During one particular possession Thursday night, when the Warriors’ Dorell Wright received the ball in the left corner, the closest defender was somewhere near Wyoming.
Wright could have tied his shoe before shooting a 3-pointer. As it was, the wide-open Wright actually missed the shot, but the slow-footed Nuggets couldn’t get a hand on the rebound, which was scooped up by the Warriors.
It was that type of night for the Nuggets, who were running on empty while the Warriors were running all over them. Golden State won Thursday at the Pepsi Center 109-101, handing Denver its fifth straight loss.
“We need energy to play with the tempo and pace … and not play like we’re in mud or the old guys at the rec center,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We’ve got to run up and down the court. That’s what we committed to, and that’s what got us a lot of our wins this year. I don’t think I’m going to back off of it.”
The Nuggets were once 14-5. Now, with injuries and losses piling up, they’re is 15-12. Denver has lost five games in a row (for the first time since 2006-07) and five consecutive home games (first time since 2002-03).
“Of course there’s frustration, nobody wants to lose,” said Denver post player Kenneth Faried, who started for the injured Timofey Mozgov. “But we’re going to keep pushing each other to get better. With limited practices, it’s going to be hard, but we’re still going to try to focus on objectives.”
As Arron Afflalo softly said after the game, the offense isn’t the issue. Heck, the Nuggets tallied 28 assists Thursday. The issue was the defense, or lack thereof. On Twitter during the game, a fan with the handle @johnpblee tweeted: “Enver Nuggets!”
For the night, the Warriors shot 52 percent from 3-point range (13-for-25) and 51.9 percent overall. One fellow, Stephen Curry, scored 36 points. And in the pivotal third quarter, the Warriors (9-14) shot a startling 70 percent from the field, including five 3-pointers.
“It was horrible,” Afflalo said of Denver’s third-quarter defense. “You’ve got to give the Warriors credit. But on our home floor, that was horrible.”
That’s the scary thing. The Nuggets are floundering where they normally flourish.
Consider that the Nuggets are 7-7 at home this season. Last season, in 82 total games, the Nuggets were 33-8 at home.
On Thursday, the Nuggets were playing the second game of a back-to-back, but this was a game they needed to win. For the rest of February, they play only one more team under .500 (Phoenix).
Frustrations boiled over in the fourth quarter when Afflalo got into a near altercation with the Warriors’ Ekpe Udoh. Afflalo, the passionate, proud shooting guard, scored a season-high 26 points but admitted that he struggled at times defensively. Meanwhile, Denver big man Nene scored 12 points in the first half — and just three in the second.
The Nuggets’ next game, Saturday, is on the road at Indiana (17-8). Sad to say, but Denver actually has a better road record (8-5) than at home — this is after posting the NBA’s second-best home record since 2007-08.
“I’m searching for guys who have some energy and can play 48 minutes of energy,” said Karl, who said he might consider playing his rookies more in back-to-back scenarios. “When you lose players (to injuries), it’s more about just trying to put energy on the court and then your talent will come forth. Sometimes tonight, I thought we looked like we were an old, veteran team that was trying to win a slow-down game — when we’re playing in a fast game.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Coach George Karl said he didn’t think Timofey Mozgov (ankle) will play Saturday at Indiana, but Mozgov could return Tuesday against the Suns. … In the first quarter, Rudy Fernandez was 4-for-5 from the field for nine points. … With 3:39 left in the second, Ty Lawson stripped the ball on an inbounds but misses two — yes, two — layups.
Final thought
Now is the time for the leaders to ascend.
Up next
At Indiana, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
