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Needless to say, the Denver Nuggets are one of the best teams in basketball. In a league where the Golden State Warriors didn't exist, the Nuggets would have as good a shot as any to emerge from a loaded Western Conference. Mike Malone's troops made that abundantly clear to the national audience on Friday night, beating James Harden and the Houston Rockets 138-122 at Pepsi Center to tie Golden State for first place out west.
This team shouldn't need more validation, at least in the regular season. Don't tell that to Mike Malone, though, who again used Denver's victory over a notable foe to send the message that his squad is for real.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone: "We’ve beaten every team in the NBA. We’ve beaten all comers. We’re not scared of anybody."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2019
The Nuggets have been at or near the top of the Western Conference all season long. Nikola Jokic has a legitimate MVP case, Jamal Murray is one of the most exciting shot-makers in basketball, and reserves Malik Beasley and Monte Morris combine to give the Nuggets one of the deepest benches in basketball. Maybe most encouraging, Denver ranks 10th in defensive rating this season, a necessary improvement that some believed might never have been possible given their lack of a defensive anchor.
The Nuggets' victory was made even more impressive because it came without Murray, nursing a left ankle sprain that's caused him to miss four straight games. Jokic didn't seem to mind that his favorite pick-and-roll partner was out, though, finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists on 12-of-15 shooting. Beasley and Torrey Craig were even bigger stories for Denver, notching career-highs of 35 points and 22 points, respectively.
Will the Nuggets get that production from their role players with Murray out every night? Probably not, but that's hardly a cause for real concern. Denver, as Malone says, isn't scared.
