The Nuggets season took a shocking turn after super star Nikola Jokic was injured with hyperextension in his knee. However, the Nuggets continue to win games and hang on in tough situations. Many players have stepped up in his absence like Peyton Watson, Jamal Murray, and Tim Hardaway Jr. All of these players have shown up in big ways and more unsung heroes help us win big games like Deron Holmes, Bruce Brown, and Zeke Nnaji.
Recently the Nuggets have beaten teams with all their starters in dramatic fashion. Over Christmas break The Nuggets faced the 76ers with a healthy lineup and won in overtime. The game was close all the way through and the team won on a goaltend on a fast break layup. They faced the Celtics and squeaked out a victory in another close game. The Hawks was a good showcase that we can beat lower ranked teams and the Bucks was another close game.
I think Jokic’s and other starters injuries have been a blessing in disguise. The bench is learning how to play without Jokic and that is where we struggle the most as we lose big leads when our bench goes in. This forces players who don’t usually get playing time to play in close games and big moments. As a team this is a growing pain to get past because Jokic can’t play every minute of the game this helps all the bench players develop their chemistry and playstyles to prepare us for a hard and deep playoff run.
There are some tough games coming up later this month and it will be exciting to see if we can keep it close and possibly with. The game I’m looking forward to is the OKC Thunder because this will be a clash between the top seeds and might be a preview for a future playoff matchup.
