Nuggets answer London's call, blow out Pacers

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The Denver Nuggets arrived in London in desperate need of a good showing against the Indiana Pacers. What they got was their most complete team effort of the season, leaving England with a 140-112 win breaking a five-game losing streak while snapping the Pacers’ five-game winning streak.

The Nikola Jokic-led offense came out of the gates firing and never let up. Danilo Gallinari hit three shots from beyond the three-point line in the first three minutes of the game to give the Nuggets the early lead that they would only surrender once before easily securing a 28-point win.

“It was crucial for us. They came in winning five in a row, we came in losing five in a row, we came in the hungry team, we needed it.”

The Nuggets embodied the idea of a team effort with 37 assists on 52 made baskets. That type of ball movement led to countless open shots as the Nuggets shot a blistering 57 percent from the field, 47 percent from distance with Denver hitting 15 of 32 three-pointers, and shot 91 percent on 23 free-throw attempts.

“In my opinion, I think he had more than seven assists,” Michael Malone said of Jokic. “I think he probably had a triple-double.”

Everyone got in on the offensive extravaganza with Gary Harris finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, and six assists and continued looking much better with the ball in his hands as a facilitator. Wilson Chandler finished with a productive 21 points on 13 shots while adding in eight rebounds and four assists while helping hold Paul George to a measly 10 points on 2-12 shooting. Gallinari also did his part in defending George while also contributing a highly efficient 18 points on 7-11 shooting.

“I thought Danilo Gallinari did a great job guarding Paul George,” Malone said. “He accepted that challenge and took it head on.”

Kenneth Faried and Jameer Nelson anchored the bench unit that scored 54 points and helped stave off multiple runs from the Pacers in the first half. Overall the Nuggets played the most complete game of the season and every starter finished with a plus-minus of at least a +22. In addition to the offensive explosion, Denver was also much more aggressive defending on the perimeter. The Nuggets had ten steals and forced the Pacers into 16 turnovers that led to 23 Denver points.

“I asked my guys what we have to do to win and Gallo was the first to speak up,” Malone said. “And he said we have to play defense.”

The game was somewhat in reach throughout the first half but once the third quarter arrived, so did Jokic. He put up 11 points on 4-5 shooting including one three-pointer, five rebounds, and three assists in the frame while the Nuggets outscored the Pacers 39-20. That burst coming out of halftime deflated Indiana which resulted in Denver putting up their highest point total of the season.

Jokic was the engine that drove the Nuggets. He finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists on 7-12 shooting and would have had many more assists if his teammates would have hit more of the wide-open shot attempts he provides on a nightly basis. Jokic has stepped up and because of that, the Nuggets’ offense has transformed into one of the most potent scoring units in the league.

What’s next

The Nuggets win a much-needed game and are now 15-23 on the season. They have broken their stretch of five-straight losses and five straight games giving up 120+ points. They now come home to take on the Orlando Magic on Monday at Pepsi Center.