Nikola Jokic is no stranger to the triple-double. He’s had four in a row, 184 for his career. But against the Memphis Grizzlies, he nearly had a quadruple-double, but definitely not the kind you want. Jokic committed 9 turnovers, matching a season-high. His poor ball control could have cost the Nuggets another game, too.
Yes, the Joker did have his typical 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. But it was the turnovers that stuck out, especially after the one he had against Cleveland in the waning seconds that helped set up a gut-wrenching home loss. Denver escaped another close one at home, defeating Memphis 122-116. But the Grizzlies came all the way back at one point after trailing by 13 early in the fourth quarter. At least the Nuggets escaped with a clutch win.
Since Jokic has returned from his knee injury, he’s been turning the ball over at a higher clip than fans are used to. For the season, the Joker normally sees 3.7 turnovers per game. Since his return to the court, he’s had games of 5, 6, 7, and then this 9’er. It needs to become a focus moving forward. The Nuggets can’t afford to turn the ball over.
The Nuggets can’t afford to give away possessions
The Nuggets’ defense has been atrocious. It ranks in the bottom tier across the board. Those extra turnovers are equating to more possessions for opposing teams. And what happens when you play poor defense? More points for them, of course.
And it’s not like the Nuggets are getting those chances back. They’re dead last in turnovers created. There’s just no pressure, no hands in the passing lanes, and it’s one of the biggest concerns heading into the All-Star break.
If they weren’t leading the league in three-point shooting, it would be a whole different story. Could you imagine giving those points back? Sheesh. 35-20 would have been hard to achieve.
Coach Adelman alluded to the upcoming adjustments, and he was upbeat about the tweaks that need to be made. He didn’t think they would be too much to overcome. When in doubt, defer to the coach on that one. Let’s hope he’s right.
The Nuggets enter the break as the three seed in the West, just three games ahead of the seven seed Phoenix Suns, but also 3.5 games back of the two seed San Antonio Spurs. It’s a tight race. The Nuggets need all the wins they can muster now. And they certainly need to protect the rock more.