NBA scores 2016: Nikola Jokic has invigorated the Nuggets

Jokic recorded a near triple-double in Denver’s win over Dallas on Monday.

Dec 20, 2016, 1:00 PM UTC

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Just a day after Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said he’s never coached a center as gifted a passer as Nikola Jokic, his newly appointed starting center recorded the best game of his career in a Monday win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Jokic tied two career-highs — nine assists and 27 points (13-for-17 shooting) — in Denver’s 117-107 victory. He also grabbed 15 rebounds, falling just one dime shy of the franchise’s first triple-double since Andre Iguodala recorded one on his 28th birthday on Jan. 28, 2012.

Malone likened his center to one of Sacramento’s best big men.

“To me, he reminds you a little bit of Vlade Divac,” Malone said after Dec. 18 practice. “A guy that was just an unbelievable passer no matter where you put him on the floor. So I haven’t personally coached a guy like that and that’s no disrespect to all the guys I’ve been around.”

Jokic is averaging 11.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, ranking him third in assists among centers behind Portland’s Mason Plumlee and Memphis’ Marc Gasol and ahead of both Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol.

Nuggets guard Gary Harris — who finished with a team-high 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting, said Jokic has a great feel for the game and that teammates want to cut when he has the ball “because they know he’ll make the pass.” Denver’s coach attributed his court vision to his background as a point guard growing up.

“He used to be a fat point guard,” Malone said of Jokic. “He was a point guard growing up, he had the ball in his hands. That’s why I think his ball handling, his passing are where they’re at because he has that foundation growing up.”

“He makes everybody around him better,” Malone continued. “Which I think is the best definition of a great player, making people around you better.”

The Nuggets are 3-0 since Malone moved Jokic to the center position full-time. Denver (12-16) is now just one-half game behind Portland for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Russell Westbrook scored 46 points in a loss to Atlanta

Westbrook fell short of the expected triple-double in a loss to Atlanta on Monday, but he was nothing short of brilliant offensively — up until the game’s final moments. Oklahoma City’s MVP candidate forced up shot after shot late in the game and allowed his 46-point outburst to fall on a winless effort.

The Bulls pounded the Pistons so badly, Stan Van Gundy went on a rant

Stan Van Gundy never holds back blows when the media asks him a tough question. He slammed the public’s decision to elect Donald Trump as President of the United States, then lauded the NBA athletes choosing not to stay at the president-elect’s hotel chain in New York. And on Monday, Van Gundy absolutely demolished his team’s effort in a 31-point loss to Chicago.

Chicago players locked their head coach out after a win over Detroit

The Bulls cruised to a 31-point bludgeoning of the Detroit Pistons on Monday, and decided to have some fun at the expense of head coach Fred Hoiberg immediately after the game. Hoiberg’s players locked him out of the team locker room, leaving him stranded with just the media and the occasional passersby. Thankfully, it was on the heels of a 30-point win and not a 30-point loss.

Monday’s top performances

Karl-Anthony Towns: 28 points (11-for-18 shooting), 15 rebounds, 2 blocks

Towns followed his 41-point outburst against Houston with an equally impressive 28 points in a win over Phoenix. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 24.8 and 14.4 rebounds in Minnesota’s last five games. Unfortunately, the T’Wolves are 2-3 during that stretch and 9-19 on the season.

Paul Millsap: 30 points (12-for-18 shooting), 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Paul Milsap shouldn’t be able to torment a defense like this. He came up with big plays down the stretch to give Atlanta the win over Oklahoma City.

Russell Westbrook: 46 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists

Westbrook is the clear leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player of the Year race this season. But he’s got some late-game issues to hash out if he wants to single handedly carry his Thunder to a deep playoff run.

Myles Turner: 20 points (8-for-13 shooting), 8 rebounds, 5 blocks

Five blocks is nothing to laugh at, and Myles Turner racked up block after block while helping his Pacers to a win over Washington. The Pacers play their second of a back-to-back tomorrow against the Knicks.

Nikola Jokic: 19 points (9-for-13 shooting), 12 rebounds, 8 assists

“He’s a helluva player,” Malone said after the game, “and when we play through him, good things happen.” The Nuggets are rolling with Jokic at the center, and they should keep him there if Denver wants to make a legitimate run at a playoff spot in the West.

Honorable mentions — Rajon Rondo: 10 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals; Paul George: 27 points (10-for-21 shooting), 9 rebounds ; Gary Harris: career-high 24 points (9-for-13 shooting)