Nikola Jokic is soaring and “everybody else is just fitting in”...including Paul Milsap

DENVER — Nikola Jokic nearly tied Willie Cauley-Stein into a knot with a flurry of fakes and spins. The Nuggets’ star center hit Cauley-Stein with a jab step, a spin and then an up and under. Cauley-Stein was doing everything he could to stay with Jokic, whose moves also attracted the attention of Kings guard De’Aaron Fox.

When it appeared Jokic was finally ready to shoot, he jumped backwards and fired the basketball to a cutting Jamal Murray. Murray flipped it in for an easy two just as the shot clock was about to expire.

Everything Jokic tried on Sunday seemed to work. He scored 20 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out 10 assists. He notched his seventh triple-double of the season as Denver rolled to a 130-104 win over Sacramento.

“Nikola is doing a great job for us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He’s being aggressive. And he knows that he has to be our guy. Everybody else is going to find theirs around him.”

On Tuesday, Malone made the decision to bench Jokic during the fourth quarter of a loss to the lottery-bound Dallas Mavericks. Jokic made only two field goals in that game, and he finished with nine points. Since riding the pine in Dallas, Jokic has responded with three strong outings.

He scored 36 points on 14 shots against Cleveland on Wednesday. Two nights later, he contributed 21 points on 14 shots in a win over the Lakers. On Sunday, he went 8-10 from the field, including 4-4 from three-point territory, and dominated the game from the outset.

“I think we’re kind of past the growing pains or reintegrating Paul Millsap back in the lineup,” Malone said. “It took a few games. We knew it would. It wasn’t surprising to anybody who knows basketball.”

Sunday was another step in the right direction for Denver’s starting frontcourt. Paul Millsap, who returned Feb. 27 after missing 44 games with a wrist injury, played his best game in a Nuggets’ uniform in Friday’s win over the Lakers, scoring 21 points on 8-12 shooting. Millsap’s line Sunday — six points (2-6 FG), nine rebounds, four assists — wasn’t as flashy, but he did a nice job of blending in while Denver steamrolled Sacramento.

“I’m finding my spots,” Millsap said. “Joker is being more aggressive, which we need from him. He’s making plays for us. Everybody else is just fitting in around him. I think for the most part our offense has been pretty smooth.”

Millsap has been adamant since returning from injury that Denver’s offense needs to flow through Jokic. Millsap sat back and watched Jokic record the fastest triple-double in NBA history last month in Milwaukee. He saw the scoring totals Denver put up in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break — 127 against the Thunder, 117 against the Spurs, 134 against the Bucks. Those games left an imprint.

“He’s our team,” Millsap said about Jokic on Friday. “He makes a lot of things go for us, so he’s got to continue to stay aggressive. I’m here to help him and back him in any way possible.”

Denver is best when Jokic has control of the reins. Millsap knows it. Malone knows it. Jokic also seems to be realizing it as well. That’s a good thing for a Nuggets team fighting to snap a four-season playoff drought.

“I think me and Paul are playing really good,” Jokic said. “Of course we talk to each other. During a game, yes, of course, just to help each other out. When he says something like that, he believes in me. It’s a good feeling.”