Austin Rivers said it wasn’t about revenge.
The man’s grin late Wednesday night said something else.
“See me smiling already?” the Nuggets guard offered in a postgame Zoom conference after dropping a season-high 25 points, three steals, three assists and six 3-pointers on the franchise he’d started this NBA season with, the New York Knicks. “Look at you.”
The 28-year-old Rivers wasn’t signed by Denver last month to replicate the magic of Jamal Murray all by himself. But for one evening, at least, he sure as heck looked the part.
The former Duke star and son of Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers drained as many 3-pointers against the Knicks (6 for 9 beyond the arc) as he’d notched over his first eight games with the Nuggets (6 for 30).