ORLANDO, Fla. — After several days of uncomfortable noise revolving around superstar Nikola Jokic, Denver’s center turned down the volume.
Jokic came alive in the second half of Denver’s 91-87 win over the Magic on Saturday night, which carried outsized significance given the frustration around the team since Thursday’s perplexing loss at New Orleans.
With the shot clock winding down and the Nuggets up 82-81 with 1:53 remaining, Jokic buried a fall-away baseline jumper with a hand in his face. Jamal Murray followed that with consecutive buckets, including an emphatic dunk that helped snap a sour two-game losing streak and improve Denver’s record to 4-2.