![]() ![]() He had 23 points on 9-of-16 from the field and shot 3-of-8 from three. In addition, Porter had it going offensively but never fully stepped outside the lines until he had to. Tonight, he had three steals and a really impressive block to save two points in transition. Most of the time, he has to be a role player who contributes defensively and hits open shots. Michael Malone and Jamal Murray were both extremely complimentary of his willingness to adapt and be exactly what the team needs. It’s great to see Porter continue to integrate himself into the team dynamic. “An aggressive Jamal and a confident Jamal is a scary Jamal,” emphasized Michael Malone. He’s playing with the swagger necessary to be the player he wants to be. He’s attacking the basket and jumping into guys as opposed to jumping away from them. His three-point shooting off the dribble has been great all year, but he’s now catching and shooting with relative frequency. Murray’s confidence is through the roof, and he’s attempting a high number of high difficulty shots that he makes look easier than just about anyone. It feels like Murray is reaching another level this season as the calendar has turned to February. He received the team’s DPOG chain for his defensive play, though he joked that he thought it may have been an offensive award tonight. Murray added seven assists and five rebounds to just one turnover in the process. “I’m just trying to do this, man,” said Murray postgame while moving his arm like a rising stock. He dropped 41 on 15-of-24 from the field, 7-of-12 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Except, he didn’t just put up 30 this time. Murray scored 30+ points for the third straight game, the first time he’s done that since February of 2021. Here are my individual takeaways from the Nuggets matchup with the Hawks on Saturday night: Jamal Murray continues to be on fire There’s an argument to be made that the Nuggets are the best in the league, and it remains to be seen who will seriously challenge them in the Western Conference this year. Overall, the Nuggets are now 37-16, tied for the best record in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. He attempted just eight shots on the evening and focused on distributing the ball to others, and why not? With the way the Nuggets continue to score, Jokić hasn’t had to go crazy as a scorer in awhile. Nikola Jokić had another triple-double of 14 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. In his place, Dejounte Murray played really well, but the Hawks couldn’t keep pace with the Nuggets offense and lost steam in the fourth quarter. The Hawks were without Trae Young tonight, a late scratch due to a non-covid illness, unsurprising at the end of a four-game road trip and on a back-to-back. Jamal Murray set a new season high of 41 points on 24 shots, hitting stepback threes, side-step threes, contested floaters, and capped off the evening with a contested dunk in transition. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 128-108 on Saturday night, another game at home in which the offense just cannot be stopped or contained. ![]()
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