DENVER – The Denver Nuggets decided to bench all 5 of their starters for their final home game of the season against the Thunder, a move that confused many fans. However, the performance from the less-celebrated Nuggets left every fan satisfied, winning by 20 points and shooting 49% from the three-point line. This marks 11 straight victories for Denver, the longest active streak in the NBA.
Jonas Valanciunas was the star of the show tonight, scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, both game-leading figures. Given the fact that he tried to get out of his contract to play for the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos last July, many Nuggets fans wouldn’t have expected him to play such a key rotational role this season, providing relief for Nikola Jokic in plenty of games this season. Valanciunas has been a great addition this season, and tonight showed that he still has the ability to be a quality starting center in this league, which bodes well for Denver this post-season.
Commenting on Big Val’s great performance, Coach Adelman said, “Seeing Jonas get a lot of minutes, it was good for him to find some rythym, going 9/14.(From the field)”
Julian Strawther had another good game, scoring a season-high 22 points with only 2 free throws. Strawther has been a key three-point shooter playing for the Nuggets in key situations this year, adding more depth to a roster that seems poised for a championship.
However, the biggest surprise of the night was forward David Roddy scoring 21 points in 26 minutes. Roddy hadn’t scored in double figures all season, and tonight he shot 66.7% from the field, including 50% from the three-point line.
Seeing more and more Nuggets put together great games in the absence of the starters has really been an encouraging sign down the stretch. For a team that has had real concerns when their star player hasn’t been on the court, tonight’s game was a great sign of things to come. Denver travels to San Antonio for their final game of the regular season, and then it’s into playoff mode for the championship hopefuls.
