Michael Malone

Nuggets Notes: Saric, Malone, Jokic, Watson

November 17th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

After recently being pulled from the Nuggets‘ rotation, Dario Saric found himself in the starting lineup Friday night, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The move was made out of necessity because Nikola Jokic was absent for personal reasons, and Saric responded with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes.

“He allowed us to play when we were organized like we usually play,” acting head coach David Adelman said. “Obviously, Nikola is an unworldly player, but Dario allows you to play in the pocket. He allows you to play off the elbow. … Early in the game, we had a nice flow because we were playing through him.”

Saric had expected to be a rotation fixture when he signed a two-year, $10.6MM contract with Denver over the summer. But a slow start for both him and the team forced coach Michael Malone to make changes. The Nuggets won five straight games and Malone was reluctant to tinker with the new lineup, but he assured Saric that he would eventually get a chance to earn regular playing time again.

“We talked about the situation, why was the decision made,” Saric said. “Obviously, the second unit wasn’t that good in that time, so he kind of made the decision that it would be me.”

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Malone missed Friday’s game because his daughter had a volleyball match in the state tournament, Durando states in a separate story. “From being a coach’s son and growing up around this, and the things you miss as a dad, really cool that he’s there,” Adelman told reporters. “That’s something you don’t want to miss. It’s one game (for the Nuggets). Whatever. That’s really important to her. It’s really important to their family. So I’m glad he’s there.”
Adelman refused to provide any details about the reasons for Jokic’s absence, Durando adds. “Things at home for somebody, that’s their business,” Adelman said, “and when he feels like he’s ready to come back, he’ll come back.” The three-time MVP will also miss today’s game against Memphis, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Jokic and his family are fine and there’s no cause for alarm, adds Katy Winge of Altitude TV (Twitter link).
Adelman experimented with a small-ball lineup that Malone introduced last week featuring 6’7″ Peyton Watson at center, Durando notes in the same piece. Although Watson reached double figures in scoring by halftime, the Nuggets had trouble getting rebounds with him in the middle.

Nuggets Rumors: Booth, Malone, Jokic, Murray, George, KCP

November 1st, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Rory Maher

In an interesting feature story, which is worth reading in full, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne explores the philosophical “disconnect” developing within the Nuggets as they try to capitalize on Nikola Jokic‘s remaining prime years.

As Shelburne writes, Denver has lost four veteran role players — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson — from the team that won the championship in 2023. General manager Calvin Booth acknowledges those departures have created some internal tension between the players and coaching staff and the front office.

“There was this urge to compete, especially from the players and the coaches and even myself,” Booth told ESPN. “You want to win, especially coming off the heels of winning the championship. And that’s probably where the tension started.

“What are you guys trying to do? Are you trying to win? Are you trying to develop? I think everybody had the best intent going in. There was buy-in. But I think competition and the focus on that can distract you from the buy-in.”

Multiple sources tell Shelburne that the Nuggets have been discussing a contract extension with Booth for months, and a deal is expected to be reached soon. Booth has largely focused on finding young players on affordable contracts to build out the Nuggets’ depth due to the roster-building restrictions of the new tax aprons, but head coach Michael Malone has typically turned to more proven veterans.

Shelburne points to big man Zeke Nnaji as “perhaps the best example” of the disconnect between Booth and Malone. After the Nuggets signed him to a four-year, $32MM rookie scale extension last offseason, the 23-year-old Nnaji saw his minutes and effectiveness decline in 2023/24, and he has only played two minutes through the first four games of this season.

Here’s more on the Nuggets, all courtesy of Shelburne:

For his part, Jokic declined to weigh in on any strain between the front office and coaching staff regarding the team’s roster construction, telling Shelburne, “That’s not my job.” However, forward Michael Porter Jr. says players are well aware that the team could look much different next offseason, depending on how the Nuggets perform in 2024/25. “If we don’t win it this year,” Porter told ESPN. “We all know they might have to break it up.”
A team source told Shelburne that guard Jamal Murray “was basically on one leg” by the end of last season’s playoffs, which saw Denver fall to Minnesota in the second round. After he struggled in the postseason and Olympics, the Nuggets signed Murray to a four-year, maximum-salary extension. They thought he’d enter training camp “with something to prove,” but sources tell Shelburne there has been some concern with his early-season struggles, particularly with his shot and conditioning level.
According to Shelburne’s sources, the Nuggets checked in on Paul George‘s availability this offseason while he was still a member of the Clippers, but Denver was unwilling to include former first-round picks Christian Braun, Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther in those talks, and the Clips had no interest in taking back long-term salary. Shelburne suggests Denver offered Porter and Nnaji for George.
Shelburne also hears from sources who say the Nuggets could have received either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Josh Green in a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks that would have sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Dallas. The Nuggets declined, and the Mavericks ended up trading both of those players in separate sign-and-trades involving Quentin Grimes and Klay Thompson, while Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic as a free agent.

Nuggets Notes: Malone, Shooting Guards, Nnaji

October 17th, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nuggets now sit at 0-4 in the preseason, and head coach Michael Malone recently questioned the conditioning of his team, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes.

“I don’t think we’re in great condition right now, and that’s one thing we talked about as coaches during the game,” Malone said after Sunday’s loss to the Suns. “Looked like some guys are just winded and a little tired out there. So that’s something that we can try to improve upon.”

In that game against the Suns, Phoenix made 23 three-pointers and the Nuggets struggled to guard the Suns’ players one-on-one. Malone was critical and blunt in his assessment of what Denver needs to do with just a week left until the team’s regular season tips off.

“I think some [conditioning] you can do [during games],” Malone said. “Like [Sunday], I ran those guys the whole third quarter. And obviously, Jamal [Murray] didn’t play in the second half. But [I] played that starting unit the whole third quarter and tried to push their envelope a little bit. And that was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys. Then in practice, I think we can get up and down more. I think so often as coaches in modern-day NBA, the league’s gotten so soft [that] everybody’s afraid to condition and run. We have to.”

Durando writes that the Nuggets are trying to step out of their comfort zone this season by playing more in transition, which the starting lineup isn’t as accustomed to. Malone acknowledged as much on Sunday.

“Obviously if you’re playing at a pace that maybe you’re not accustomed to, it could definitely challenge your system,” Malone said. “But you know, we’ve talked about trying to be a better running team this year. … It can’t be just Russell Westbrook off the bench. It’s gotta be everybody.”

We have more from the Nuggets:

Malone raised eyebrows again on Tuesday during the media session that followed a 30-point preseason loss to the Thunder. The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency this year, marking the second straight year in which they’ve lost a key contributor from their 2023 title run (Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left in free agency last summer). With those losses, the Nuggets tried relying on younger players to fill the gaps and help get them back to the Finals in 2023/24, but they were defeated in the second round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves. When asked if there was a sense of wanting revenge for last season, Malone said “I haven’t seen it,” according to Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports (Twitter link).
While Julian Strawther has been one of the most impressive Nuggets players in the preseason, it’ll be an uphill battle for him to beat out Christian Braun for the starting shooting guard spot, Durando writes. Strawther is shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc this preseason, an area that Braun is struggling with (7.7%). “Obviously it’s never going to be just about who’s playing better in a vacuum,” Malone said. “It’s always going to be about, yes, who’s playing well, but also who complements that unit. And right now to be honest, I think [Braun] and Jamal and Michael [Porter Jr.] and Aaron [Gordon] and Nikola [Jokic], that’s a group that really complements each other well. … I think Russ, Julian, Peyton [Watson], Dario [Saric] and whoever else, I think that’s a really good complementary group as well. But I will give Julian some more chances to get out there and start and play with that [starting] group.”
The first four seasons of his career haven’t progressed in a linear fashion, but it has been encouraging to see Zeke Nnaji stand out in the preseason, Durando writes in the same story. On Tuesday, Nnaji recorded 11 points, two steals and three blocks. There’s been some question as to whether the big man is best suited as a four or a five, but Malone said that didn’t matter. “I don’t get into all that. I think that’s a bunch of malarkey,” Malone said. “In today’s NBA, you’re a big, you’re a small. … This is not 1980s where it’s three-out, two-in. Zeke’s a big. So go out there and play your game. I mean, is Dario Saric a center in anybody’s eyes? Well, he is for us.“
Nnaji’s strong preseason has extended to beyond the arc, Durando observes in a separate feature. He’s shooting a team-best 54.5% and is aiming to bring those numbers to the regular season. That was a trademark skill for Nnaji as a draft prospect and he hit 43.9% of his threes in the first two seasons of his career. However, amid a form change, Nnaji shot 26.1% from deep over the past two seasons. Despite outsiders telling him to revert back to his old form, Nnaji stuck with it and the change looks to finally be paying off.

Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Murray, Title Window, Malone, Gordon

September 27th, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing at the Nuggets‘ media day on Thursday after joining the team as a free agent over the summer, Russell Westbrook expressed excitement about his new opportunity and earned praise from teammates and his new head coach alike, as Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post writes.

“He has a competitive, ‘I’m going to get in your s–t’ mindset that I love,” head coach Michael Malone said. “… I think he’s going to help individual players achieve their potential and push them to be the best they can be. I love guys (who) bring it every single night, and that’s what he has done.”

While the former MVP has a much different skill set than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets’ former starting shooting guard who signed with Orlando in July, Malone believes Westbrook is underrated on defense and is capable of making up some of what Denver lost on that end of the court as a result of Caldwell-Pope’s departure.

“When we went back and watched his defense last year with the Clippers, at the end of games, he was on the opposing team’s best player every night,” Malone said.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Jamal Murray struggled in both the postseason in the spring and the Olympics in the summer, and Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said last month that health issues were a significant factor. However, Murray told reporters on Thursday that he has no injury-related limitations entering training camp and that he feels good, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
The Nuggets believe their championship window remains very much open entering the 2024/25 season, as Baxter Holmes of ESPN relays. “In a best-case scenario, I think Nikola (Jokic) has a prime 10-year contention window,” general manager Calvin Booth said. “I think we’re about halfway through it. So, we probably have about five more similar shots and all the shots count. We hit one of them, that’s great. The earlier we hit it, the more we can have conversations about other things, but it’s going to be incredibly hard to win another one.” According to Malone, Murray has expressed to his teammates that they should feel a sense of urgency to capitalize on that title window. “He reminds his teammates, don’t take this for granted,” Malone said. “He goes, ‘We have a championship window, not every team has a championship window. And what do you do? Do you take advantage of that, or do you look back in 20 years and have regrets?'”
Booth acknowledged that he’ll be keeping a close eye during the first half of the season on whether the Nuggets have enough shooting in their rotation and will be prepared to move at the trade deadline to address that area if necessary, writes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post.
Asked on Thursday about offseason rumors of tension between him and Booth, Malone offered a diplomatic answer, Keeler notes. “Calvin and I shouldn’t always agree. If we’re always agreeing, then we’re not really accomplishing what we need to accomplish,” the Nuggets’ head coach said. “But through those disagreements and through those conversations, you come to a greater good.”
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, who becomes eligible on Friday for an extension worth up to $143MM over four years, indicated on Twitter that he’d be interested in representing Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. In case you missed it, Gordon and the Nuggets expressed optimism this week about the possibility of reaching a long-term deal.
A total of 20 Nuggets games will be televised over the air for free locally in 2024/25, while a new streaming service called Altitude+ will allow subscribers to watch the team’s other non-national broadcasts, according to Durando. Nuggets executive Kevin Demoff told Durando that the team is still looking to resolve a carriage dispute between Altitude Sports and Comcast that would allow local Comcast customers to watch Nuggets games. Altitude had been blacked out on Comcast since 2019.

Northwest Notes: Malone, Nuggets, Wiggins, Thunder

September 5th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After a similar report surfaced in August from another outlet, Zach Lowe of ESPN said on his podcast this week (hat tip to RealGM) that there are “rumblings” that Michael Malone and the Nuggets front office aren’t seeing eye to eye “to a degree even unusual for the NBA.”

This offseason, the Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency one year after losing key role players in Jeff Green and Bruce Brown. General manager Calvin Booth has targeted young players to develop to try and offset the losses of these veterans, but they haven’t been one-to-one replacements.

As noted by RealGM, Booth’s contract expires after the 2024/25 season while Malone’s runs through ’26/27. It’s not exactly clear to what degree Malone and the front office aren’t clicking, but Denver took a step back after winning the title in 2023 and doesn’t have a clear replacement for what Caldwell-Pope brought to the table as one of the premier 3-and-D role-players in the league.

For what it’s worth, Booth didn’t exactly put any rumors to rest with his comments in May.

“We’ve talked about this a lot upstairs,” Booth said in May. “The general manager, front office job oftentimes is to make sure the long-term view is something that we’re satisfied with. And Coach Malone’s down there in the trenches trying to win every night. And a lot of times, those things are aligned, but sometimes they ebb and flow away from each other.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

With Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday gone, the Nuggets are losing more than 28% of their attempted three-pointers from last season, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post observes. Durando writes that Vlatko Cancar and Julian Strawther could be key contributors from beyond the arc to help offset Denver’s losses in that area.
The Thunder continued cementing themselves as top contenders in the NBA this offseason by adding outside talent like Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, but signing Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to team-friendly extensions might have been their most overlooked moves. As Ross Lovelace of Sports Illustrated writes, if Wiggins increases his three-point output this season, it could be one of the developments that helps push Oklahoma City to a title.
Adding Caruso and Hartenstein gives the Thunder versatility and defense and as a result, John Wilmes of RealGM writes Oklahoma City has figured out the modern NBA. Even as the Thunder get more expensive, they’ve maintained a young core and have flexibility going forward.

Northwest Notes: Holmgren, Giddey, Caruso, Dieng, Malone, Kessler

August 24th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on Podcast P With Paul George (video link), Thunder big man Chet Holmgren admitted being “hurt” when he heard about the June trade that sent Josh Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso. Holmgren and Giddey were high lottery picks by Oklahoma City in back-to-back years, and they were expecting to be part of the team’s long-term foundation.

“I was (expletive) hurt when I saw that Giddey wouldn’t be on our team anymore,” Holmgren said. “We all rock with him. That’s our dog, still is. He’s gonna go do great things in Chicago, so we’re excited for him and we’re also excited to have AC on our team now, too. Like you said, great defender, he makes shots, he always makes winning plays, makes the right plays. That’s the type of dude you want to play with.”

Caruso, considered one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, joins a Thunder team that’s already proficient on that end of the court. Giddey may thrive once he’s given a chance to run the Bulls’ offense, but he struggled in the playoffs last season and was pulled from the starting lineup in the second-round series against Dallas due to concerns about his defense and outside shooting.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

After two developmental years, Ousmane Dieng is hoping to earn a spot in the Thunder‘s rotation in 2024/25, writes Nick Crain of Forbes. The organization viewed Dieng as a project when it traded for him during the 2022 draft. He has appeared in just 72 NBA games since then, but has shown improvement in the G League and is fresh off winning MVP honors in the title game. Crain notes that because Dieng has perimeter skills to go with his 6’10” frame, he’s versatile enough to contribute to the Thunder at a variety of positions.
Coach Michael Malone and the Nuggets‘ front office haven’t been on the same page in recent years when it comes to roster moves, sources tell David Thorpe of TrueHoop. Thorpe has been hearing for two seasons about a “disconnect” as the organization has lost Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from its 2023 championship roster. Malone has been left with a collection of young players to try to fill their roles.
Walker Kessler doesn’t seem to be part of the long-term future for the Jazz, opines Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Sources confirm to Pincus that Utah has explored trades involving Kessler, including discussions with the Knicks in July. If the 23-year-old center remains on the roster, the Jazz will have to decide this fall whether to pick up his $4.9MM option for the 2025/26 season. Pincus’ comments are included in a proposed three-team trade involving the Pelicans and Nets that would send Brandon Ingram to Utah.

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Malone, Simpson, Zanik

May 25th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Edwards was so dominant in the first two rounds of the playoffs that it’s easy to forget he’s only 22. However, his age and postseason inexperience might be catching up to him in the Western Conference Finals, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The Timberwolves guard is shooting just 11-of-33 from the field so far against the Mavericks, who have thrown him off his game by mixing up coverages and using multiple defenders.

“It’s not harder to get (to the basket). They just pack the paint once you get there,” Edwards said. “So, I mean, you’ve got to make the right play because there’s three, four people in the paint. You’ve got to watch the game, so it’s all about just making the right play, and my teammates are open.”

History shows that players in their early 20s don’t enjoy a lot of postseason success. Hine points out that Edwards is going up against Kyrie Irving, who’s a decade older and has a championship ring, and Luka Doncic, who’s in his sixth NBA season and reached the conference finals two years ago. It’s difficult for Edwards to compensate for that difference in experience, but he has to figure out something quickly before the series slips away.

“With Anthony, he’s gotta pick up his decision making,” coach Chris Finch said. “I think Kyrie is actually a good example — he’s playing quick off the catch, he’s trying to beat our defensive pressure with everything on the catch, going quickly.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets coach Michael Malone admits he probably overused his starters, which led to their exhaustion at the end of Game 7 against Minnesota, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Durando notes that Denver’s starting five was on the court together for 958 minutes during the regular season, which was more than any other group over the past six years. “On one hand, we got the two seed,” Malone said. “And on the other hand, I’m watching our players play in Game 7 in the second half, and our guys looked dead tired. I think you guys probably saw the same thing. So did I run our players into the ground? I’m sure that’s definitely part of it.”
Colorado’s KJ Simpson had a pre-draft workout with the Nuggets this week, tweets Tyler King of The Denver Gazette. The junior point guard ranks 51st on ESPN’s big board. Denver holds the 28th and 56th picks in this year’s draft.
Jazz general manager Justin Zanik returned to work this week after recovering from a kidney transplant, per Alex Vejar of The Salt Lake Tribune. A spokesperson for the team said Zanik had been targeting a return shortly after the draft combine.

Nuggets Notes: Offseason, KCP, Braun, Cancar, MPJ

May 23rd, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing reporters at his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth didn’t say anything that would suggest major roster changes are in the cards for the franchise this offseason, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While Booth suggested some tweaks will be necessary, he stressed that continuing to develop the team’s young players will be crucial to improving the roster as a whole.

“I think (the 2023 draft picks) need more seasoning,” Booth said. “They need to get in the gym. They need to play Summer League. They need to get stronger. Obviously, maybe in our top seven, we can use a little bit more talent. Maybe there’s a way to upgrade one or two positions. … Get a guy that’s a more accomplished NBA player for whatever (roster) slot they’re taking. But I don’t see anything that’s, like, crazy out of sorts for our roster.”

After losing key rotation pieces like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green last offseason, the Nuggets relied primarily on recent draftees to replace them, adding three rookies (Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson) to the roster and assigning 2022 first-rounders Christian Braun and Peyton Watson larger roles.

Of those players, Braun was the only one head coach Michael Malone trusted in the postseason, resulting in some questions about whether Booth and Malone are in the same page when it comes to filling out the roster and distributing minutes. That’s a subject that has been discussed within the organization, as Durando relays.

“We’ve talked about this a lot upstairs,” Booth said. “The general manager, front office job oftentimes is to make sure the long-term view is something that we’re satisfied with. And Coach Malone’s down there in the trenches trying to win every night. And a lot of times, those things are aligned, but sometimes they ebb and flow away from each other.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets, via Durando:

Asked about the possibility of surpassing the punitive second tax apron in order to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, both team president Josh Kroenke and Booth expressed a level of comfort with operating above the aprons if it means maximizing the potential of a championship-caliber roster. “We spend a lot of time looking at the second apron and all this other stuff,” Booth said. “I think for me personally, it’s win a championship, one. Two, we have to look at the overall financial picture. And three, second apron. And I know the second apron is daunting, and there’s all kinds of restrictions, but I don’t think that’s first on our priority list. KCP’s been a great addition the last couple years. We obviously would love to have him back. We’re gonna take a hard look at what that looks like.”
If the Nuggets do lose Caldwell-Pope, it would likely thrust Braun into a starting job. Booth and Malone said they’re confident the young wing could succeed in that role if he continues to improve as a shooter. “I think Christian Braun, it’s all gonna come down to one thing. To be a shooting guard in the NBA, you’ve gotta be able to make shots,” Malone said. “That’s the bottom line. So if you want to simplify CB’s future as a starting two guard in the NBA, it’ll be determined upon his ability to be a 38% or above 3-point shooter.” Braun made 38.4% of his three-pointers in 2023/24, but didn’t shoot them at a high volume, converting just 63 in 82 games.
Booth said he expects Vlatko Cancar, who missed the entire season due to a torn ACL, to be able to suit up for Slovenia in the Olympic qualifiers, noting that the tournament will be a “great chance” to evaluate the big man. The qualifying tournament won’t begin until July 2, however, and the Nuggets will have to decide by June 29 whether or not to exercise Cancar’s $2.35MM team option.
The Nuggets signaled multiple times during Thursday’s presser that they likely won’t explore trading Michael Porter Jr. this summer, writes Durando. Kroenke expressed faith in the team’s current starting lineup (which includes Porter) and Malone refuted the idea (expressed by Porter himself) that MPJ was to blame for the second-round loss to Minnesota.

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Malone, Jackson, Long Odds

May 7th, 2024 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

It was a miserable night on Monday for Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who scored just eight points on 3-of-18 shooting, didn’t make a three-pointer, and committed four turnovers as Denver lost a second consecutive game at home to the Timberwolves to fall behind 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals. At one point in the second quarter, a frustrated Murray was captured on camera throwing a heat pack onto the floor from the bench during a live play (Twitter video link).

The incident, which Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch referred to after the game as “dangerous” and “inexcusable,” wasn’t caught in the moment by game officials, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. In a pool report interview after the game, referee crew chief Marc Davis said Murray would have been assessed with a technical foul – but not ejected – if the officials had realized he was the one who threw the heat pack.

“We weren’t aware it had come from the bench,” Davis said. “If we would have been aware it came from the bench, we could have reviewed it under the hostile act trigger. The penalty would have been a technical foul. … For an ejection, you would have to determine it was thrown directly at somebody versus thrown in frustration.”

“We tried to impress upon [the referees] there probably aren’t many fans in the building that have a heat pack, so it probably had to come from the bench, which they found logical,” Finch said. “I’m sure it was a mistake and an oversight and nothing intentional by the officiating at all, but certainly can’t allow that to happen.”

Murray – who left the arena without speaking to reporters for a second consecutive game, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link) – figures to be disciplined by the NBA for the heat pack toss. A fine is more likely than a suspension unless the league determines that Murray was aiming for Davis. We’ll have to wait to see if the penalty reflects the fact that the Nuggets guard evaded any repercussions during the game.

Here’s more on the reeling defending champs:

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was also lucky to avoid a technical foul in the first quarter of Monday’s loss — he came onto the court to angrily confront Davis (Twitter video link) after Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t called for an offensive foul following a collision with Murray (video link). Davis explained after the game that Malone didn’t “say anything unsportsmanlike” that warranted a technical. “When [Murray] is out there battling a guy like [Towns] and trying to take charge in what I thought was an easy call and he is not rewarded, I owe it to Jamal Murray or anybody else in that situation to voice my opinion, to voice my concern or disagreement,” Malone told reporters, per McMenamin. “That wound up being a big play because things after that did not go our way. Which is unfortunate, but that is my job. I am going to fight for my guys. I think I have to fight even more for them.”
Backup point guard Reggie Jackson, who has battled ankle issues this year, limped to the locker room with medical staff in the fourth quarter and didn’t return, tweets Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Jackson will have three days off before Friday’s Game 3 to rest and recover, but his status for that game isn’t yet known.
The Nuggets will face long odds as they look to pull off a comeback against the Wolves, according to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette, who notes that teams facing a 2-0 deficit in an NBA playoff series have a record of 33-421 (27-319 in best-of-seven series). No team has ever come back from a 3-0 hole.
The way in which the Nuggets have lost the first two games of the Western semifinals has been especially “disturbing,” says Troy Renck of The Denver Post, writing that the team hasn’t matched Minnesota’s “intensity or physicality.”

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Porter, Watson, Malone

April 21st, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets opened their NBA title defense on Saturday night by beating the Lakers for the ninth straight time, and Jamal Murray warns that they weren’t at their best in the 11-point victory, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Throughout the first half, Denver couldn’t convert on open three-point opportunities as L.A. constantly threw double teams at Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets were just 6-of-23 from long distance in the first 24 minutes, and Murray believes the increased playoff excitement played a role.

“I think it’s just a greater energy (at the beginning), you know what I’m saying? You put a little bit more on your jump shots. I did for sure,” Murray said. “I remember last year, Game 1 against Minnesota, it was the same kind of thing. You’re just anticipating so much energy, so much adrenaline running through your body, sometimes you’ve just gotta relax and just take a shot like it’s practice. I wasn’t shooting like it was practice in the first half.”

The bright side for the Nuggets is that they only trailed by three points at halftime despite all those misses. Murray believes calmness and execution are the keys to the series, and he said he had no sense of panic when his team fell behind by 12 points.

“I just think we know what we want. We’re not trying to anything different. We’re not trying to, like, make stuff up,” Murray said. “Everybody knows where they should be, and they know (if they are) where they should be, they’ll get open shots. So that’s the beauty of this team. It’s just pure basketball. There’s no fighting like how it is in the park … where you don’t know where the shot’s gonna come from.”

There’s more from Denver:

Michael Porter Jr. is grateful for the support of his Nuggets teammates amid an excruciating week for his family, Durando states in a separate story. After his brother, Jontay Porter, was banned for life from the NBA for gambling-related violations, Michael was in a courtroom Friday as another brother, Coban, was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a woman last year in a drunk driving crash. “Each one of them texted me separately and just told me they’ve got my back. If I need anything, they’ve got me,” Porter said. “Yeah, a lot of people were reaching out. Friends, family. So to have these guys understand why I missed practice yesterday and just have my back has been big for me.”
Peyton Watson saw very limited action during last year’s title run, so this series marks his first real taste of the NBA playoffs, notes Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post. The second-year swingman, who entered the rotation after the loss of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency, has become a valuable defender and an elite shot blocker off the bench. “I don’t think anybody questioned my ability or my capabilities to go out there and perform and help our team win. I think everybody’s question was, ‘Is he gonna be able to handle it mentally?’” Watson said. “I think that’s the part I’m most far along with now.”
Before Saturday’s game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone talked to reporters about entering the playoffs for the first time without his father, longtime NBA coach Brendan Malone, who died in October, Durando adds in another piece.

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