Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:
NBA Insider
His offense is why Nikola Jokic won his 20th Western Conference Player of the Week award Monday after putting up 26 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists last week.
But he’s at his best when he’s defending with high levels of effort and physicality, something that was on display in the second half of Sunday’s win over the Warriors.
That also comes with a risk the Nuggets can’t always afford.
“In the second half, he was very aggressive on the ball,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said of his three-time Most Valuable Player’s effort after halftime Sunday. “They run all the split game off the logo, off the elbow. They’ve run their stuff forever. He took some fouls aggressively attacking the ball, but that’s a good thing. That’s how you want to guard the whole game, but you can’t do that when a guy plays as many minutes as he does.”
Jokic didn’t commit a foul in the first half, and the Nuggets lost the 19 minutes he played by 10 points. He finished with three fouls, and Denver ended up winning the 36 minutes he was on the court by 16. Despite his coach’s claim, Jokic said he’s not factoring in his number of fouls into the aggressiveness he plays with on the defensive end.
“Sometimes you have energy. Sometimes you don’t have energy,” Jokic said. “Sometimes you make stupid fouls.”
The counting stats showed Jokic finished with just one steal and zero blocks. That’s not how he quantifies his defensive impact.
“Stay disciplined in what we talked about in the locker room, try to stop my guy in that kind of one-on-one situations that I have, contest every shot and rebound as much as possible,” Jokic said.
After grabbing 15 rebounds, 12 on the defensive glass, Jokic is still the league’s best rebounder by almost a full board per game. The Nuggets gave up 56 points in the first half, a solid number in the modern NBA. Denver gave up just 40 points after halftime with a more aggressive center.
“It’s tough, because there’s times in the first half where he will concede a basket and … it’s because of that,” Adelman said of Jokic balancing aggressiveness with his responsibility to stay on the court.
“It allowed him to be aggressive in the second half. He took some chances at the rim … trying to go vertical or block shots. That’s what we need from him when our defense breaks down or smalls (guards) get beat.”
Michigan players, from left, Malick Kordel, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and Elliot Cadeau celebrate on the bench late in the second half of a win over UCLA in an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)
What I’m thinking
Denver fans have plenty of reason to make Saturday a double feature.
The Nuggets host the Spurs in a high-stakes game that tips off at 1 p.m. at Ball Arena. That leaves plenty of time to get home or to a favorite watering hole for the national semifinal between Michigan and Arizona that starts just before 7 p.m. Not only should it be a great game between the two No. 1 seeds left, it could also provide a sneak peek at a few players the Nuggets should be interested in come draft time.
Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer should be thinking big. Jonas Valanciunas may prefer his mostly unguaranteed contract for next season is not picked up, and Denver would once again need to think about finding a new backup for Jokic.
Enter Michigan’s Aday, who provides plenty of rim protection and some offensive upside at 7-foot-3, and Morez Johnson, whose strength and physical nature makes up for a 6-foot-9 frame. The Wolverines’ best player, Yaxel Lendeborg should be long gone by the time Denver’s on the clock.
On the other side, Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas goes 7-foot-2 with soft touch around the rim. He’s not great in space on defense, but he’s strong in front of the basket. The Wildcats’ Brayden Burries and Koa Peat will probably be selected before Lendeborg.
The Nuggets already have one Wolverine (Tim Hardaway Jr.) and two Wildcats (Aaron Gordon, Zeke Nnaji) on the roster. Adding one more in June could be the smartest option for Denver’s front office.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark participates in an NBC Sports broadcast before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
What they’re saying
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said Jokic is “probably my favorite player to watch, and I think he’s the best player in the world” during NBC’s broadcast of Oklahoma City’s win over the Knicks earlier Sunday. Jokic provided a comedic explanation.
“We have the same agent. That’s why she said that,” Jokic said.
Teammates and coaches sung Zeke Nnaji’s praises after his performance Sunday. Nnaji was thrust into the rotation after a series of injuries to Denver’s forward depth before exiting with left hip impingement and leaving the arena on crutches.
“Zeke has been so good this year in a role that could be very frustrating. He has been just a pro all year the way he’s worked. You communicate with people daily, and you have this job and you’re making decisions about their life and their career. You can tell when someone means what they’re saying and when they don’t. Zeke has been nothing but honest all year about his approach,” the Nuggets coach said.
“I’ve been proud of Zeke all season. He’s fun to coach. He’s a good person, and he’s a really good piano player.”
Before exiting with injury, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward came to Jamal Murray’s defense after a brief skirmish broke out. Nnaji was assessed a technical foul for his involvement.
“As a team, we needed to be more physical. When stuff happens like that, that just turns the team up, gives us more energy,” Bruce Brown said.
“Zeke’s a trooper. I don’t think anybody wants to mess with Zeke. He’s too strong.”
Brown also explained the origin of his hat-tip celebration after most of his made 3s.
“I got to give credit to TJ McConnell. When I was in Indy, he was saying in the locker room I should do it. I was like ‘No, that’s not going to be good.’ I didn’t do it until I got to Toronto, but it was really TJ,” Brown said.
“I do it mostly on every 3 unless I’m talking.”
Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown gestures by tipping his hat after hitting a 3-point basket against the Golden State Warriors in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
What I’m following
The James gang made NBA history on Friday. When LeBron passed to Bronny for a 3-pointer against Brooklyn, they recorded the first assist between father and son.
A week after his 16th technical foul was rescinded, Lakers star Luka Doncic will serve a one-game suspension on Monday after picking up a technical foul in Friday’s win over the Magic. He was held out of Monday’s game against the Wizards.
The top 10 teams in the Western Conference are set. The Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavericks, Jazz and Kings will miss the postseason. Denver’s one win or a Phoenix loss away from clinching a spot in the top six.
The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers to a group led by Tom Dundon, who also owns the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.