The Denver Nuggets have stumbled out of the gate, dropping both games of the NBA regular season after an uninspiring offseason. Reflecting on the team’s unexpected defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, Jamal Murray highlighted what went wrong.
Following a season opener loss to the Thunder, the Nuggets faced the Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard, but still couldn’t find their rhythm. Despite a career-high seven three-pointers and 4 points from Nikola Jokic, Denver struggled to contain Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, and James Harden.
After the game, Murray pointed to missed details as a key factor in the loss. “I think it’s just the detail stuff. I think it was halftime and Harden had like 12 assists or something,” Murray noted.
“I just looked up, [Ivica] Zubac was just being a presence down there,” he continued. “They were splitting our defense a little bit up. So, I’m not going to overthink it, it’s basketball. Like you said, we came up short today. Like I said, just little things, be more detailed, be more physical.”
Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets warms up prior to a game. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Murray claims there are ‘chemistry issues’
Murray also acknowledged that much of Denver’s struggles stem from a lack of team chemistry, which has led to poor decision-making on the court.
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“A lot of it is coming from chemistry. I was running the break today and I didn’t know if I should go for two or for three just because we were talking about some stuff in the locker room,” Murray shared. “So, once we clear those things up, limit the turnovers, stop beating ourselves, we’ll be fine.”
Jokic on the team’s shooting struggles
After the season opener, Jokic addressed the Nuggets’ struggles from beyond the arc, noting the team’s lack of consistent shooters outside of Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
“I mean, we don’t shoot the ball really well. We are not a good shooting team. Except (for) Mike and Jamal. All of us are kind of streaky. Not streaky, but you know, just average shooters. We have something else, we can probably be better and have advantages in some other areas,” Jokic remarked in the post-game conference.
