The Denver Nuggets went into Monday's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers down three of their core players as Michael Malone was without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon who all missed the game due to injuries. But they did have Reggie Jackson.
Heading into the game, a win seemed extremely improbable, especially with the Clippers boasting superstars like James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and more. But against all odds, and even being down by double digits at one point, the Nuggets pulled out the victory, 113-104.
“Tonight was special,” head coach Michael Malone told reporters postgame.
The win was special indeed, as the Nuggets rallied back thanks to spectacular performances from Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan. The duo had a combined 56 points on the night. Jackson finished with 35 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds. Jordan finished with 21 points, 5 assists, and 13 rebounds.
Jackson's 35 points were the most he's scored as a Nugget.
“Reggie deserves all the credit,” said Malone. “He was in our gym every day this summer. He was there. Sweating with all those young guys. Imparting his wisdom from his years of experience in this league. Getting comfortable with the coaching staff, our terminology, our philosophy. Now, when Jamal Murray goes down with injury, Reggie is out there just kind of running the show and doing it at a very high level.”
Fans worried Jokic's absence would leave a gaping hole on both offense and defense. But the veteran Jordan, who has spent a good chunk of the season on the bench with little playing time, came in and filled the role beautifully.
“DJ is a dynamic roller, even at this stage of his career,” said Malone. “Obviously, from beginning to end, the combination of Reggie and DeAndre in pick-and-roll created a lot of problems for them and gave us a lot of success.”
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