Returning from an extended break for NBA Cup play, the Denver Nuggets got back after it in Sacramento on Thursday night. After an embarrassing loss to the Kings in Ball Arena last month, the Nuggets were looking for some revenge and their 11th straight win on the road.

Denver’s offense was on another level — they logged 77 points in the first half, scorching the nets in Sacramento. The Nuggets held a 22-point lead in the first half and pushed it to 37 in the second. They cruised to 136 points and an easy win.

Final score: 136-105.

Nikola Jokić Dominates

Jokić wasted little time putting his fingerprints on the win. He was aggressive early, earning switches in the two-man game and then taking advantage of the mismatches. He went to work in the paint before busting out his smoothest Sombor Shuffle of the year. Then he pushed out to the perimeter, draining his lone three-point attempt of the first quarter.

Jokić played the entire first, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. His aggressive start spurred the Nuggets to a 41-point quarter, highlighted by an 18-4 run.

The big fella only logged about five minutes in the second quarter, but he tacked on 7 more points without missing a shot or free throw. The Nuggets cruised to a 77-point first half.

The halftime break did not cool Jokić off. He came out firing in the third, tacking on 13 more points on great efficiency. He’d only missed one shot in the entire game by the time he surpassed 30 points.

Jokić finished with 36 points on 12-of-14 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in just 29 minutes on the floor.

Jalen Pickett Plays Again

David Adelman abandoned the Zeke Nnaji minutes in Charlotte, turning to Jalen Pickett instead. He stuck with it in Sacramento.

Pickett logged 10 minutes in the first half, dishing out three assists with zero turnovers. He also knocked down a three.

Pickett’s first half was much better than his second, but all told, he, along with the rest of the bench, turned in some quality minutes. He finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 24:58 on the floor — his most minutes of the season.

The Bench Rolls

The starters played at another level, doing their part to engineer a blowout. The bench took the proverbial torch and carried it to victory.

The second unit played seven quality minutes without Jokić in the first half, and the starters never took the floor in the fourth quarter.

Jonas Valanciunas played particularly well against his former squad. He logged 18:57 on the floor, representing the non-Jokić minutes, and finished +5 in the +/- column. Big Val scored 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Everyone got a chance to contribute — literally. All 11 of the available Nuggets touched the floor, and every one of them scored. Even Hunter Tyson got a chance to shine, scoring 8 points in 7 minutes.