Michael Malone packed his car last week and pointed the wheels toward Breckenridge. The NBA schedule isn’t exactly vacation friendly, but the Nuggets’ coach was determined to spend the all-star break with his wife and two daughters exploring some of Colorado’s natural majesty.
“We went skiing and snowmobiling and tubing and all that other great stuff,” Malone said. “It was great to reconnect with my family, first and foremost. During the season, you don’t get to see them a whole lot. My girls kept me pretty busy, but I’m definitely refreshed from the grind.”
It’s now back to business for Malone and the Nuggets. The first of Denver’s final 26 games is Thursday at Sacramento, and the Nuggets (25-31) enter the final stretch of their season 1 ½ games in front of the Kings for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Portland Trailblazers and the , who pulled a blockbuster trade Sunday in acquiring all-star center DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento to pair with big man Anthony Davis, loom close behind.
“To try to go to the playoffs, that’s our goal,” said Nuggets center , who admitted he was still tired after a busy weekend in New Orleans, where he participated in the NBA Rising Stars game and the skills challenge. “We are the eighth seed, so we’re in a good spot to do that.”
A major priority for the Nuggets during the all-star break was getting healthy. Point guard (back) and forwards (ankle) and (groin) all missed at least four games leading up to the break. Forward Wilson Chandler missed the last two games because of illness.
Malone was encouraged by what he saw from those players during the Nuggets’ first practice back Tuesday night.
“I think everybody’s available to play,” Malone said. “All those guys were able to participate and get through it. My hope is that (Wednesday) when they wake up they’ll feel good enough to practice once again and then get on that plane and (play) at Sacramento.”
Mudiay, who has not played since Feb. 4, said he feels healthy and eager to return to the court. The Nuggets are 6-5 in the 11 games the second-year point guard has missed because of the ailing back.
“I’m definitely feeling better,” he said. “I feel healthy. I’m moving better. I think I’m ready to be out there and play at the highest level. Now it’s just a matter of we have to all be clicking.”
The news that Cousins was leaving Sacramento, where he spent seven seasons, to form a twin-tower frontcourt in New Orleans sent shock waves through the NBA on Sunday. It’s a move that directly affects the Nuggets, who have three games left against the Pelicans. New Orleans is 2 ½ games behind Denver in the playoff race.
“Anytime you put together two bigs who average 27 (points) and 10 (rebounds), two of the top 10 players in the NBA, it’s a heck of a frontcourt,” said Malone, who coached Cousins for parts of two seasons in Sacramento. “The challenge for them is how quickly they can adjust, get acclimated and create that chemistry.”
With the NBA trade deadline looming Thursday afternoon, though, Malone reiterated his stance that the Nuggets aren’t planning to make moves simply to stay ahead in the postseason chase.
“We’ll see what happens with our team,” Malone said. “I love the team that we have. We’re very competitive. But we’re not going to mortgage our future just to be an eighth seed. It doesn’t make sense. We’re thinking long-term, big picture. We’re not satisfied with just making the playoffs. This team has done that (in the past) 10 years in a row. We want to be a team that gets deep in the playoffs and ultimately wins a championship.”
Footnote. The Nuggets assigned rookie guard to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League for the third time this season. Beasley has averaged 2.7 points and 4.9 minutes in 18 games with the Nuggets this season.
DENVER AT SACRAMENTO, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, ALT, NBA, 92.5 FM
Spotlight on Willie Cauley-Stein: The stunning trade of franchise cornerstone DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans has opened a door for the 7-foot Cauley-Stein to duck through. The production from the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky has been modest to this point. But during Sacramento’s final five games before the all-star break, a stretch in which the Kings went 4-1, the big man nearly doubled his season average with 10.4 points per game. His minutes figure to spike with Cousins out of the picture. “I think I’ve put myself in position to fill that void,” Cauley-Stein told reporters earlier this week.
ܲٲ:Though the Nuggets are getting closer to full health, they will likely be without forward Kenneth Faried on Thursday. Faried continues to recover from a sprained right ankle and only participated in half of Denver’s practice Wednesday. Forward Darrell Arthur (illness) was also a limited participant Wednesday and is questionable. Guard Emmanuel Mudiay (back) and forward Danilo Gallinari are also listed as questionable, though they have participated in both of the Nuggets’ practices since the all-star break ended.
Kings: The Kings are officially in future mode after trading Cousins on Sunday for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and a first-round pick. Sacramento has high hopes for Hield, a rookie first-round draft pick out of Oklahoma. The 2016 Naismith Award winner as the best player in college basketball has had an up-and-down debut season in the NBA. He’s averaging 8.6 points per game in 20.4 minutes. Evans is familiar with Sacramento, having started 247 games for the Kings over four seasons.
