The first game-winning buzzer-beater of Monte Morris’s NBA career was cause for celebration for a couple of coaches.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone was obviously excited after Morris stepped up and secured a 117-116 win over the Golden State Warriors with a 3-pointer that left his hands with less than a second remaining. Malone interrupted Morris’s post-game media availability by yelling his nickname.

“Big Game Tae came through,” Malone said, using the nickname Morris earned for a few game-winners at Iowa State.

“I couldn’t be more proud of a team than I am right now.”

The other coach might hold Morris to an even higher standard than the man who decides his minutes, but she has to send her suggestions via halftime text message.

Monte Morris’ buzzer-beater sends Denver Nuggets into break with a big win over the Golden State Warriors

“My mom, she’s a coach,” Morris said. “So, she will always text me like ‘Y’all need to help Nikola. He does everything. Help him. Do something, cut, do something to help him out.’”

Morris received that message.

Denver’s point guard inbounded the ball to his star center, Nikola Jokic, and noticed his defender, Warriors star Stephen Curry, sliding over to help Kevon Looney with Jokic. Morris thought he might be able to slip through the coverage for a game-tying layup, but Curry was bluffing. Morris vacated the space in the middle of the floor, moving to the right wing, and Jokic went to work.

“I just wanted to go to the middle of the paint and shoot a hook shot,” Jokic said.

With 1.5 seconds left, it looked like that’s what Jokic would do. Instead, he realized Curry had committed to the double team the second time around, leaving Morris open on the wing. Morris caught the pass with just over a second left and quickly got his shot up before Curry could recover.

“The play was, you know, obviously to get the ball to Nikola, but I knew with him being so unselfish when you‘re open, nine times out of 10, he’s going to find you. … I was just shot ready. They always preach that. Whether I got it or not, I was just doing what we always practice,” Morris said.

“I kinda knew it was good once I let it go. I just didn’t know if I got it off in time. That was the big thing.”

Morris said he was going for a subdued celebration, not wanting to waste the energy if the shot was late, but he was quickly mobbed first by Austin Rivers, Bryn Forbes and Jokic before the rest of the team made it across the court. A shower of bottled water was waiting when Morris returned to the locker room.

It was a nice return after Morris missed the three previous games with a concussion. He said he didn’t feel like he had much of a rhythm in his first game back. Morris took only four shots in the first 30 minutes he played against Golden State, but he gave the Nuggets their first lead with 15 seconds left and secured the win with a shot he won’t soon forget with an assist from Denver’s selfless star.

“That’s what makes him, to me, the greatest player in the league is that he can beat you by scoring, but he also can see Monte Morris open and have the wherewithal, the confidence to give him a pass on time, on target,” Malone said of Jokic.

“Monte does the rest.”

Hyland headed to Cleveland for Rising Stars Game

Nikola Jokic will not be alone this weekend in Cleveland.

Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland was selected to replace Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell in Friday’s Rising Stars Game. Hyland made the first three starts of his NBA career when Morris was in concussion protocols and is averaging 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2 assists through 58 games of his NBA career.