![]() The Jazz shot 14-29 from three-point range which equalizes out to a scorching hot 48.3% from distance. Instead of reliving past defensive horrors, let’s just focus on Game 4. No matter how much better their offense becomes, it is not going to be enough to out-pace their truly abysmal defensive play thus far. Their complete inability to defend has left the Nuggets swimming up stream while being weighed down by an anchor. There is no more glaring issue than Denver’s defense throughout their time in the bubble and throughout the postseason. Bad – Denver’s defense is still unable to slow Utah Malone’s alterations to the lineup did help, but unfortunately it was not enough. He left everything on the floor and did whatever he could to give Denver an edge. Defensively, Morris battled all night long regardless of who he was matched up with. Craig does not have the offensive skill to run an offense like that so having Morris on the floor gave Denver a much more well-rounded group. Whenever the two-man game between Jokic and Murray fell flat, Murray or Jokic were able to reverse the ball to Morris who could then run a pick and roll with Millsap or get Denver into another offensive set. Morris being in the starting group gave the Nuggets an additional creator alongside Murray which unlocked a whole new level of this Nuggets offense. Monte Morris did not shine bright in the box score, but his impact was felt in every facet of the game. Eventually Grant was just like every other defender that Denver used on Mitchell, but he had more of an impact than most did when attempting to check the explosive lead guard. Defensively, he was active and did a decent job of slowing Donovan Mitchell in the first half. Even more encouraging was that he paired his expanded offensive skill set with a couple 3-pointers which gave the Nuggets that much more of a boost. He was getting easy baskets off dunks in transition with regularity while also finding success as an off-ball scorer. ![]() Grant was a massive infusion of energy in the first half. Immediately, Malone’s decision proved to me a smart one for multiple reasons on both ends of the floor. out of the starting group and inserted Monte Morris and Jerami Grant. ![]() Malone took Torrey Craig and Michael Porter Jr. After Denver’s embarrassing Game 3 loss, Malone elected to go into Game 4 with two new starters. Well, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had seen enough from his starting lineup in the first three games of the postseason. Good – Nuggets switch up starting lineup with strong results Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell each had at least 50 points, but by the time the final buzzer sounded it was Murray who had lost the duel and with that, here are the good, bad and ugly from Denver’s Game 4 loss. That Game 3 loss pushed Denver into a 2-1 deficit in their first round playoff matchup with the Jazz which meant Denver had to find a way to win or stare down the tough reality that is being behind 3-1 in a playoff series.ĭenver battled and got a truly magnificent game from Jamal Murray, but it was not enough as the Jazz managed to escape with a 129-127 victory over Denver nearly extinguishing their title hopes. The Denver Nuggets knew their backs were against the wall after their lackluster showing in Game 3 against the Utah Jazz.
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