The Denver Nuggets surrendered another double-digit second-half lead and saw their home winning streak snapped, falling to Minnesota 112-104 Wednesday night at .
Here are nine takeaways from the defeat:
1. They’re starting who? Denver has deployed 11 different starting lineups since ’s injury, a product of smaller ailments sustained by , , and . But Wednesday’s was perhaps the strangest, with Jokic starting at power forward alongside and recent G League call-up starting at shooting guard in place of Harris (elbow contusion). Overall, Malone said the group was “pretty good.” The coach continued to praise the “outstanding” interior defense of Plumlee, who also corralled seven of Denver’s eight total offensive rebounds Wednesday. Craig put together another solid performance with 10 points (3-of-4 shooting) and six rebounds. And Jokic saw a sharp minutes increase to 36 in his first start since returning from his sprained ankle.
“Against their big, physical front line and their rebounding, we felt that was the lineup that would give us the best chance,” coach Michael Malone said.
2. Shoot your shot. Several factors caused Denver’s 22 turnovers Wednesday night. One of them was that several Nuggets inexplicably passed up open shots against a Minnesota team that entered Wednesday ranked 25th in the NBA defensive rating and last in opponent field-goal percentage. Denver shot 50 percent and finished with 27 assists on 36 made field goals, but totaled a season-low 72 attempts from the floor (compared to Minnesota’s 87). It did not look like the crisp ball movement on which the Nuggets typically thrive, and was particularly noticeable on several mishandled post passes to unsuspecting teammates.
“We haven’t been that team,” Malone said. “When you’re open, we encourage guys to step up and shoot the ball and shoot it with confidence. We had a lot of guys tonight that were just turning down shots, that didn’t want to shoot the ball, which I can’t explain.”
Added Plumlee: “Make or miss, you gotta step into (the shot). Because when (teammates) expect the shot, you can have defensive balance and you can also have offensive rebounders in position.”
3. Short bench. Even though the Nuggets were undermanned with Harris and backup point guard (sprained ankle) out, Malone’s rotation consisted of just eight players. The most prominent absence was , who has not played in the past two games and now has six “DNPs” on the season. , who not long ago was Denver’s first player off the bench, only got six minutes. At one point in the first half, Taj Gibson delivered a block on Beasley that perhaps could best be described as nonchalant, like it was too easy.
4. Trey’s up, Trey’s down. scored all 15 of his points in the first half, going 5-of-6 from the floor before the break and 0-of-4 after it. Still, itap his third consecutive game with 15 or more points. He’s also averaging 17.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 28 minutes over his last six games.
5. Thrill slumping? Since his overtime heroics Friday against New Orleans, Will Barton is shooting just 5-of-24 from the floor. But he contributed five rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes Wednesday — and was the only Nugget to not commit a turnover.
6. More streaks snapped. Wednesday’s loss halted a nine-game Nuggets winning streak when they shoot more than 50 percent from the floor. It was also the first time that Denver has lost a home game this season while leading at halftime (6-1) and after the third quarter (7-1).
7. Welcome to the Big Leagues. With Monte Morris’ call-up Wednesday, all three normal G Leaguers (Morris, Craig and ) are currently with the Nuggets. Malone joked before the game that “itap a celebration.” But Craig continues to prove why he belongs at this level. Morris is an emergency backcourt option with Harris and Mudiay out. And the Nuggets want Lydon to have a healthy balance of getting game experience in the G League and working with Denver’s coaches, teammates and strength and conditioning and training staffs.
8. Von’s back. Broncos star Von Miller continues to be a regular at Nuggets game, showing up with Demaryius Thomas to sit courtside Wednesday. During the second half, they both signed a football that Miller chucked into the stands. An early Christmas present for a lucky fan.
9. Familiar foes. The Nuggets have now played every Northwest Division opponent at least once, posting a shaky 1-5 record. However, four of those games have been played on the road, where Denver is 5-12 overall. The Nuggets are 1-1 against Oklahoma City (home win, road loss), 0-2 against Utah (both road), 0-1 against Portland (road) and 0-1 against Minnesota (home). Up next? Another road date with the Trail Blazers on Friday. Denver will also host Utah Tuesday, before playing at Minnesota the next day.
