If fans were allowed in Ball Arena to start the season, there’s no telling what Globetrotter-inspired basketball the Nuggets might have in store for them.
On Friday, to conclude the preseason against Portland, Michael Malone all but emptied his bench. It led to a ridiculous 79-point first half, filled with a Nikola Jokic hammer dunk, an extended, intriguing Bol Bol showing, and a time-traveled version of Paul Millsap. The Nuggets’ veteran power forward scored 24 points in the first-half alone to build on his strong preseason.
The Nuggets, while resting most of the regulars in the second half, cruised to a 129-96 win over Portland. The regular season opens Wednesday against Sacramento.
As the lead ballooned, the Nuggets got even looser. Jokic lofted a water-balloon toss pass to Jamal Murray on a fastbreak only to see him blow the layup. On another play, Bol snatched the defensive rebound, led the fastbreak and found Monte Morris in the corner for 3.
The Nuggets on Friday shot 41% from 3-point range on 44 attempts in perhaps a blueprint of the up-tempo, analytically-friendly offense they plan to play.
The Nuggets’ vast collection of talent couldn’t have been more apparent. During the first-half bludgeoning, training camp standout PJ Dozier didn’t get off the bench and neither did standout rookie Zeke Nnaji. Bol seized the minutes vacated by JaMychal Green, who was out with a calf strain.
In yet another nod to Denver’s versatility, Malone opted to start Will Barton on Friday after Barton publicly declared Wednesday he didn’t want to come off the bench. The swap, for Michael Porter Jr. in this case, didn’t matter.
The Nuggets were up 23-14 before Porter subbed in for Barton. Both games saw Denver hang 41 points against the Blazers in the first quarter.
Malone was asked before the game if he’d settled on any of positions he’d said were open during training camp.
“Everybody always assumes that you start your five best players,” Malone said. “It’s not that simple. You start the five best players that fit together, that complement each other.”
Nothing was solved Friday night. Barton played well with the starters, whom he was accustomed to running with last season. He finished with three points, four assists and three rebounds in his starting audition.
Porter, to his credit, was engaged and active coming off the bench. He poured in 20 points and nine rebounds to go along with four 3-pointers. His comfort, as the lead scorer in the second unit, was apparent.
Bol, the second-leading scorer off the bench, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Whether he can carve out a role, in the frontcourt or the wing, is up to Malone.
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Before the game, Malone beamed about his franchise superstar and the tone he’s set in training camp despite barely two months off.
“What I love about Nikola is, I marvel at him at times,” Malone said. “Not just his ability as a player, but his work ethic. He has become the consummate pro. Every drill we do, from the warmups with Felipe (Eichenberger) all the way through the end, Nikola does it hard.
“When your best player and one of the best players in the world, works that hard and takes everything serious and tries to get better every day, that is such a luxury as a head coach to have,” he continued. “He’s in great shape. He’s been committed, he’s engaged, he’s positive and I’ve been so impressed and proud of him because of that.”
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