MILWAUKEE — Will Barton sat in the locker room after the Nuggets’ latest loss, let the question soak in and just shook his head.
What has been going wrong in the third quarter during the Nuggets current six-game losing streak?
The issue, which a week ago started out mildly irritating, has become flat-out maddening.
“Our first halves have been very good during this losing streak,” Barton said. “But the third quarter … it’s so depressing, man.”
The Nuggets scored five points in the third quarter of their loss at Dallas on Saturday night. And while that is an extreme example of falling apart, it only highlighted the team’s dismal third quarters during their losing streak.
“Golden State, good start. Clippers, good start. San Antonio (on Friday night), good start. (Saturday night), good start,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “But it’s all about our inability to sustain that. We had a lot of guys play well in the first half that in the second half we didn’t get anything from. And that can’t happen.”
During the six-game losing streak, the Nuggets are averaging 53 points and 12.0 assists in the first half. They are shooting 47 percent from the field, including 40 percent from 3-point range, and are committing 7.2 turnovers.
And then comes the fall.
In the second half over the past six games, the Nuggets are averaging 41.2 points and 8.3 assists. They are shooting 35 percent from the field, including 23 percent from 3-point range, and turnovers jump to 8.5.
“It’s just been our (style) lately,” Malone said. “We play great in stretches. Our challenge is to try to play for 48 minutes, and we’ve been unable to do so lately.”
Coming out of halftime with the same focus they had at tipoff has been a problem.
In the third quarter during their losing streak, the Nuggets average a pitiful 18.7 points in the third quarter on 31.2 percent shooting and are averaging 5.2 turnovers.
While this is new problem for this coaching staff, which is in its first year, it’s not a new problem. This issue and the shooting struggles were problems the previous two seasons.
“I’m trying to figure it out, to be honest with you,” rookie guard Emmanuel Mudiay said. “We all hate losing, so, we’ve just got to figure out what it is, honestly. I really can’t give you a direct answer right now. We’ve got to get stops.”
Said veteran forward Danilo Gallinari: “I don’t know (why), but it is something that is happening every game, and we’ve got to do something about it. We have very good stretches against every team that we’ve been playing. But we’ve got to find a way to do it for 48 minutes. I don’t know how, but we’ve got to find a way to do it, and I think we will.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
DENVER AT MILWAUKEE 6 p.m. Monday, ALT; 104.3 FM
Spotlight on Khris Middleton:
The 6-foot-8 swingman from Texas A&M had a breakout season in 2014-15 and was rewarded with a five-year contract worth $70 million. But he didn’t look like a $14 million-per-year player this season, averaging just 13.5 points and shooting only 36.9 percent in his first 13 games. His performance has picked up, however. In a three-game stretch leading into Sunday at Charlotte, he averaged 17.3 points and shot 58.6 percent. He scored 19 points in the Bucks’ 87-82 loss to the Hornets.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets:
Starting shooting guard Gary Harris is listed as doubtful. The former Michigan State star is recovering from a concussion. … The Nuggets have won five of their last eight games, and eight of their last 12, in Milwaukee. … Two years ago, the Nuggets brought a five-game losing streak to Milwaukee and posted a victory. The Nuggets bring a six-game losing streak into Monday’s game.
Bucks:
Monday’s game is the second of a back-to-back set for Milwaukee, which missed 20 of its 28 attempts from 3-point range Sunday at Charlotte. … The Bucks have had a roller-coaster season, starting with three consecutive losses, then wins in five of their next seven, then losses in six of their next seven.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
