The coach was critical of the level of his team after the loss to Milwaukee, which added to the losses to Lakers and Kings. He also clarified why he did not use Facundo Campazzo.
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By Juan Estevez
@ JuanEstevez90
When it seemed that Denver had finally found its best version in 2020-2021, the team fell into a hole again, both from their level of play and from the results. After losing to the Lakers and Kings, this Monday they added their third consecutive setback, being outscored by the Bucks 125-112. A meeting that left the team’s coach, Michael Malone, very dissatisfied, as expressed during the attention to the press after the duel.
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“We allow 64 points in the second half. They shot 55% from the field, 58% on triples, 7-12 in the second half. We had trouble scoring, shooting, finishing. Only 9 assists in the second half. We keep trying to figure out how to be a team that plays much better in the second half“, said DT.
“We lost three games in a row because we haven’t defended anyone. There was a reason we won 11 out of 15 games at one point: because we had one of the eight best defenders in the league. But against the Lakers, Sacramento and Milwaukee that has not been the case. It’s simple to understand: that’s why we lose matches“Malone said, visibly frustrated.
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Reason not lacking: In the last three games, Denver has a defensive rating of 122.2, which leaves it 26th among the 30 teams in the league during that period.. And although his general position in the tournament is not much better in that sense (22nd), there is a huge difference in terms of rating: it is 112.3 in the tournament, almost 10 points better than what he has been doing lately. .
It is clear that the absences of good defenders such as Gary Harrs, PJ Dozier and Facundo Campazzo, all of them injured during this stretch of losses (Campazzo played only 2 minutes against the Lakers), have been fundamental. But still, Malone doesn’t want to make excuses: “Despite not having them available, we cannot have three games in a row in which we do not defend anyone“, he sentenced.
“If we wait for them to come back to defend, this losing streak will continue“The Nuggets now have three consecutive home games, where they will try to end that run, hosting Cleveland (Wednesday), Oklahoma City (Friday) and Lakers (Sunday).
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Another issue that Malone referred to was the situation of Facundo Campazzo. The Argentine had missed the last game against Sacramento with a right knee ailment, but was activated for the game against the Bucks. However, the coach decided not to use it, not seeing it 100%: “Facu wanted to play today, but I didn’t think he was ready, so I decided not to include him in the game“, clarified the technician.
The Nuggets are 12-11 in the tournament, tied with the rising Sacramento Kings for seventh in the West. An uneven gait for a team that, while being pushed by an MVP-level Nikola Jokic, still has a lot to grow on the defensive side, where pre-season fears are coming true.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.