The Nuggets fell apart late in New York and squandered an opportunity for a quality win. Jamal Murray carried the team on Nikola Jokić’s down night, but the defense’s failure to cover screen rolls and getting clobbered in transition outweighed his impact.  

 

After the game, coach Michael Malone said, “The big stat for me tonight is the turnovers. Twenty-point differential. They scored 23 points off our mistakes. We only scored three off of theirs.”

 

The Nuggets started in the mud because Jokić picked up two fouls 81 seconds into the game. He sat down momentarily after, and the Knicks went on 6-1 run via drive and kick and fast break attacks. Malone summoned his squad with a timeout over three minutes in, but the team was still on the ropes when play resumed as it was down 10 points by the next timeout. The biggest Nuggets killers were Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. They scored six times at the cup in transition and the half-court.

 

The defense then started to percolate, and a late seven-point Murray flurry spared them the indignity of a poor start.   

 

The hosts followed up, dropping five of nine baskets before Jokić returned five minutes into the next frame as his team was down 43-37. He came back, making a turnaround jumper in the lane. Additionally, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. combined for seven points, and Murray made a midrange jumper. But the Knicks kept getting what they wanted on the dribble and downed three more 3-pointers. 

 

At halftime, the Nuggets were down 60-54. They had 28 paint points, eight on the break, eight via second chances, zero off turnovers and 16 from the bench. Jokić had four points, two rebounds and two dimes in nine minutes, his lowest time in the first half since 2020.

 

The Knicks had 30 paint points, eight on the break, five via second chances, 12 off turnovers and 16 from the bench. 

 

Then Murray detonated for 12 points at close, middle and long range. Jokić had three dimes to three teammates. And Porter plus Westbrook were the only other Nuggets to log multiple field goals in the period. 

 

The Knicks stayed in control because they capitalized on Denver’s turnovers for eight points, and Brunson went on an 18-digit binge. The rest of the Knicks made six of 16 shots. 

 

The Nuggets went down by a dozen points with nine minutes left and responded with three triples from Jokić and Gordon, plus Braun dribbled into the lane for a 12-footer. But New York delivered the fatal strikes on a cut by Josh Hart, consecutive fastbreak baskets and a power move into the paint by Karl-Anthony Towns.

 

The Nuggets lost 122-112. They were outscored on the break 25-18 and in the paint 60-52. They led New York in second-chance points 14-9.

 

Takeaways:

• Aaron Gordon returned to the starting lineup, replacing Braun. The latter was still a big impact by getting to the line and scoring twice on the dribble. Additionally, Malone said, “What you love about Christian Braun is that he’s going to do whatever you ask him to do and what’s best for the team. And right now that’s to bring him off the bench. I’m not saying that’s permanent, but that’s the decision we made for the time being, and we’re going to give it a chance to see where it goes.”

 

• Westbrook had a double-double before the third quarter was done. He totaled 14 points on five of 11 tries, with 14 rebounds, four assists, one block and four turnovers. Five of his rebounds were on offense.

 

• The Knicks attempted 45% of shots at the rim, but scored at a slightly above-average level.  On top of that, the Nuggets’ defense was shredded in the half-court, as the hosts scored 114.8 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 92nd percentile of all games played this season, per Cleaning the Glass. 

 

• Brunson finished with 30 points on 62.5% shooting, with four rebounds, 15 dimes, two steals, one block and two turnovers.  

 

 

• Murray had 33 points on 52% shooting, with five rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block and three turnovers. He was getting to his sweet spots easily and had burst on the dribble.

 

• Jokić had his worst game of the season in efficiency (40%). He was the only Nugget to play all of the second half, but he converted only three of nine attempts in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets were slain by the Bulls on tour because of their inability to defend the three-point line and could barely hit any treys of their own.

 

After the game, coach Michael Malone blasted his team, saying. “Once again, it was us just messing with the game, thinking we can just show up and score at will… our inability or unwillingness to guard one-on-one and our inability or unwilling to rebound the basketball when they did miss, the few times they missed, was on full display.”

 

The offense was beaming early as five Nuggets made multiple field goals, including Nikola Jokić and Christian Braun combining for 10 of 10 in the first quarter. On top of that, the crew punched in 28 points in the lane, courtesy of fastbreaks off turnovers plus screen rolls.

 

Their biggest issue was failing to stop Nikola Vucevic from adding 11 points from close, mid and long range. Additionally, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis made four of five shots.

 

The second quarter started with the visitors up 35-32. Next, Murray scored three times inside and made a triple, and Jokić produced on the break twice, nailed a floater on a pick-and-roll set and logged a putback. The rest of the team registered 37.5% of attempts, and the defense started to fold, allowing seven of 14 3-pointers.

 

At halftime, the Nuggets were up 68-61. They led in three key areas: paint points 50-14, fastbreak points 20-0 and points off turnovers 18-3. The Bulls slightly led in second-chance points 8-6.

 

Then Jokić punched in his fifth dunk of the game on a feed from Murray, Westbrook scored on the catch and dribble and Michael Porter Jr. supplied eight points. But the Bulls went on a stampede after the Nuggets were ahead by 10, closing the third quarter on an 18-7 run. Most of the damage was done by Ayo Dosunmu hitting two quick 3-pointers, and the Nuggets went down a point heading into the next frame

 

The Nuggets followed up by missing their first seven attempts, and Jokić had to end his break early and check in with over nine minutes left. Multiple shots by Murray and three straight up close from Braun gave the team a spark, but the Bulls traded three 3-pointers late to put down the Nuggets.

The Nuggets lost 129-121. They outscored the Bulls in the paint by 46, on the break by 15 and off turnovers by five, but it wasn’t enough. The hosts connected on 18 extra 3-pointers.

 

Malone said, “We have to be better as we move forward.”

Takeaways: 

 

• Jokić made his first 10 shots and finished with 33 points on 15 of 21 attempts, with 12 rebounds and 14 assists . He recorded his 21st triple-double of the season.

 

• The Nuggets’ attack spent 74.6% of its time in the half-court. They logged 94.3 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 42 percentile of all games played this season, per Cleaning the Glass.

 

• Murray had a strong first half and despite hitting two late shots, got weaker as the game went on.

 

• Braun was the team’s second-best player, logging a career-high 28 points. His previous best was 25 points, set on Nov. 17, 2023, in a loss in New Orleans. He was a threat on the break and did well putting the ball on the floor in the half-court.

 

• A season-high of 84 points in the lane went to waste.

 

• Malone said he went to the shorter eight-man rotation to try Aaron Gordon at backup center. He was also displeased with the bench, saying they “didn’t have much productivity… that group’s gotta give us a spark, some energy, some juice.”

 

• Gordon only played 22 minutes, showing some flashes of bully ball, but he was inefficient, making three of nine shots, and his defense was sub-standard. In particular, he let Patrick Williams blow by him for a floater and got dropped by Buzelis before he dunked.

 

The Nuggets got schooled by their division foes in Minnesota and were always behind. They let the Timberwolves invade their paint for 72 points, the second-most digits given up to an opponent in that spot all year.

 

They showed little resistance on defense and were on their back foot early. It took Nikola Jokić scoring five times at close range plus nailing a pick-and-pop shot, and Jamal Murray making two jumpers and laying in a lob to prevent the team from getting shamed. 

 

The defense was still helpless in the second quarter because of poor closeouts and turnovers not letting them get into position. Yet, Russell Westbrook and Murray combined for six of nine baskets on the dribble and catch to keep the team within striking distance.

 

At halftime, the Nuggets were down 71-60. They had 36 paint points, four on the break, 14 via second chances and 12 off turnovers. 

 

The Timberwolves had 46 paint points, 20 on the break, 12 via second chances and 19 off turnovers.

 

Then the Nuggets came out of the break, making three of five baskets, but were down 15 points over two minutes in. Their offense shot 59.1% for the period, but the Wolves kept feasting when they wanted to, and four of them made multiple field goals.  Anthony Edwards defaced the defense the most, dribbling into its heart for three baskets and nailing two triples.

 

The fourth quarter started with the Nuggets down 109-91. The Timberwolves’ attack finally slowed, but making nine of 24 shots was more than enough as they were so far ahead, and the Nuggets offense was in the dirt. Jokić and Murray only played two more minutes before checking out in the last five with the team down 25. 

 

The Nuggets lost 133-104. They were outscored in three key areas: paint points 72-58, fastbreak points 16-8 and second-chance points 20-18. On top of that, Minnesota was superior from deep, making 46.7% of attempts to Denver’s 34.4%.

 

Takeaways:

 

• The defense was slow to react to cutters plus shooters, and failed to play help effectively, Jokić especially. The Timberwolves logged a 63.2 effective field goal percentage, the third-highest opponent accuracy all season. 

 

• Michael Porter Jr. also had one of his worst nights of the year. He’s 6’10 but played like he’s 6’1 on the glass because he got no rebounds. And he was a liability on defense.

 

• This was the seventh game of the year the Nuggets had at least 20 turnovers. Their record in those games is 5-2.

 

• The Nuggets got beat up on the glass by nine boards and gave up 18 offensive rebounds.

 

• Murray had burst on the dribble and his jumper was on target. He finished with 25 points on 62.5% shooting, plus two rebounds, five assists and two turnovers. This is a different player from the slower and heavier-looking Murray, who was struggling earlier in the season. He was the Nuggets’ biggest bright spot in a blowout loss. 

 

• Jokić’s five-game triple-double streak concluded as he was seven rebounds away from another. He also tied his season worst of seven turnovers.

The Nuggets played well for three quarters, then let the Kings, who were playing on a second-straight night, back in the game late because of poor defense before closing the deal. Nikola Jokić recorded his 20th triple-double of the year and 14th before the fourth quarter. 

 

“Not every win is going to be where you don’t have to put Nikola [Jokić] back in the fourth quarter,” coach Michael Malone said after the game. “We had to tonight. They jumped out 11-0 in the fourth. They made it a game, and our guys responded well enough to get the win.”

 

The Nuggets raced out to a 40-31 lead after one quarter. Jokić had seven offerings to six teammates and scored seven points via hook, 3-pointer plus a layup on a horns set going right. On the other side, DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis combined for nine of 16 baskets.

 

While Jokić took his early second-quarter rest, Jamal Murray got to his spots on the dribble, scoring thrice from long and close range. Michael Porter added four second-chance points, and Peyton Watson protected the paint.

 

Jokić, Russell Westbrook and Christian Braun returned after five minutes and change with the Nuggets ahead by 15. They continued on a 21-14 run supplied by five Nuggets to end the half. 

 

At intermission, the Nuggets led 74-52. They led in three key areas: points in the paint 44-24, fastbreak points 9-7 and second-chance points 15-10. Additionally, Murray (16), Westbrook (14), Porter (13) and Jokić (11) were the team’s double-digit scorers.

 

Then the Kings cut the lead to 12 on a paint attack and three treys. But the hosts responded with 12 of 21 shots from eight Nuggets, including four 3-pointers in the last minute of the period. The last one was a 66-foot bomb from Jokić.

 

The fourth quarter started with the Nuggets up 110-85, and Murray was the only starter on the floor. The Kings took advantage of the hosts taking their foot off the gas and rattled off 11 unanswered digits before Malone called a stoppage. Jokic scored two hooks in crunch time, but the Kings kept chipping away and eventually were down five with a minute left.

 

Next, Jokić’s freebies and Braun’s pick-6 put the game out of reach. 

 

The Nuggets won 132-123. They had 68 paint points, 18 on the break and 19 via second chances. 

 

Jokić had 35 points on 12 of 19 attempts, with 22 rebounds, 17 assists, one steal, two blocks and one turnover.

 

Braun scored 21 points on 57.1% shooting, with two rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block.  

 

Westbrook put up 18 points on 70% shooting, with five rebounds, three assists, one steal and three turnovers.

 

And Murray had 18 points on eight of 18 shots, with six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two turnovers.

 

The Kings had 52 paint points, 16 on the break and 22 via second chances. Fox, Sabonis, DeRozan, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Trey Lyles and Doug McDermott were their double-digit scorers. 

 

After the game, Westbrook said, “I think we are in a good space as a team. We are playing proper basketball and doing the right things.”

 

Takeaways:

 

• Aaron Gordon only played six minutes in the first half and 11 in the second. Malone was asked after the game about Gordon’s frustration. He said, “I was told that he had to use the men’s room… Dan Shimensky, our trainer, said, ‘AG went back to the locker room.’”

 

• Watson had four blocks. This is his 14th game of the year with multiple denials. 

 

• This was Jokić’s fifth straight triple-double. Additionally, he had a season-high 17 assists, but his four-game streak of sitting in the fourth quarter ended.

 

 

• Murray had 16 of his 18 points in the first half. Despite not much production in the second, he was looking more like his old self against the Kings.

 

 

• The Nuggets had their second-worst defensive fourth quarter of the season (152 defensive rating).

 

• The Nuggets have won 12 of their last 15 games.

 

The Heat disemboweled the Spurs, taking control in the second quarter and delivering the fatal blows in the third. The Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware frontcourt pairing blew up actions. And five Heatles downed multiple 3-pointers.

 

In the first quarter, Jimmy Butker had six early points on freebies, a cutting dunk and a drive-by into the lane. But the rest of the team mostly struggled to score in the paint because of Victor Wembanyama’s reach which made them hesitant, and they failed all five 3-point tries. 

 

On the other side, the Spurs opened by making six of their first eight shots. Wembanyama scored on a rim roll, made two triples plus drove past Tyler Herro for a dunk. His teammates added three of five 3-pointers, and the Spurs raced out to a 30-20 lead after one period.

 

The Heat were stuck at down 10 after back-to-back buckets from Keldon Johnson. But they countered with a 6-3 run before Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called a quick stoppage. Then Wemby came in, but he didn’t save the visitors as he kept bricking jumpers against the solid defense of Adebayo and Ware. A 14-3 run was supplied by four treys from Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier and Ware, and Ware’s putback.

 

Defensively, the Heat held the Spurs to 11 second-quarter points by mixing in zone with man-to-man coverage and contesting on time. They even held the Spurs without a basket on the last nine attempts.

 

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 46-41. They had 30 paint points, 10 on the break, four via second chances, four off turnovers and 20 from the bench.

 

The Spurs had 16 paint points, seven on the break, five via second chances, six off turnovers and 14 from the bench. 

 

Then Ware started the third quarter in place of Haywood Highsmith to combat San Antonio’s size. His length bothered Wemby’s outside shooting and dribbling. Offensively, the crew started with Tyler Herro making freebies, a 14-foot pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer; and Robsinon had a trey, forcing the Spurs to call the first adjustment of the quarter. But it didn’t help them, as the Heat extended the lead on quick triples, cuts and screen rolls .

 

The fourth quarter started with the Heat up 92-68. Ware continued his career night with a close-range hook over Wemby and punched in three extra dunks. And Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. boosted the club with 16 points on 75% shooting.

 

Even with the Spurs racking up 39 points in the fourth, the Heat were never in danger of letting the game slip away. 

 

The Heat won 128-107. They had 60 paint points, 18 on the break, eight via second chances, 16 off turnovers and 71 from the bench.

 

The Spurs had 42 paint points, 21 on the break, 11 via second chances, 13 off turnovers and 32 from the bench.

 

After the game, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We can be dynamic defensively, and we just feed off that energy.”

 

Takeaways: 

 

• Ware had 25 points on 10 of 19 attempts, with eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He was great on rim rolls and moving without the ball. His length on defense was a problem for the opponent. 

 

• Adebayo and Ware had only logged two minutes together on the court this season before the game. Yet, the pairing looked sharp, and this is a combination that must continue.

 

• The Heat’s third-quarter avalanche was one of its best of the season, scoring 46 points on 70.8% shooting, including eight out of 10 triples. 

 

• Robinson‘s cut into the lane for the catch and dunk over Wemby was the play of the game. This was also his sixth outing of the year with at least five treys.

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