5 stats you wouldn't believe from the Nuggets' win over the Warriors

 

It was a night to remember at Pepsi Center as the Nuggets smoked the Golden State Warriors 132-110. From the Nuggets’ three-point shooting to Nikola Jokic‘s and Juancho Hernangomez‘s stat lines, here are five statistics from Monday night that you need to know.

Denver tied the three-point record for a regular season game.

Not only did the Nuggets rain down death from beyond the three-point arc but they did it with lethal efficiency. Making 24 three-point shots is mind-blowing but doing it on 60 percent shooting from beyond the arc is truly a historic accomplishment.

Before tonight’s three-point explosion, the Nuggets were 11th in basketball in three-point shooting percentage at 36.5 percent. After going 24-40 from beyond the arc Monday, Denver moves up four slots to 7th in percentage at 37.1 percent.

Denver jumped four spots percentage-wise and outscored arguably the best shooting team in basketball (or NBA history?) by 48 points from deep. With the Nuggets shooting at a historical rate, there was really no chance for the Warriors to compete with Denver.

Hernangomez posts an advanced stat line for the ages

Hernangomez played the best game of his rookie year by far against the Warriors. The rookie’s previous career-high was 14 points, which he broke in the first half of the win. Not only did he break his record, but he went on to demolish it, totaling 27 points and ten rebounds on the night.

When looking at Hernangomez’s advanced stats against Golden State you see how instrumental he was in the Nuggets’ win over the league-leading Warriors. Hernangomez finished with a 137.8 Offensive Rating. He coupled that with a 104.6 Defensive Rating for a 33.2 Net Rating. Even though Hernangomez was tasked with guarding Draymond Green and Kevin Durant all night, which of course meant Green and Durant hounding Hernangomez on the offensive end of the floor, the 21-year-old had an effective field goal percentage of 70.6 percent while on the court and added in active and passionate defense with a singular block and steal.

Overall, Hernangomez was arguably the Nuggets’ best player against the Warriors and now Michael Malone will have another tough decision to make. Does he try to find minutes for Hernangomez at the expense of Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler? Or continue to play Hernangomez his limited minutes off the bench when the Nuggets get healthy? I do not envy Malone’s decision.

Inside Jokic’s boxscore

Jokic put up a historic stat line of 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Warriors. His Offensive Rating was 138.5 while his Defensive Rating was a meager 98.4, good for a total Net Rating of 40.1. When he was on the court, Jokic accounted for 35.3 percent of the Nuggets’ assists.

When Jokic is this involved in Denver’s offense, he’s dominant. Jokic has shown that he can put the Nuggets on his back and find ways to help his team notch wins whether he’s scoring or facilitating. His impact has turned the Nuggets into a contender for the eighth seed after being a basement dweller in the Western Conference for the past two years.

Jokic is the first player since Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 to post 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists or more in a single game.

Not only did Jokic earn his first career triple-double two weeks ago, not only did he put up 40 points against the Knicks two games back, but now he’s recorded a stat line that hasn’t been seen in nearly 50 years.

Jokic is forcing teams and fans to realize how unique of a talent that he actually is and how many different ways he can impact the game. He’s able to score when he’s not facilitating or facilitate when the defense takes away his scoring capabilities. For a 21-year-old center to be able to impact the game in this many ways is undeniably rare and what has led to the revitalization of the Nuggets.

Of course, Jokic is scoring and assisting at an elite level but he’s also learned how to use angles and his frame to track down rebounds without a resemblance of athletic ability. Pulling down 21 rebounds in a game is noteworthy regardless of who is crashing the boards and attempting to defend.

Jokic’s last three games

First, a career-high 40 points against Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden while also contributing nine rebounds and five assists. He became one of four players ever to have a 40-point game in The Garden before turning 22.

Then, a 27-point, 13-rebounds, four-assist night against the current NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers in Denver’s eventual loss on the second night of a back-to-back.

Finally, another triple-double against the Warriors; 17 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists with just eight other active players alongside and three starters missing.

Jokic’s line over the past three games? 28 points, 14.3 rebounds, and seven assists.