he promise from Nikola. More aggressiveness.

It added up to just the sort of confidence-restoring, bounce-back performance the Denver Nuggets needed.

Nikola finished two rebounds shy of another triple-double.

„I asked Nikola, `What are you going to give us tonight?’ He said, `I’m going to be aggressive,“ Malone recounted. „I asked Jamal, `What are you going to give us tonight?’ He said, `I’m going to play with great effort.’ I thought those guys did that.“

The tandem had big nights and didn’t even see the floor in the fourth quarter. Murray was feeling it during his third-quarter spurt, hitting six shots from 3-point range.

Jokic did a little bit of everything, finishing with 18 points and 11 assists. He had a move where he went around the waist with the ball to avoid a defender and drew a foul while making the shot. That kicked up chants of „M-V-P!“

He helped the Nuggets overcome a sluggish start and actually lead by as many as 40 points.

„We needed to wake up to try to play like we were supposed to play, not just this game but every game,“ Jokic said. „When we got to the other gear, we played the right way.“

ESPN