Nikola Jokic’s pay-cut idea? Maybe not, but Michael Malone praises MVP for being vocal before bounce-back win

ATLANTA — Pay cuts were not part of the Nuggets’ game plan to get back on track Sunday, contrary to Nikola Jokic’s suggestion.

But the MVP center did make an impact with his voice, at least on coach Michael Malone.

“He was vocal this morning,” Malone said after a 141-111 rout of the Hawks. “I got on guys to speak up. This is their team. And it was good to hear Nikola talk. And then to follow it up with a performance like that is just the icing on top.”

Jokic, the consummate downplayer, was naturally surprised and even a little confused when informed of Malone’s shoutout. “I think it was not such a big thing that I said,” he responded, shrugging and leaving it a mystery. “But it was just something that maybe could help us.”

His 48-point game in Atlanta was precisely what the Nuggets (12-10) needed. But then again, his 56-point game the night before in Washington was exactly what they needed as well, and it still wasn’t enough. After that demoralizing loss to the Wizards — Denver trailed wire-to-wire against a team that hadn’t won since October — a frustrated Jokic found room for humor when asked what the Nuggets needed to see from themselves in the next few games.

“The reaction. A reaction. In my country, where I’m coming from, after this kind of stretch you’re gonna get a paycheck that is a little bit less than usual,” he said, chuckling. “So maybe that’s what we need to do. Maybe a little motivation that way. … What’s the name of it? Being benched? Being on the bench, I think that’s really good motivation too.”

There was a glaring problem with that idea. Malone didn’t have anybody left to bench in the second game of Denver’s back-to-back the next night. Jamal Murray and Dario Saric were out, in addition to long-term injuries to Vlatko Cancar and DaRon Holmes III. The Nuggets had 11 guys, excluding two-way contracts. Hunter Tyson played rotation minutes. Jalen Pickett played rotation minutes.

Help defenders stepped up this time. Secondary scorers stepped up this time. Michael Porter Jr. went for 26 points, 16 of them dunks. Christian Braun knocked down 3s and made plays in transition. It was all in the orbit of Jokic, but this time, for once, not every one of his 48 points was essential. The Nuggets will need more games that resemble this if they hope to reassume their position as convincing championship contenders.

“This was a good starting point,” Porter said. “Coming out, playing defense from the jump. Playing with intensity. Trying to work our way into the game and not playing from behind. I think when we can get out to starts and be in front of teams, we can do a good job of sustaining, but we’ve gotta come out and play like that from the jump. So tonight was a good start. To be playing kind of as bad as we’ve been playing and to still have a winning record is a blessing because it could easily not be that way.”

He’s right. The Nuggets have overtime wins in Toronto and Brooklyn. They have dramatic, last-second escapes at home against the Thunder, Mavericks and Raptors. Their net rating after 22 games is 1.8, ranking 14th in the league. Not bad. Not great, either. Certainly not up to recent standards.

Jokic has been, though, and even if he preferred to play coy when asked what he told the team Sunday morning, his candid comments the night before in Washington might offer some idea.

There were blunt truths: “I mean, teams score 125 points every night on us,” he said when asked about the state of Denver as a one-on-one guarding team. “So I think we are the worst in the league, probably.”

And there were insights to his mind as a young player when asked how the Nuggets can collectively turn their road trip (and perhaps season) around while dealing with so many injuries.

“When I was coming off the bench, when I was like playing small minutes, my goal was: ‘When I sit on the bench, I’m going to be so tired that I cannot breathe,'” Jokic shared with reporters. “So just give 100% those three, four, five, six, seven, whatever minutes you have.”

Pickett met that challenge, looking the part of an NBA floor general for the first time when he pulled up for an elbow jumper, or when he lobbed an alley-oop to pick-and-roll partner DeAndre Jordan.

And Jokic is still meeting his own challenge at 29 years old. His 104 combined points in the back-to-back were easily the most he has scored in any two-game stretch. All within 24 (maybe 26) hours.

“The very first play of the game, we ran a step-up, and (Hawks center Clint) Capela went all the way under,” Malone said. “(Jokic) stepped behind it, hit the three. And I said to myself, this kid’s about to have a big night. And he’s had big nights in this building before. He had a 50-point game a few years ago. So yeah, I mean, what can Nikola Jokic not do?”