The first problem with fixing the Nuggets suddenly porous defense is agreeing what’s wrong. There are varied opinions as to exactly what the problem is. Which may be why it isn’t getting fixed.
“I think sometimes we don’t communicate as much as we should,” second-year guard said. “Thatap me personally; I think people got different opinions. But for me, I think we just need to communicate a little bit more.”
If a group cannot reach a consensus on what the fix is, how does it get solved?
Right now it isn’t, and coach Michael Malone lambasted his team after a 120-113 loss to Sacramento at home Tuesday night, saying, “We have the worst defense in the NBA right now. That’s the bottom line.”
He then blasted his team’s veterans for not stepping up.
“Right now we have no leadership,” Malone said. “We have no veteran leadership. … I don’t hear anyone speaking, taking the lead.”
Technically the Nuggets don’t have the worst defense in the NBA. They have allowed the fourth-most points in the NBA (110.5 per game), the third-most field goals made (41.0), the fourth-highest field goal percentage (46.9), the sixth-highest 3-point percentage (37.0), the fourth-highest points in the paint (45.9), the sixth-highest fast break points (14.3), and force the fewest turnovers (11.9).
Thatap what shattered looks like.
This is Malone’s list of things his team needs to do to mend its defense.
“It starts on the ball, containment, one-on-one containment, taking pride, not getting blown by off the bounce,” Malone said. “Communicating. Trust each other. Trusting in the game plan, not second guessing everything that we’re trying to do. Those are all things that we can do better. But I think you have to take pride in your one-on-one first, thatap where it starts, and then build out from there. Better closeouts, better communication, better game plan discipline.”
So, pretty much everything.
The Nuggets defense has gotten worse as the season has progressed. Early in the season they boasted one of the better 3-point defenses in the league, though they were giving up bunches of points in the paint. Now they aren’t defending either area well. Toss in inconsistent transition defense and you have a recipe for what happened Tuesday, when the Kings shot 52 percent from the field.
Sacramento was the third team in a row to score at least 120 points against the Nuggets.
Asked if they were the worst defense in the league, veteran forward said, “Thatap what we are right now stats-wise, so itap not just coach saying it. We’ve got to take pride in that and change it ASAP. I think itap a mix of things. It has to come by each individual player executing the game plan and being more aggressive and take pride in our one-on-one defense and second effort, third effort. Those are the things that make you win or lose.”
Itap a bad time for the Nuggets to be struggling on defense. Their next three opponents can all fill it up. The Spurs, Thunder and Pacers all score in bunches, have star players that require defenders to embrace the defensive fight, and can rain in 3-point shots at the drop of a dime.
“Nobody in here is wanting to lose, nobody in here doesn’t want to make the playoffs,” Mudiay said. “Nobody is trying to play bad, nobody is trying to make mistakes. We’ve just got to try to play together as a team and as a whole.”
SAN ANTONIO AT DENVER, 7 p.m., ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Kawhi Leonard: It is shaping up to be another stellar season for Leonard, one of the NBA’s best two-way players. He’s increased his scoring average every year he’s been in the league and is now up to 24.0 points per game, 11th in the league. He recently became the NBA leader in wins (235) and winning percentage (77.8 percent) in a player’s first 300 starts. He is the engine that makes the Spurs offense, and defense, as potent as they are.
Nuggets: The Nuggets have lost two of their past three home games. Forward Kenneth Faried (back) has not been able to play the past two games, but might be able to go Thursday night. With Faried out and Darrell Arthur missing time, Jusuf Nurkic has gotten more minutes and is making the most of it. In the past two games he’s averaged 15.5 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 75 percent from the field.
Spurs: San Antonio is in the midst of a stretch where it gets nine games out of 12 at home. The Spurs have been extraordinarily successful against the Nuggets in recent years, and won three of four a season ago. San Antonio has won 10 of its past 12 games on the road, but has lost two of its last three on the road.
