Wind: There's no point guard controversy in Denver, but should there be?

Now that was Denver Nuggets basketball.

For the first time all season, the Nuggets played like the high-flying, equal-opportunity offense that’s been one of the best in the league for the last two seasons. A season-high 56 percent shooting paced Denver past the Atlanta Hawks and to a 138-93 win, its 10th of the season, snapping a four-game slide.

The Nuggets’ best all-around offensive performance of the year came with a different starting point guard. Monte Morris stepped in for Jamal Murray, who Michael Malone benched for what he called a “small violation of team rules,” and got Denver off on the right foot.

The Nuggets scored the first 13 points of the game and never looked back. Captained by Morris, Denver’s starters were a plus-24 in the 12 minutes that Morris, Gary Harris, Juancho Hernangomez, Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic played together.

It wasn’t just the fact that the Nuggets crossed the 100-point barrier at the 3:11 mark of the third quarter either. Denver flowed on the offensive end like it hadn’t so far this year. Per Cleaning The Glass’ advanced stats, the Nuggets’ offense and also their half court offense both placed in the 99th percentile this season through three quarters before both teams let off the gas and emptied their respective benches.

“Tonight was the first time all season where I felt like we were the Nuggets of old,” Malone said.

The rest of the Nuggets fed off the energy that their starters opened the game with. Hernnagomez chipped in 25 points on an efficient 9-12 shooting. Millsap had a strong offensive showing too, tallying 18 points and nine rebounds. Jokic only scored 12 points but dominated the pace of the game, which was played faster than Denver’s last four losses.

The Nuggets wanted to loosen the reigns on their offense, and Malone called fewer plays, something he did last year when Denver opened eyes across the league with its free-flowing offense. Atlanta and Denver combined for 107 possessions, around 8 1/2 more possessions than the Nuggets have averaged through 15 games.

Running Denver’s second unit, Murray scored 14 points, all of which came in the first half.

“This game was just different because we didn’t call much,” he said. “It was the first time we’ve done that all season.”

“I have to continue to trust and let them play because that’s the only way that (Monte) and Jamal are going to get better,” Malone said. “I don’t want to call plays. I mean we’ve been at our best the last two and a half years, and we’ve had one of the best offenses in the NBA when we just play the game. That’s hard to scout. That’s hard to defend because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Murray will return to his starting point guard post for Denver’s next game Saturday in New Orleans. But with how Morris has played this season, handing out 58 assists to just seven turnovers, running the show with the second unit and now the starters like a 15-year veteran despite only playing 25 minutes for Denver last year, should the Nuggets make a change at the point?

Not so fast.

Morris has been one of the bigger surprises of the season for Denver, filling in behind Murray and at times outperforming Denver’s starter. He’s a classic point guard who tries to set his teammates up before looking for his own offense while Murray is a true shotmaker and modern-day lead ball handler who can go off for 48 points at the drop of a hat, like he did 10 days ago against the Celtics.

Even though Morris’ natural fit alongside Jokic is obvious, even to the untrained eye, it’s too early to pull the plug on Murray. He’s one of Denver’s franchise cornerstones, and the Nuggets could have dealt him in a package for Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving or another All-Star who was on the block over the last 12 months. They didn’t.

Murray is still young, even by NBA standards too. He’s in his third season and second as a full-time point guard but is still 20 months younger than Morris, who played four years at Iowa State. Murray is still learning the position, and if he does, the sky is the limit. Morris raises Denver’s floor and, as was evident Thursday, the Nuggets might look cleaner on the offensive end with him handling the ball. Murray raises Denver’s ceiling.

Does Morris want to start going forward? You bet he does. When asked how it felt to be in the starting lineup for the first time in his young NBA career, Morris slid past the question like he’s done against opposing defenses all season.

“It was cool,” Morris said cracking a smile. “It felt real good.”

So does Murray.

“It’s just a game,” he responded when asked how it felt coming off the bench. “It’s just shot to shot.”

The Nuggets are 10-5. Denver sits 1 1/2 games back of Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference through 15 games. The Nuggets have the league’s sixth-most efficient offense and third-best defense. It’s way too early to pull the plug on the former seventh overall pick no matter how good his backup looked, especially against a Hawks team that was without half its regulars Thursday and is already crafting a blueprint for how Zion Williamson will fit into their offense next year.

But what Morris did Thursday, and what he’s done all season, is keep the pressure on Murray. It could be a good thing for all parties in the long run too.

Murray is the Nuggets’ starter. He’s still one of Denver’s franchise pillars. But Morris is right there, pushing him every night from the backup spot and has already established himself as one of the better backups in the league. He’s also making it clear to the Nuggets that if they ever really wanted to pull the plug on Murray, he’ll be right there making sure Denver doesn’t miss a beat.