January is a month to establish better habits, and there’s a clear priority for Michael Malone as his team enters a pivotal portion of the season.

After beating Atlanta 139-120 on Wednesday at Ball Arena, the Nuggets have 16 games left in January – seven left at home and nine on the road – with most of those games coming against teams that started 2025 with a winning record.

“This is going to be a hell of a month for us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We’re playing some really good teams. If we think we’re just going to go out and outscore everybody, we’ll be sitting at home, watching the playoffs.”

The 48 minutes against Atlanta showcased both ways the month of January could go. Atlanta scored 71 points in the first half, keeping the game close despite another elite offensive performance from the Nuggets.

Malone said he told the team at halftime that the defensive effort was “embarrassing.” That message appeared to be received, as Denver broke the game open by scoring 41 points in the third quarter and holding the Hawks to 24. That allowed Malone to get his starters some rest in the fourth quarter to start January.

“We shouldn’t have to have that challenge,” Christian Braun said. “That’s on us. That’s on me.

“We’ve got to do a better job from the jump, and that’s kind of been a theme for us.”

Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive game the Nuggets scored 132 or more points. They did so against Atlanta by recording 44 assists on 53 made shots from the field.

“We’re elite offensively. We can score with anybody. The numbers are just insane,” Malone said. “

“When we play some defense and we rebound, we’re just so dangerous, and we did that in the second half.”

Nikola Jokic finished the first half one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double and completed the feat in the first minutes of the third quarter. He finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds, 15 assists and a blocked shot in just under 30 minutes of playing time. He was also Malone’s defensive player of the game.

“They run a ton of pick-and-rolls,” Malone said. “I thought his levels with Trae Young were outstanding. He had a bunch of deflections, a blocked shot. He was really good.”

Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray added 21 points apiece, while Russell Westbrook (16), Braun (15), Julian Strawther (13) and Peyton Watson (11) also scored in double figures. Porter credited Braun for making the Nuggets more potent in transition in his first season as a starter, while Westbrook’s addition in the offseason gave the team another creator, as evidenced by his 11 assists.

“As the year has gone on, we’re getting better and better,” Porter said.

“I think we’ve gotten more comfortable as the year has gone on.”

Young led the Hawks with 30 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while De’Andre Hunter added 20 points on 14 attempts. That was good enough for Denver to start the new year with a victory, but it wasn’t the kind of consistent effort that will take the team to where it wants to be at the end of the season.

“Yes, we’re winning, but we not winning, right now, the ways that we need to in order to build the necessary habits, so we can beat the best teams in this league,” Malone said.

NUGGETS 139, HAWKS 120

What happened: The Nuggets led by seven after the first quarter and held onto a 74-71 lead at halftime. A big third quarter gave Denver a 20-point cushion to start the fourth, and Denver improved to 19-13 on the season.

What went right: Denver recorded assists on 17 of its first 20 baskets without committing a turnover before Dyson Daniels picked off Russell Westbrook’s pass a few minutes into the second quarter. At the time, Nikola Jokic already had six assists, while Westbrook added five.

What went wrong: First-half defense continued to be an issue. Atlanta scored 33 points in the first quarter and 38 more in the second. Then, the Nuggets held the Hawks to 24 and 25 points, respectively, in the third and fourth quarters.

Highlight of the night: Peyton Watson showed off his two-way potential late in the first quarter. He ended one Hawks possession by swatting a Trae Young shot that led to a transition bucket from Jalen Pickett. Watson finished Denver’s next offensive possession with a driving, two-handed dunk. There was a similar sequence in the third that included Watson shutting down De’Andre Hunter and throwing down an alley-oop on the other end.

Up next: The Nuggets have a day off before hosting the Spurs on Friday at Ball Arena.