The Denver Nuggets, winners of 8 straight on the road, suited up in Atlanta for the second game of a four-game trip.
The Nuggets played without Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Julian Strawther again. The Hawks were missing Trae Young, but they got some reinforcements as Kristaps Porzingis returned to action.
The Nuggets’ porous defense offered little resistance, and the Hawks caught fire early on. But the Nuggets engineered a furious comeback in the second half, thanks to Jokić’s monster third quarter and excellent minutes from the second unit.
Final score: 134-133.
Hawks on Fire in the First Half, Nuggets off the Mark
The Hawks opened the game on fire from distance. Atlanta forced Denver to burn two timeouts in the first 8 minutes, shooting 6/7 from 3 in that time. Meanwhile, the Nuggets couldn’t find the bottom of the net. All four starters who attempted a first-quarter field goal missed their first shot.
The Hawks weren’t done after the timeout. They scored 41 points in the opening quarter, shooting 8/12 from three-point range. The Nuggets shot 3/12.
And they didn’t cool down in the second quarter either. The onslaught continued — six different Hawks reached double digits before halftime. Jalen Johnson recorded a triple-double in just over 17 minutes. And Atlanta finished the first half with 73 points.
Nikola Jokić Struggles in First Half, Pours It on After Halftime
Jokić missed some good looks in the paint before he began to settle from three-point range. But he couldn’t buy a make there either. He shot 0/4 from deep and 2/11 from the floor in the first 12 minutes.
Jokić tried to shoot his way out of the slump, firing off two more threes in the second quarter. He missed them both. Jokić shot 2/13 from the floor in the first half. He at least got to the line, knocking down all six of his free throw attempts. Somehow, he tied for Denver’s leading scorer with 10 points at halftime.
Things changed in the third when Jokić got back into the paint. He opened the third quarter shooting 5/5 from two-point range, found his rhythm, and finally made his first three-pointer of the night. He finished with 19 points in the quarter, shooting 100% from the field and missing just one of his five free throws.
Remarkably, Jokić finished with 40 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists.
Furious Comeback as Second Unit Thrives in the Fourth
As Jokić roared to life, the Nuggets went on a furious run in the third quarter, scoring 40 points and cutting the lead to nine. Then the second unit, buoyed by Jamal Murray and Cam Johnson, snatched the lead back at the start of the fourth quarter.
The three-ball began to fall for the Nuggets, with Murray, Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Bruce Brown getting in on the party. Denver opened the fourth quarter shooting 7/8 from deep, making their first seven. In total, the Nuggets went +16 in 12 minutes without Jokić.
Denver erased a 23-point deficit to secure their ninth straight win on the road.
