The Nuggets delivered a performance only a mother could love.
Pass out the Capri-Suns and orange slices. They won the participation trophy. They tried really hard.
But in the biggest game of the Western Conference semifinals, where results matter more than energy and effort, the Nuggets shot like the rim was a moving target.
Airballs. Clanks. Clunks. Bricks. It was unspeakably bad. We expect this from the Rockies, but not the most clutch team Colorado has seen since the 2015 Broncos.
Broncos coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton sat courtside for the 92-87 loss and were reminded what Denver’s offense looked like under Nathaniel Hackett. The Nuggets scored eight points in the first quarter, their lowest postseason output in franchise history. They missed 19 of 21 shots and all 13 of their 3s.
In the fourth quarter, they made 7 of 23 shots and went 1 for 12 from beyond the arc. For those who keep track of such things, that is 9 for 44 and 1 for 25 over 24 minutes.
The Nuggets care. They were not a no-show. They were a no-shoot.
“Give (Oklahoma City) credit,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said, “in a disgusting basketball game, they did enough to win.”
Remember when this series started, the Nuggets were heavy underdogs, viewed as mutts. There’s no animal more loyal and lovable. The Nuggets’ nose is cold. But when their shooting is frigid, the narrative isn’t as warm and fuzzy.
So why did this happen?
Two reasons.
Because playing the victim makes me nauseous, let’s start with the obvious. For the people who picked the Thunder to advance, Sunday was why. Oklahoma City is like the ocean. It comes at you in waves. Ten players logged at least seven minutes, and nine eclipsed 12. The Nuggets used eight guys. And one on Sunday was Julian Strawther, who got in four minutes of cardio so Jamal Murray could get a drink and towel off his face.
Simply put, the Nuggets have no depth. Russell Westbrook is their bench. And after he starred in the postseason at home, reality clobbered him over the head with a 2-for-12 shooting performance. Fresher legs and sharper minds won out. The Nuggets opened the fourth quarter with a 69-63 lead, and the team that has built its reputation on finishing could not close.
Just as the Rockies announced they had fired Bud, the Nuggets faded to Black.
“It’s not a funeral, you guys,” cautioned Murray, who had 17 points. “It’s the best out of 3. It’s just a rough day at the office. We had some chances.”
It didn’t help that Adelman, who has outcoached Mark Daigneault in this series, suffered a brain freeze as the Nuggets committed a five-second violation under the Thunder’s basket with 4:36 remaining, surprised by a full-court press coming out of a timeout.
“That cannot happen. That’s inexcusable. People can say it’s a tired mistake. It’s not,” Adelman said. “That’s on me.”
Typically, when things get ragged in the final five minutes, Nikola Jokic finds the nearest phone booth and puts on a cape. But he has been miserable from the floor the past two games — 15 for 47 overall and 2 for 18 from 3. The flurry of bodies OKC runs at him has served its purpose, leaving the three-time MVP visibly frustrated with the officiating as Lu Dort alternates between flopping and elbowing and Isaiah Hartenstein dives at knees.
Listen, the Nuggets can’t have it both ways. Jokic can have an uneven game, but the Nuggets won’t win unless Murray, Michael Porter Jr. (three points) or Aaron Gordon (15) goes off.
“It’s a little bit of everything. They are playing really good defense on me. They are really handsy,” Jokic said. “And I have missed some open looks. I need to do a better job.”
For the people who enjoy the low-hanging fruit, there was another explanation for this defeat: The NBA and its TV partners.
The Association scheduled games 36 hours apart and got exactly what it deserved. Both teams had rubber legs. This looked like a Sunday getaway in MLB. It was sleepy, sloppy basketball, and obviously benefited the younger team.
Every game in this series is every other day, save for an extra 24 hours before a potential Game 7 next Sunday. Compare that to the Warriors-Timberwolves series, which allows for three days off before a Game 6. While Jokic and Murray dismissed the lack of the rest out of hand, Gordon and Peyton Watson were not as understanding.
“You have an 8:30 p.m. that goes into overtime, then a (1:30) game — 36 hours turnaround playing the highest level of basketball?” Gordon said. “But we have to find a way to get through it.”
Added Watson, “I think it’s a strange way to time out the games. But at the end of the day, their guys gotta get up and get ready for them too.”
The NBA screwed the Nuggets. But Denver kicked itself in the shins by not adding a player at the trade deadline — former GM Calvin Booth remains the gift that keeps on giving — to put itself in this compromised position.
The reason this loss hurts is that the Nuggets played their best defense. Oklahoma City shot 35.6% from the field and 24.4% from beyond the arc. The Thunder wanted to lose this game. And the Nuggets wouldn’t let them.
Before Murray walked out of the locker room, he tossed a towel over reporters and into the laundry bin. Perhaps it was an omen. That Game 4 was the start of the mother-of-all comebacks because it is impossible to believe the Nuggets will ever shoot worse than they did on Sunday.
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