The Denver Nuggets picked up a 127-117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, and Nikola Jokic led the way with 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his return from injury, and head coach Michael Malone spoke on what he saw from his star player in his return to the court.
“Well he had one move in the first half where I said, he faked it, kept it, went down the lane and threw it down two hands,” Michael Malone said, via Rachel Strand of ClutchPoints. “And that, I was like, ‘Wow. I should hold him out 10 days more often,' because he was outstanding. And that's the thing, and you guys all know this, I mean he was banged up, those games that he missed were not rust games. Those games were missed because of his inability to go out there and play at the level he's capable of playing. But I did see a guy that looked rested, looked explosive, and looked as efficient and dominating as ever.”
"I saw a guy that looked rested, explosive, efficient, and dominating as ever."
Michael Malone speaks on whether he believed Nikola Jokic looked more refreshed as he returned to the lineup 🤔
(via @MileHighRachel) pic.twitter.com/JcN0JeK11V
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 27, 2025
Expand Tweet
Related Denver Nuggets NewsArticle continues below
Jokic certainly showed that he is back at full capacity right away, as his 39 points came on an efficient 16-25 shooting night. With the Nuggets making a push to maximize their playoff seed in the next few weeks, Jokic immediately returning and turning in a standout performance was a huge development.
With the win, the Nuggets moved to 46-28 overall. that is good for third in the Western Conference. Denver is 1.5 games back of the Houston Rockets for the second seed, but just one game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies. It is a tight race in the west, and the Nuggets would like to get as high as the second seed down the stretch.
Up next for the Nuggets is a home game against the Utah Jazz on Friday, which will be the last game for the team in March. Then, there will be seven games remaining in the regular season, with important matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Grizzlies and Rockets still on the schedule.