Three days ago, the Denver Nuggets were riding high after a commanding win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Denver. With a solid performance from his team, head coach Michael Malone was in a relaxed mood. But everything changed Monday night, as the New York Knicks delivered a dominant 27-point victory over the Nuggets at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks bounced back in impressive fashion, thanks to standout performances from OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, lifting the spirits of Knicks fans following a tough loss to the Utah Jazz. On the other hand, the Nuggets struggled throughout the game in New York, unable to tap into the form they showcased against the Lakersāparticularly from star players Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Malone was clearly frustrated by his teamās lack of effort in the loss, especially from his key players. During his postgame press conference, the Nuggets head coach sent a stern message to Jokic, Murray, and the rest of the squad.
āRussell Westbrook is vocal, but we need more than just Russ. I need Nikola Jokic. I need Jamal Murray. I need guys whoāve been in that starting lineup to be vocal,ā Malone said, reflecting on his teamās disappointing performance.
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets brings the ball down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Malone didnāt hold back in his criticism, emphasizing the teamās lack of effort: āTonight, we got embarrassed. Letās be honest, this wasnāt just a bad stretch this happened for four quarters, much like it did in the first half against Dallas. Itās been a theme, and weāve been talking about it for 16 games now: effort, toughness, physicality. We saw this in Game 1 in Memphis.ā
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Malone sent a wake-up call to his players
Maloneās message wasnāt just directed at his star playersāhe made it clear that the entire team needed to step up. āRegardless of whoās in and whoās out, who do we want to be as a team? Leadership would be great. Toughness and physicality would be great. Playing like you actually care would be great. But we didnāt do that tonight,ā he said.
He gave credit to the Knicks for their intensity: āGive them creditāthey were coming off a tough loss to Utah and they played like it. They played urgent, physical, desperate, and motivated basketball. We, on the other hand, played like we thought weād just show up and win after our L.A. victory.ā
The Nuggetsā struggles in numbers
Denverās lack of intensity was reflected in their shooting numbers. The Nuggets shot just 44% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc, while their free-throw shooting was one of the few bright spots, connecting on 92.6% of attempts. Despite their efficiency at the line, the Nuggets couldnāt keep pace with the Knicksā relentless offense.
The Nuggets finished 41-of-92 from the field, 11-of-33 from beyond the arc, and 25-of-27 at the free-throw line. While Denver showed efficiency at the charity stripe, it was their struggles from the floor and the three-point line that ultimately cost them the game in the NBA regular season.
