Michael Malone knows there is one simple sign to tell if the Nuggets are playing their best basketball
Mar 27, 2025, 2:00 PM
The Denver Nuggets have not been the most consistent team in the NBA as of late, as the team has gone 10-9 since the All-Star Break. Part of that is due to the injuries of Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, but part of it is also due to wavering effort from night to night.
Despite the inconsistency, the Nuggets are just 1.5 games back of the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and currently sit in the middle of the gridlock between the third and fifth seeds. The defense has been troubling at times, but that has never truly been the Nuggets’ strength. With Jokic at the helm, the offense has always been the strong-suit, and head coach Michael Malone knows that one particular play can show whether or not the Nuggets are playing their best on offense.
NIKOLA JOKIĆ.
DOING WILD THINGS IN HIS RETURN.
😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/OARZsJvMpE
— NBA (@NBA) March 27, 2025
Yes, that’s just another day at the office for the three-time MVP, tossing a ridiculous no-look dime to Gordon.
This is one of Denver’s favorite plays off the Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic two-man action. If he’s open, Jokic is able to get the ball right around the free throw line, usually with a 4-on-3 numbers advantage. From there, he has Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun ready to shoot in each corner with Gordon roaming the baseline. The Nuggets ran it to perfection Wednesday.
“When we start getting that play, I know that our offense is firing on all cylinders,” Malone said after Denver’s victory over Milwaukee Wednesday. “That’s when we are at our best because we are spacing, reading, reacting correctly.”
This play has been a staple of Denver’s offense for years now, and has been the start of so many of Gordon’s best dunks and Jokic’s best assists. With Jokic being back in the lineup after missing five games with an ankle injury, Nuggets fans should be seeing this more often as the team tries to get its mojo back down the stretch.
