PORTLAND, Ore. — It took all of 225 seconds into the new season for Michael Malone to be forced into his break-glass-in-case-of-emergency backup plan.



His MVP candidate, Nikola Jokic, was benched by absurdly early foul trouble. The center’s rear hit the cushioning on his sideline seat with the game clock reading 8:15 remaining … in the first quarter.



Luckily for Malone, he doesn’t have to deal with the chaos and unpredictability of a fire extinguisher when he breaks the glass. He has a powerful hose at his disposal, equipped with enough water pressure to douse the heat that comes with major expectations. These Nuggets aren’t sent into a mode of crossing their fingers and hoping for the best when things seem to go up in flames.



That’s why Denver just kept humming, en route to a 108-100 win on opening night, as its MVP candidate watched from the Moda Center bench for nearly the entire first half.



“It’s...