Nuggets shoot season-high from 3-point range in rout of Cavaliers, clinch playoff spot as Nikola Jokic supplies triple-double

If the Nuggets need a just-in-case formula to win challenging games without Jamal Murray, look no further than Sunday.

Just make every single 3-pointer, open or contested.

Denver drained 21 of 33 attempts Sunday, a season-high 63.6%, en route to a 130-101 bounce-back win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena. With seven regular-season games remaining, the Nuggets (52-23), Timberwolves and Thunder remain within half a game of one another for the top seed in the Western Conference.

Denver officially clinched a playoff spot as a top-six seed with the win. It will be the franchise’s sixth consecutive playoff appearance, the longest active streak in the West.

“That’s sustained success, which is what you all strive for,” coach Michael Malone said. “But as I told our players: That’s cool, six years in a row, but that wasn’t a goal this year, to make the playoffs. We have a bullseye on our backs. We’re the reigning world champs. So that’s what our goal is: to repeat. It’s gonna be a hell of a challenge, but we’re all signed up for that.”

Relishing a strenuous post matchup against Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Nikola Jokic amassed 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists. He had his 128th career triple-double by the end of the third quarter, moving him within 10 of Magic Johnson for third in NBA history.

But in order to snap a two-game skid without Murray (various leg afflictions), the Nuggets needed role players to cash in on the receiving end of Jokic’s facilitating after an 8-for-28 night from 3-point range Friday against Minnesota. Cleveland is characterized by a similarly suffocating half-court defense with multiple imposing bigs, but the difference this time started with the Nuggets’ outside shooting.

Reggie Jackson was 5 of 5 for 19 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 6 of 9 for 22. Michael Porter Jr., generally Denver’s second scoring option when Murray is missing, converted another 3 of 5 beyond the arc for 19.

Caldwell-Pope is making 45.6% of his 3-point attempts in Denver this season, resoundingly higher than his 34.6% clip on the road.

“I really haven’t noticed that. I don’t look at the stats like that,” Caldwell-Pope said. “But for me it’s just, I’m a rhythm guy. Just trying to find a good rhythm whether it’s home or away. Last game, we played Minnesota, I had zero points. I missed every shot.”

The defending champions — 40-14 this season when Murray plays — improved to 12-9 without him.

“I just want Jamal back,” Jackson said after his fifth consecutive game in double figures.

Jokic wasn’t a sure bet to play either after Malone voiced concern with the two-time MVP’s right wrist Friday night. Malone claimed to be surprised Jokic played at all against Minnesota, but the wrist was no longer bandaged as Jokic took the floor for the Easter matinee.

“There’s always times when you have to protect players from themselves,” Malone said Sunday when asked about the dynamic between himself and Jokic on matters of whether to play through minor injuries. “He’s prideful, he’s tough, and in his Serbian heritage, he never wants to sit down. He never wants to rest. And if you really took a deep look into his nine years, how many games Nikola Jokic has missed compared to other marquee players, it’s just incredible, his availability.”

Jokic’s six rest minutes to start the second quarter were the only troubling stretch for the Nuggets. Cleveland outscored them 19-11, a margin that might have been worse if not for Jackson’s shot-making. Then Jokic returned, and a lineup without a point guard turned a four-point deficit into a 65-56 halftime lead, fueled by a seven-point surge for Christian Braun. The starters opened the third quarter on a 15-2 run.

“I thought he was outstanding tonight, Reggie Jackson,” Malone said. “His energy, man. … We just had a lot of guys make shots. That helps you out. That gives you confidence. That gave us a little bit of a pep in our step. But you’re gonna go through parts of the season when you’re not making shots, and what are you gonna do? Feel sorry for yourself?”

Evan Mobley led the Cavs with 23 efficient points, but the Nuggets supplied a more complete defensive effort than Friday, excluding the sluggish first three minutes of the game that prompted a quick Malone timeout. Cleveland guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were held to a combined 18 points on 5-for-20 shooting.

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