Nikola Jokic scores 40, Nuggets total 146 in rout of Trail Blazers

The Nuggets were so red-hot, even Nikola Jokic’s off-balance attempt to bait his way to the foul line for three shots went in.

Jokic seemed to draw contact while entering his shooting motion, but the officials called the foul on the floor. His wacky 3-pointer didn’t count, and the Nuggets’ possession ended in their first missed shot of the game. More than eight minutes into the first quarter.

Not much else could stop Denver from scoring in a 146-117 win over the Trail Blazers on Monday night at Ball Arena. Jokic scored 40 on 22 shots, and the Nuggets (35-19) matched a season-high 65.9% clip from the field in their seventh consecutive win, pulling within one game of the second-place Grizzlies with one game remaining before the NBA’s All-Star hiatus.

“I think somebody said we’ve gotta diversify our offense at one point,” coach Michael Malone said. “Why? Stick with what’s working. … We’ve led the league all year long to this point as we approach the All-Star break in fast break points, in paint points, in assists. And that’s how we do it. That’s just the way our team is built, and we believe it. We buy in to it.”

The Blazers are near the bottom of the West, but they arrived in Colorado on a surge. In the previous 12 games, as Malone pointed out before opening tip, their defensive rating was the best in the league. They were 10-2 in that stretch.

“The numbers are real. It wasn’t just a one-, two- or three-game window,” Malone said. “This is 12 games. … And their defense is a big part of that. … They just have a lot of size and length and physicality. They’re gonna try to get into us early, slow us down.”

As it turned out, Denver’s finishing was immune to even the stingiest defense. Jamal Murray’s 7-for-10 night included a 360 layup. Christian Braun’s 12-of-14 outing featured jump-shooting off the dribble, another blistering dunk and a driving spin move. And Jokic eventually got what he wanted, a four-point play opportunity during the third quarter when he once again leaned into a defender for contact, conveniently sinking a shot that wasn’t necessarily designed to be sunk.

That wasn’t even his most impressive three of the evening. On an out-of-bounds play late in the shot clock, he caught the ball in the corner with Deandre Ayton in his face. Out of room, out of options, Jokic somehow stepped back further into the corner and hoisted a desperate shot.

It contributed to his team’s 11-for-11 shooting start.

Jokic was able to rest the fourth quarter again while bench contributors continued to light up the scoreboard. Jalen Pickett went for 14 points and eight assists, both career highs. Zeke Nnaji added 11 efficient points and five rebounds.

The Nuggets scored 88 in the lane and 29 on fast breaks in the win.

“I think people are seeing how many easy buckets I get (by running and cutting),” said Braun, who scored 22 of his 26 points in the paint. “That’s part of our offense. That’s what unlocks a lot of our offense. Somebody getting on the rim. Everybody can do it.”