How Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap learned to play together

There was an uneasy feeling inside Pepsi Center prior to the Denver Nuggets’ March 7 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nikola Jokic, who had played at an All-NBA level in February, was coming off three single-digit scoring outings that coincided with Paul Millsap’s return to the starting lineup.

The joy that flows through Jokic’s game had left. The charisma Jokic carries himself with on the floor was absent. Jokic was averaging just seven field goal attempts per game since Millsap returned from a left wrist injury that caused him to miss more than three months, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone benched his star center in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 118-107 loss in Dallas a night earlier.

Against the Cavaliers, Jokic started the first quarter aggressive and finished with 36 points — his second-highest scoring output of the season — 13 rebounds and six assists. He also attempted 14 field goals — his highest total since Millsap returned to the rotation. His rebirth came in a losing effort, but Jokic got his mojo back that night against Cleveland.

“That’s the Nikola that we need,” Malone said after the game.

Since then, Denver has gone just 4-3. The Nuggets sit two games behind the Utah Jazz for the eighth seed in the West. Their playoff hopes are fading because of a difficult closing schedule headlined by a late-season seven-game road trip. The Nuggets’ final 10 games all come against playoff teams as well.

In the midst of an up-and-down few weeks for the Nuggets, Jokic and Millsap have discovered how to play with one another. What began against the Cavaliers snowballed into Jokic scoring more than 20 points in five of his next seven outings. Over Jokic’s past seven games, he’s putting up numbers that are reminiscent of his pre-All-Star break tear — 21.6 points on 58.5 percent shooting from the field and 57.1 percent from three, 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

The Nuggets are crushing the opposition when Jokic and Millsap share the floor. Denver is outscoring teams by 4.6 points per game with its starting frontcourt playing alongside one another. On the season, the Millsap and Jokic combination is the Nuggets’ most efficient two-man pairing that has played more than 100 minutes together. Denver is outscoring opponents by a gaudy 8.9 points per 100 possessions when the two are on the court.

The Nuggets are also defending with Millsap and Jokic. Denver is allowing just 105.0 points per 100 possessions with Millsap and Jokic on the court at the same time. On the season, the Nuggets allow opponents to score 108.8 points per 100 possessions.

It didn’t happen overnight. One-on-one chats between Jokic and Malone, Jokic and Millsap, and Millsap and Malone fueled Jokic’s midseason renaissance.

“He told me, ‘Just be you. I’m going to fit.’” Jokic recalled about his discussion with the four-time All-Star. “That says a lot of things about that guy. The guy who’s an All-Star. He doesn’t want any attention. He just wants to fit in with the team. He knows that if he fits with the team, we’re going to find him.”

“We’re starting to get a feel for each other,” Millsap said after Denver’s 125-116 win over the Lakers two nights after the Cleveland loss. “He’s just got to continue to do him. Don’t worry about me. I’m gonna fit in. We run through him. He’s the engine that goes. When we’re feeding off him and playing off him, that’s when we’re at our best.”

Millsap has willingly taken a backseat to Jokic over the Nuggets’ past seven games. The 34-year-old isn’t 100 percent recovered from a left wrist injury that forced him to miss 44 games earlier this year, and Millsap is more than willing to defer to Jokic, not just when it comes to field goal attempts but also how Denver operates on the offensive end of the floor.

As a result, Denver’s offense is back at peak performance.

A tweak from Malone has also helped each big man eat on their own. Denver’s coach has sent Jokic to the bench at the five- or six- minute mark in each of the past four games. In theory, Jokic can bolster a bench unit that’s hurting for a scoring punch after Will Barton moved to Denver’s starting lineup to replace an injured Gary Harris.

With Jokic off the court, Millsap went on a personal 11-0 run to end the first quarter Wednesday against the Bulls. Denver outscored Chicago 39-25 in the first quarter and won by 33 points.

Another season without a playoff appearance is a real possibility for the Nuggets this year. FiveThirtyEight.com gives Denver only a 15 percent chance to make the postseason. ESPN’s BPI Playoff Odds give the Nuggets a 17 percent chance at the playoffs and BasketballReference.com’s simulations place Denver’s odds at 19 percent.

Significant changes could be coming if Denver misses the postseason for a fifth straight year. Whether or not the Nuggets break their drought, Denver’s powerhouse frontcourt will head into next season comfortable with one another and confident that they can thrive in harmony.