Five Observations: Nikola Jokic puts the team on his back, Nuggets improve to 8-2 at home

The Denver Nuggets overcame a brutal third quarter to pull out a 104-92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Denver dominated the first half but got outscored by 14 in the the third quarter to allow Memphis to get back into the game. Nikola Jokic‘s fourth-quarter takeover clinched the win. Here are five observations from the game.

Jokic put the team on his back in the final 12 minutes

There are fewer and fewer bad things you can say about Jokic’s game in his third NBA season. Jokic has improved on the defensive end, and he’s shooting the three-ball better than ever. But one area where he’s still progressing is becoming a more reliable scorer late in games. At times, Jokic has looked passive down the stretch.

That wasn’t the case against Memphis. Jokic dominated the last 12 minutes as he scored 14 points on 6-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds. The Serbian center did most of his damage inside.

His final line: 28 points (11-17 FG), 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Denver’s half-court offense was phenomenal in the first half

At times, the Nuggets have struggled to generate efficient looks when the pace slows and they’re required to operate in the half-court setting. On Friday, Denver’s half-court hummed in the first half.

The Nuggets, who started Kenneth Faried at power forward, scored 115.4 points per 100 possessions in the half court over the first 24 minutes of play, per CleaningTheGlass.com. Denver finished with 61 first-half points and feasted at the rim.

The third quarter was a different story…

Denver almost blew it with an awful third quarter

It looked as though the Nuggets would breeze to the finish after the way they played in the first half. Instead, the Grizzlies clawed their way back into the game in the third quarter. Memphis outscored Denver 29-15 and whittled a 20-point lead down to two. Denver shot 5-20 from the field and committed five turnovers.

It was one of the worst 12-minute stretches the Nuggets have played all year. Luckily for them, Jokic was there to bail them out in the fourth.

The Nuggets left a lot of points on the table

The Nuggets are one of the worst teams in the NBA in terms of turning the ball over and clanging free throws. They entered Friday’s games ranked 25th in turnover percentage (16.1 percent) and 26th in free-throw percentage (72.9 percent).

Denver didn’t do much to improve in either area. As a team, it shot 15-26 from the free throw line and turned it over 21 times. Those two facets of the game continue to hold the Nuggets back.

Home-court advantage is back

For years, the Pepsi Center was one of the toughest places for opposing teams to play. The altitude, which the Nuggets often took advantage of by playing a run-and-gun style, gave other teams issues. Denver only lost three home games during its 57-win 2012-13 season.

It appears that after a couple of down years, that home-court advantage is coming back. Denver improved to 8-2 at the Pepsi Center with the win over Memphis. Attendance is also up after two straight years of finishing dead last.

“I’ve been here when we didn’t have fans,” Gary Harris said. “To see them fill the stands, it feels good.”