Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic nearly pulled off a connection resembling Grant Hill and Christian Laettner in the final seconds of regulation of the Nuggets’ dramatic overtime win over the Bucks on Sunday. From the opposite baseline, Millsap heaved an inbounds pass to Jokic for a turnaround 3-pointer that would have been the game-winner had it not rimmed out at the buzzer.

That would have been the highlight moment shared between Denver’s frontcourt-mates that have already been robbed of the bulk of their first season together. But several other impactful plays from the Nuggets’ four-time all-star and budding franchise player dotted their wildest win of the season that moved them within a game of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Jokic and Millsap combined for 61 points, 26 rebounds and 10 assists as Denver topped Milwaukee, the latest sign that this duo is finally clicking during the Nuggets’ late push for their first playoff berth since 2013.

“They’re my safety blanket,” coach Michael Malone said. “If one of those two are in the game at all times, we have somebody to play through and to kind of calm things down when they’re not going our way.”

Jokic and Millsap have combined to average 44.8 points, 18.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists over their past six games to anchor an offense currently without second-leading scorer Gary Harris due to a knee injury.

Jokic has turned it on since being benched in the fourth quarter of a loss at Dallas on March 6, while Millsap’s surge has unfolded more recently. In the middle of the Nuggets’ seven-game road trip, the 12-year veteran acknowledged he sometimes “didn’t know how to finish” because he could not consistently drive with his left hand. But the strength and range of motion in his surgically repaired wrist has steadily improved over the past week, allowing Millsap to combine aggressive finishes inside with soft jumpers from the mid-range and 3-point distance.

Though Jokic and Millsap have played well off each other — most notably while scoring 19 of Denver’s 30 points to build a double-digit lead in Friday’s overtime win at Oklahoma City — a substitution-pattern tweak by Malone is also benefiting both players. The coach now takes Jokic out at the six-minute mark of the first quarter and staggers him and Millsap at points throughout the middle of the game, ensuring that at least one of them is always on the floor. That uptick in production has also opened opportunities for perimeter shooters such as Jamal Murray, who is averaging 19.2 points over that same six-game stretch and dropped 18 of his 27 points after the third quarter in Sunday’s win.

“To have those spots when you know you’re going to get the ball and know when you’re going to be able to be effective, it’s big for a player,” Millsap said. Related Articles Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Lakers’ Anthony Davis authoring Western Conference Finals matchup for the ages

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Millsap’s mid-November wrist surgery required two adjustment periods for the Denver newcomer, along with a 44-game “derailment” just as he and Jokic had begun to establish chemistry on how to space the floor and make plays for each other. Millsap’s three-month absence, plus this reintegration process since his Feb. 27 return, could be a factor that keeps Denver out of the postseason.

But Jokic points to subtle improvements on the “small things,” like understanding where Millsap wants to catch the ball, the move he’ll make and the shot he’ll take. They’ve thrived in the pick-and-roll together. After their near-miss on Sunday’s Laettner-esque heave, they scored eight of the Nuggets’ 17 points in overtime — including a 3-pointer by Jokic that put Denver up 121-114 with 1:48 remaining and a Millsap dunk that re-extended that lead to seven points with 47.7 seconds left.

Perhaps this is a glimpse of what the Jokic-Millsap combo could have been all along. Or perhaps it’s a glimpse of what’s in store as the Nuggets make their final postseason charge.

“He’s being more aggressive. I’m being more aggressive,” Millsap said. “My hand’s feeling better, and we’re just getting after it.”