Michael Malone could have just shown the Nuggets a video of Steve Kerr’s recent postgame news conference in lieu of giving a pep talk.
It was nine days since Malone’s Nuggets had stormed into Golden State without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and held a wire-to-wire lead, prompting Kerr to declare that “we got what we deserved.” The Warriors had simply overlooked a team because its star duo was out.
Playing the opposite role in the same sort of scenario Wednesday, the Nuggets might have briefly fallen into some of the same traps before ultimately earning a 127-117 win over the Bucks, who were playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
“The way I look at it, this game will likely go down to the wire,” Malone predicted pregame. “When you play against teams that are without two great players, like Steve Kerr talked about after the Golden State game, the natural inclination is to relax.
“And we’re not in a position to relax.”
Translation: Every game is a cage fight for playoff positioning. After Wednesday’s win, Denver (46-28) remains in third place, narrowly ahead of the Lakers and Grizzlies.
Michael Porter Jr. bounced back from a 1-for-10 game from the 3-point line Monday with a 23-point double-double despite appearing on the injury report with a lower back strain. He capped his 6-for-8 outside shooting night with a dagger from the right wing, giving Denver a 123-115 lead with 1:05 left.
“I had zero doubt that he would find his rhythm,” Malone said, “because he’s too good of a shooter.”
Christian Braun dialed up momentum-seizing plays in transition, going for 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals, including a clean interception and lob to Peyton Watson.
And Nikola Jokic, making his return from a five-game absence caused by elbow and ankle injuries, tallied 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. If there was any doubt as to his health, he seemed to alleviate them by throwing down his usual pregame dunk — then by slamming another in the first quarter.
“He faked the handoff, kept it, went down the lane and threw it down with two hands,” Malone said. “I was like, ‘Wow, all right, I should hold him out for 10 days more often.’”
One of Jokic’s assists was a spinning no-look dish over his shoulder to Aaron Gordon, who was waiting right where Jokic left him five games ago, on the baseline and in dunker territory.
But on the other end, the Nuggets couldn’t guard a Buck or even a fawn. Their early 15-point lead fizzled well before halftime. They gave up 15 made 3s, including five to Bucks guard A.J. Green. Multiple times throughout the second half, Malone’s face was in his hands for several seconds during live play after watching breakdowns in Denver’s perimeter defense.
“I’ve seen it time and time and time again, and been on the good side and the bad side of it,” he said, referring back to the relaxation effect of facing a depleted team. “It’s human nature. … Usually that’s what it comes down to. Forget making and missing shots. When teams are undermanned, they play harder, more desperate, more urgent. … I was nervous either way. I was nervous with Giannis playing, and I was even a little more nervous with Giannis not playing. And how many guys have ever said they’re nervous when Giannis doesn’t play?”
The Nuggets fell behind 88-83 late in the third quarter, then ended the frame on a 17-4 run. From there, they managed to keep a loose grip on the lead despite Milwaukee’s many comeback pushes. Watson (12 points, seven boards) stayed on the floor in Malone’s closing lineup in place of Gordon, who Malone thought “never got into rhythm with the foul trouble (in the first half).”
Gordon was replaced by Watson after picking up his third foul 12 seconds into the second quarter, while Zeke Nnaji didn’t play for the first time in 25 games.
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