November 26th 2024.
It's no secret that Nuggets head coach, Michael Malone, wears his emotions on his sleeve. So, it's not surprising that he was visibly upset after the Nuggets gave up the most points in a regulation game during his 10 years of coaching. During his fiery postgame news conference, he made it clear that the team would not just brush off this loss. "You don't just move on and forget about it," Malone declared. "You don't just ignore the fact that we gave up 145 points."
This type of loss is exactly what Malone dislikes the most. The Nuggets' lackluster 102-87 performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on opening night didn't cause him to panic. Even when the team had a 4-game winning streak, with a 135-122 victory over the Miami Heat in early November, Malone was quick to point out that they were winning with their offense, not their defense. It was clear that he was not happy with their overall efficiency.
The recent 145-118 loss to the New York Knicks at Ball Arena was especially frustrating for Malone. It brought their home record to 5-4 for the season and 6-7 in their last 13 home games, including their playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. During their championship season in 2022-23, they only lost a total of 8 home games.
Malone didn't hold back as he called out the starting lineup, specifically challenging Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to step up as vocal leaders. He reiterated that the Nuggets were completely "embarrassed" by the Knicks and their performance was unacceptable. He also pointed out their lack of effort on transition defense and the team's overall lack of physicality.
"It's been 16 games and we're still talking about effort," Malone expressed, as the Knicks could be heard celebrating in the visitors' locker room. "We need to ask ourselves who we want to be as a team. We need leadership, toughness, and physicality. We need to play like we actually care. We didn't do that tonight."
Jokic admitted that the team simply didn't show up for the game. After 16 games, the Nuggets rank 8th in offense, 17th in defense, and 13th in net rating. However, they rank 29th in first-half net rating. This loss dropped them into a tie for 7th place in the highly competitive Western Conference.
Murray felt that the Knicks played like a team seeking redemption after their loss to the Utah Jazz, while the Nuggets lacked the same intensity coming off their win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Malone became the winningest coach in franchise history with that win, but it was clear that the team's focus was not on point.
"It's a long season," Murray noted. "We just beat the Lakers in L.A. and some guys live there, so they stayed in L.A. I don't think the focus was there from everyone. And when the focus isn't there, that's what happens. It's not on the coach or the plays we run, it's on the guys on the court. It's tough to watch and accept, but it's not unexpected when the team starts the game with that kind of energy."
This is not the first time that Malone has called out his players for their lack of effort and energy. After a 105-90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 17th, during Jokic's absence for the birth of his son, Malone questioned the team's reliance on Jokic to carry them. Even though Jokic has been averaging a 30-point triple-double this season, Malone believes that each player needs to do their own job.
Jokic sees this loss as a wake-up call for the team. "Sometimes it's good to get punched in the face, just to wake up," he stated. It's clear that the Nuggets have some things to work on, and the team needs to come together and refocus if they want to be successful.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
