127-125 win, the Nuggets’ first of the season.
JAMAL MURRAY TIES IT AT 112 🔥🔥
WHAT A MOVE TO SEND THE GAME OT!! pic.twitter.com/l7ADF49uiv
— NBA (@NBA) October 29, 2024
If you looked a little closer, though, things were not so idyllic. Denver coach Michael Malone determined the Nuggets could afford to play without Jokić for just three minutes in the second half. The Raptors didn’t have their best lineup, with star Scottie Barnes having left the game moments earlier after getting hit in the face. The Nuggets were in a position to tie the score with a layup because the Raptors split four free throws down the stretch.
And the chemistry between the Denver pillars was only kind of there. Murray’s entry pass to Jokić left something to be desired, leaving the center scrambling back to the 3-point line to corral the briefly fumbled ball.
“We executed so cleanly the time before, (so) we were (going) back to something very similar. And then as I’m watching the post entry and I’m seeing Nikola have to run to the corner to get it, obviously, yes, I did get a little bit nervous,” Malone said. “But once he regained possession, then I knew something good was going to happen, because obviously I’ve seen Jamal and Nikola just play off of each other so well in so many close games. And tonight was no different.”
Yes and no. The two have helped the Nuggets win a lot of games, including many that led to a title in 2023. Given that, there was a curious desperation to the Nuggets as they looked to avoid an 0-3 start. In addition to Jokić’s playing time — almost 44 minutes thanks to overtime, on the front end of a back-to-back set — Malone went to Aaron Gordon instead of Dario Saric as the backup big to start the fourth quarter, deciding he needed Gordon’s size and athleticism to deal with Barnes. It was essentially an eight-man rotation in game No. 3 — inching toward a playoff rotation.
Even though Murray finished strong, he was hardly pristine. Just a few minutes of real time before the tying shot, Murray was looking at his palms after missing a 3 and a layup on the same possession, dropping his shooting to 4-for-15 for the night (he made 2 of 5 to close). As he jogged back, Barnes threw an alley-oop pass to Ochai Agbaji to widen the Raptors’ lead, beating the lumbering Nuggets down the floor.
The Nuggets just don’t look like that familiar machine yet, which maybe shouldn’t be a surprise three games into the season. A lot of rare things happened Monday. Christian Braun, starting in place of the Orlando Magic-bound Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, got lost on a cut from Gradey Dick. Jokić set up Peyton Watson beautifully after receiving extra attention in the post, but Watson blew the dunk. Barnes and Agbaji displayed the correct chemistry just a few possessions later.
GET UP OCHAI 🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/jYfAm78Ehe
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 29, 2024
As good as Jokić was — he finished with 40 points and 10 rebounds — he also had some odd moments. He looked like Anthony Richardson when he airmailed an outlet pass way over Julian Strawther’s head. His footwork even got sloppy at times, not that anybody will complain about an 18-for-27 shooting night.
Denver’s problem has been figuring out a functional bench rotation. Monday wasn’t when Malone cracked that code. Indeed, the starters won their minutes by 3 points. That was against a Raptors team without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley, playing with RJ Barrett for the first time since the first preseason game and finishing the game without Barnes. The Nuggets starters came into the game with a plus-14.1 net rating, but they have miles to go.
“We never worry, man. We’ve only played two basketball games. We have a hundred more,” Murray said. “No panic here. Obviously, we can be a lot better. We’re nowhere (near) where we want to be, nowhere near our potential right now.”
This being Toronto, Malone was thinking of his father before the game. Brendan Malone was the first head coach of the Raptors, who are celebrating their 30th season. Michael was an assistant coach at Providence during the Raptors’ inaugural season, and he got to the building then called the SkyDome to see the team’s first game and a shocking win over the 72-win Chicago Bulls.
Brendan Malone died a little more than a year ago.
“I think right now, as we go 0-2 and in Denver the sky is falling, his words ring true: Be with your players,” Malone said Monday before the win. “Spend time with your players. It’s relationships that matter. Yes, we can do things differently. We can help our guys out. But now is when you have to be with your players. It’s easy to be with your guys after a win when you’re playing well. But when adversity strikes — and it’s going to strike everybody at some point; it’s a long year — make sure you’re with your guys. And I hold that dear to my heart.”
It’s still October; short of an injury, nothing can really qualify as adversity in this league. Still, Malone will probably put in the hours with his team until it finds itself.
(Photo: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
