Saturday night’s game was supposed to be a celebration of health.
Instead, despite the Nuggets getting their original starting five back for just the third time this season, it turned into an ugly, disappointing night.
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back set, the Pelicans knocked off the Nuggets 120-112 at the despite playing without Anthony Davis. The Nuggets fell to 42-20 in their second consecutive loss at home.
“We didn’t guard all night, they did what they wanted,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “To give up 62 in the paint without Anthony Davis is embarrassing.”
Denver trailed by eight points when was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:46 remaining. He didn’t convert on any of the three attempts for Denver’s first misses from the charity stripe all night.
The Nuggets, who were up by 19 points in the second quarter, fell apart in the second half. The Pelicans finished with 12 3-pointers and dominated inside. Julius Randle and Jrue Holiday combined for 57 alone.
Nuggets center managed 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just 21 minutes. He was plagued by foul trouble most of the night before returning for all of the fourth quarter.
“Not one foul tonight was one of those where you say, ‘Joker, don’t do that,'” Malone said. “And that happens sometimes. He has some of those in transition. We stay on him about being smarter than that. Honestly, I’ll go back and watch it, I thought he played an honest game in that regard and he got called for some tough calls.”
also had 20 points but was just 5-of-15 from the field. finished with 12 points on 14 shots in 16 minutes of action.
The Nuggets trailed 111-102 with 6:43 remaining when Malone went to his preferred closing lineup to try to trim the deficit. They momentarily got closer when Jokic canned a 3-pointer to make it a six-point margin before the Pelicans answered.
The third quarter was a parade of miscues for the Nuggets, whose frustration boiled over in technical fouls for Malone and Millsap. The offense, unaccustomed to playing without Jokic, was off kilter, and the defense couldn’t contain anything inside. Thomas came on late with two buckets, but the Nuggets entered the fourth down 96-93.
The Pelicans have been mired in quicksand since Davis made his league-altering trade request in late January. Itap only gotten more uncomfortable as the Pelicans have plummeted in the standings. Whatap more, they’re just 1-5 in the last six games he’s played.
To their credit, the Nuggets have avoided anything close to seismic distractions.
“Well, no one’s asked for a trade, and I say that not to poke fun. Thatap a lot for an organization to handle,” Malone said. “It wound up costing (GM) Dell Demps his job.”
Malone said the Nuggets’ harmony is largely a result of the organization – from ownership to coaches to players – all being on the same page.
“Our culture that we have is very unique,” Malone said. “Right now itap a very positive energy throughout the organization.”
Their success thus far drew praise from Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, who thought both Malone and Jokic should be in the discussion for end-of-the-year awards.
“You could argue that (Jokic) is the best player at his position in the league, really,” Gentry said. “I’m not real sure why his name hasn’t come up as an MVP candidate. … He’s almost a triple-double waiting to happen, night in and night out.”
And as for Malone, Gentry said he’s right at the top of the coach of the year discussion.
“They’re fighting to have the best record, not in the West, but in the league,” Gentry said.
The excitement from the Nuggets’ regular starters playing together was short-lived. Jokic played just six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, but more than made up for his absence. Plumlee finished with 10 points, six rebounds and a few massive jams as the Nuggets bolted out to a 71-67 first-half lead.
The Pelicans closed the margin with a 40-point second quarter, including 14 points from Randle. He and Holiday combined for 35 points and five 3-pointers in the first half.
For the most part, the Nuggets played unselfish basketball with the majority of their scoring coming off assists. Thomas’ eight first-half points largely came within the flow of the offense.
