The Nuggets had just defeated the Clippers for the third time in four games this season Thursday night. They had won a fourth consecutive game for the first time all season while moving to within two games of .500 (33-35) for the first time since November. They had increased their lead over Portland for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference to 2½ games with 14 to play.
They had also drawn the ire of their coach.
“We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard, not just be satisfied with a win,” Michael Malone said after the Nuggets’ 129-114 victory, their seventh in nine games. “We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard if we want to not only be a playoff team but also be a team that can make noise in the playoffs.”
The message was clear. There is no break in the clouds as Denver begins the final stretch of its season with an eye on its first postseason appearance since 2013.
“We had 31 assists,” Malone said after Denver improved to 63-2 in its last 65 games when reaching at least 30. “Mason (Plumlee) and Nikola (Jokic) were fantastic in terms of sharing the ball. was great off the bench. And not to belittle all of those things, but big picture? Our defense took a big step backward. I thought we let go of the rope. With Houston coming in here next, we will have to find a way to try and get it back.”
The Nuggets play the high-powered Rockets, led by MVP candidate James Harden, twice in the next three days, beginning with Saturday night’s game at the . Then they host the defending NBA champion Cavaliers on Wednesday. The stakes are only getting higher for the Nuggets as the schedule intensifies, and their hope of entering a potentially season-defining, five-game road trip March 28 in good standing in the race hinges on whether they can meet the challenge defensively in the next three games.
“It’s good to learn in a win,” Plumlee said Thursday after Denver allowed the Clippers to shoot 75 percent in the fourth quarter. “Our defense wasn’t what it had been, but to learn from a win is always better.”
Most of the players contributing to this Denver playoff run are playing meaningful games in the season’s final month for the first time. That’s why Malone was pointed Thursday night in emphasizing to his young team that it has put itself into an advantageous position over the last two weeks because of its defense.
In eight games before the victory over the Clippers, when the Nuggets were tied for the second-best record in the NBA at 6-2, they were 10th in opponent scoring at 103.5 points per game and 13th in opponent field-goal percentage at .459. Those numbers took a hit in the second half Thursday, when the Clippers hit 24-of-40 shots (60 percent).
The next three games will illustrate whether the Nuggets look closer to the defensive team they were in the eight games before the victory over the Clippers or the one they were in the second half of that win.
“Defense will be the difference,” Nuggets forward said. “They are both high-octane offenses that can score the ball in bunches. It’s going to be interesting to see. We’re going to go out there and do our thing.”
HOUSTON AT DENVER, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Lou Williams: It’s been an up-and-down ride with his new team for Williams. The high-scoring reserve averaged 24 points in his first three games with the Rockets after the Lakers shipped him to Houston at the trade deadline. In his next six games, Williams averaged only nine points and shot just 24.6 percent from the field. He bounced back against his old team Wednesday, dropping 30 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in a rout of the Lakers. It begs the question: which Lou Williams will show up in Denver?
Rockets: Houston appears to be locked into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. The Rockets entered Friday 5½ games behind San Antonio for the second spot but 4½ games ahead of Utah, which currently sits in the fourth spot. … Forward Ryan Anderson is averaging a career-high seven 3-point attempts in his first season with the Rockets, and his 40.3 percent shooting from behind the arc is the second-best mark of his nine-year career. … The Rockets lead the NBA in 3-pointers made (14.7) and attempted (40.6) per game this season. “They might come in here and shoot 50 threes,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Nuggets: Denver will play without forwards Danilo Gallinari (knee) and Wilson Chandler (groin) for the third consecutive game. Forward Darrell Arthur (knee) is listed as doubtful. He also has missed the last two games. … Will Barton’s endurance has played a role in his recent scoring binge. While tallying a career-high 35 points against the Clippers on Thursday, Barton played a stretch of 17 straight minutes in the first half and 18 straight in the second half. Was he tired? Not close. “I’m one of those guys that’ll play five-on-five in the gym all day until whoever quits. That’s just who I’ve been my whole life, so I don’t even think about it. I’m like, ‘This can go on forever if it’s up to me.’ “
