The Joker’s antics are finally back! And he came back the only way he knows how—a 39/10/10 to give the Nuggets a statement 127-117 win over the Bucks. Michael Malone’s side really needed to show their ability to get it done in Nikola Jokic’s absence prior to this game. For that, others had to step in. And they are none other than Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, whose contributions in the game at Ball Arena last night were like polar opposites of each other. Of course, HC Malone addressed these in the postgame press.

It was a throwback performance from MPJ last night. His 3-point shooting had been abysmal the last few games. Even Malone said that “he’d not been shooting to the way we’ve become accustomed to seeing him.” All of them lurking in numbers like 1-10, 1-3, 3-7, 1-5, 3-10, and 1-4. He knew there was a need to get back to the old ways, especially in the playoffs run-in.

Suddenly, he recorded a 6-8 record with box numbers of 23-10-4. But the coach saw this coming from a mile away. “I had 0 doubt that he would find his rhythm because he’s too good of a shooter.” And all the negativity from the media, comments of replacing him in the lineup—Michael knew exactly what to say to quash those rumours. “Michael’s a really key part to this team and when he gets going like that… we become a really tough team to guard.” You might realise that there’s a player missing in the praise. Any guesses? Yep, it’s his other forward—Aaron Gordon.

Aaron was one of those who’d really stepped up in Jokic’s absence. 38, 26, 23 and 13 points, and three of them against playoff rivals? While also shooting 52.8 during the season? Ridiculous. After Nikola Jokic’s return, you just knew AG was gonna take them to a whole new level. But what happened instead? A forgettable 19 minutes with a 7-2-1 scoreline. “Well, it’s hard to judge tonight ’cause AG—he got the two quick ones, took him out, start him in the 3rd quarter, started him in the 2nd quarter I would say, and he picked up a third right away so he had absolutely 0 rhythm in that first half.”

He’d expected more out of Aaron. Everyone did—I’m sure AG expected more from himself, too. But he’s still a trusted cog in the 2023 champions’ machine. “What I like about that group is that with 8 games to go they’ve been through a lot of battles and they’ve won a lot of battles and we’re gonna need them to continue to play at a high level as we try to find a rhythm with that group going into the post season.” Of course, most of it hinges on the Joker’s long-term fitness—something he shed light on during his postgame press.

Nikola Jokic provides positive injury notice

5 games missed. That’s 5 opportunities missed. Not just for the Nuggets to cement a playoffs spot, but for Jokic to put his standing for the undisputed MVP. But his 30th-season and 160th-overall triple-double last night means only one thing—he’s back. What’s more is that he isn’t going back to the treatment room anytime soon.

“I feel much better. I don’t want to say percentage and stuff, but I feel much better than I thought it was gonna be. I still feel a little bit but its much much much much less how it was before.” Was he rushed back into action? Maybe. But he still praises the medical staff in their decision to take him off the floor for a while.

“I couldn’t really jump on my left leg and it was really painful. It was just better to feel good and I don’t wanna be on the floor and be nervous because I cannot play how I want to play on the level that I want to play and I think it’s correct for the players and the coaches to get well and be there 100%.”

All he looks forward to is the rest of the season. 8 games left, 5 of them against .500+ teams. As Tallahassee from Zombieland says, ‘it’s time to nut up or shut up.‘ Eyeing a more consistent playoff run-in, Jokic urges his team to take it step by step- aiming for a clean 48 minutes every time they step on the hardwood.

With Nikola Jokic back, Michael Malone will be telling the lads the exact same thing. The Nuggets have to buck up for the last 8, just like they did against the Bucks. The hope is that MPJ’s performance was the start of the positive and AG’s performance was a one-off.