The Nuggets rallied from a 20-point first-half deficit but could not finish the job against Boston, falling 111-110 Monday night at the when ’s deep 3 was tipped in by after the final buzzer.
Here are eight takeaways from the contest:
1. To call timeout? Or not to call timeout? That was indeed the postgame question, after coach Michael Malone opted to let his team go following a defensive stop and rebound with four seconds left rather than reset and draw up a final play. Will Barton, who misfired on the potential game-winner, did not dispute Malone’s decision. Here’s what and had to say about it:
Murray: “If the ball goes in, itap, ‘Hooray.’ But if it doesn’t, then everybody’s like ‘We should have done this. We should have done that.’ We can’t do that. You’ve got to just live with it. I thought it was a great decision. I thought we were gonna get off a good look. We had enough time.”
Lyles: “(Malone) told us just to play throughout. Probably looking back, I think we probably should have called a timeout. But itap all right. We’ll learn from it.”
2. Thinning frontcourt. Remember when Denver had a surplus of post players? (calf strain) emerged in the Nuggets’ locker room on crutches following Monday’s loss and revealed that he’s staying in Denver to get an MRI Tuesday rather than making the trip to San Antonio for the contest against the Spurs. Malone and Plumlee were both optimistic that the injury isn’t serious. But it at least temporarily thins the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth, especially if continues to miss time with an illness. The most likely contender to start in place of Plumlee in San Antonio is Lyles, who played 27 minutes — including the entire fourth quarter — against Boston and finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Kenneth Fareid, who grabbed four rebounds in six minutes Monday, , and are also contenders to get minutes against the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back set.
3. Lessons learned. Murray downplayed how much he’s learning on the job from going up against an MVP contender like Kyrie Irving, who finished with 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting and six assists Monday.
“I can learn from film,” Murray said. “I’m not thinking about learning when I’m playing. I’m looking to go at (Irving).”
But Malone noted that “experience is the best teacher,” and believes Murray is absorbing a lot while defending the NBA’s best point guards.
“When you’re on the court having to guard these guys,” Malone said, “you see how tight Kyrie’s handle is, how he’s able to create separation going left and right, his ability to finish at the rim. Just kind of watching him, playing against him and competing against him will hopefully let Jamal know, ‘Hey, I’m a good player right now, but I have a ways to go if I want to be an elite player in this league.’ And I think he’s on his way to doing that, by the way.”
4. Getting chippy. Four technical were distributed in this game — one on Plumlee for arguing a foul call, one on the Celtics’ bench for two delay of game infractions and a double-tech on Lyles and Boston’s Marcus Morris for exchanging words at the end of the first half.
“A little chirping here and there,” Lyles said. “No reason to back down. I’m not afraid of anybody.”
5. He’s a rookie? Irving put together another terrific performance. Jaylen Brown hit the game-winner. Al Horford struggled from the floor but drilled a huge 3-pointer down the stretch and had six assists and four rebounds. But rookie forward Jayson Tatum might have been the most entertaining player to watch. He was flying in for athletic dunks and firing from long range while compiling 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Just another example of how sensational this season’s rookie class is.
6. Stats, please.
* The Celtics hit 17 3-pointers, just the 14th time in franchise history they have reached that total.
* The Nuggets, who entered Monday ranked 25th in the NBA in turnovers with 15.7 per game, surrendered nine of Monday’s 11 giveaways in the first half. They had zero turnovers in the fourth quarter, helping them stay toe-to-toe with the Celtics down the stretch.
* Forty of Denver’s 54 points in the paint came in the second half.
* The Nuggets are now 6-3 in games decided by three points or less and 9-12 in “clutch” games, or contests within five points with five or fewer minutes to play.
7. Staying calm. Denver’s locker room was pretty tame after the loss, particularly given the game’s pace, atmosphere and how it all ended. But thatap because players and staffers were leaving quickly for the airport. Such is life in the NBA.
“We realize itap another game,” Lyles said. “We have an 82-game season. We’re not gonna get too high on wins or too low on losses. We came out and we played to the best of our abilities down the stretch. We’ve just got to flip to tomorrow against another great team and have to perform at a high level.”
8. Looking ahead. It will be interesting to see where Denver is at the end of this week. Not just because of the daunting schedule that, after the visit to San Antonio, turns to home dates with Oklahoma City and Golden State, but because of what else has recently transpired with some of the other teams vying for those final Western Conference playoff spots. New Orleans must now navigate without DeMarcus Cousins. The Clippers reportedly traded star Blake Griffin to Detroit Monday. Neither Malone nor Boston coach Brad Stevens had much to say about that stunning deal, because that news broke right before their pregame media availability sessions.
