In the second half of the race, the Nuggets seem to have figured out the secret to winning the championship.
Looking back at last season, the Nuggets started the comeback journey with an impressive 6-1 record after the All-Star Weekend, and finally topped the Western Conference with a 53-29 record, and took advantage of the victory in the playoffs to win the championship in one fell swoop. This season, the Nuggets have continued that momentum by starting the game with three straight wins after All-Star Weekend and currently sitting in third place in the West with a 39-19 record, just a narrow 1. ahead of leaders Timberwolves and ThunderWith a five-win difference, they are gathering momentum and are ready to catch up at critical moments, take the lead, and repeat last year's glorious championship process.
The Nuggets' ability to emerge from the ranks late in the season is largely due to their unique strategy for navigating a difficult schedule. They often face five games in seven days and back-to-back schedules at the start of the season, and head coach Mike Malone has made no secret of the fact that the first half of each season is an extremely difficult schedule. However, they have made smart strategic adjustments, sometimes choosing to strategically relax parts of the game, not caring about the momentary victory or defeat, in order to maintain the good competitive condition of the whole team, so as to rely on the energy and sharpness to come from behind and seal the victory in the second half of the race.
At this moment, the core players of the Nuggets are showing a blowout of good form, especially the team's soul Jokic. Recently, Jokic broke the record for three consecutive games unprecedented since the merger of the NBA and ABABecame the first player to score at least 80 points, 50 rebounds and 45 assists in three consecutive gamesof players. A look back at Jokic's great performances in the last three games:
Against the Wizards, Jokic had a hot hand, contributing 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists on 10-of-10 shooting, and his plus/minus soared to +23
Against the Trail Blazers, he scored 29 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists on 12-of-17 shooting, with a plus/minus of +24
In a fierce battle against the Warriors, Jokic scored 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists on 13-of-24 shooting, and also added four steals and one block, and the plus/minus also remained at +20.
In this three consecutive triple-double feasts, Jokic scored 82 points, 50 rebounds and 45 assists with only 51 shots, strictly controlled the number of turnovers to 7, and the cumulative plus/minus was as high as +67, contributing an average of 27 per game3 points, 16He had seven rebounds and 15 assists, and he shot an astonishing 68 from the field6%, showing his extraordinary efficiency and versatility in all aspects.
In particular, Jokic became the first player in NBA history to record at least 14 rebounds and 14 assists in each of three consecutive games. In his recent match with the Warriors, he once again recorded a big triple-double of 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists, which is the third time in his career that he has at least 16 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists in a single game, which puts him in joint third place with Jason Kidd and Russell Westbrook, behind Oscar Robertson (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four).
Jokic has 139 triple-doubles in the regular season and playoffs, surpassing LeBron James and moving up to fourth all-time, behind Westbrook (210), Oscar Robertson (189) and "Magic" Johnson (168). In addition, in terms of career "triple-double" stats of at least 12 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, Jokic ranks third all-time behind Oscar Robertson (75), Westbrook (69) and Johnson "Magic" (48) with 43 times.
Jokic holds a winning record in 11 head-to-head meetings with LeBron James and Stephen Curry, winning all five against Curry and six against James. The Warriors' Draymond Green likened his defensive pressure to hell when talking about Jokic, clearly bewildered by Jokic's stellar performance.
Such an outstanding performance not only shocked the opponent, but also played a key role in promoting the overall strength of the team. However, in the next five games, the Nuggets will face four tough battles broadcast live in the United States, against the Kings, Heat, Lakers, Suns and Celtics. If the Nuggets can have the last laugh in these key matchups, it will undoubtedly further confirm their strength and add more possibilities for them to replicate last year's championship path.