Michael Malone's pregame message must not have been heard in the locker room.
Before Friday’s 129-120 loss to San Antonio at the AT&T Center, the second-worst team in the Western Conference, the Nuggets’ coach challenged his squad after a disappointing home loss to Chicago on Wednesday.
“If you’re man enough — not that everybody is in this business — but if you’re man enough to look yourself in the mirror and be honest with yourself, I think we all realize, starting with me from all the way down, 1 through 17, we did not do our jobs against Chicago,” Malone said in a video shared by the team on social media. “You hope that the message is delivered, and it’s been delivered the whole season, and guys have responded the right way. That’s what I fully expect to happen tonight.”
The coach’s expectations were not met. The Spurs scored 68 points in the paint, owned a 58-25 advantage in bench points and outrebounded the Nuggets 55-39. The last number was especially bothersome.
“That last stat is kind of a microcosm of our lack of aggression, lack of fight, lack of physicality the whole night,” Malone said after.
Murray’s early 3 makes history
Jamal Murray wasn’t wasting any time Friday.
The Nuggets’ new franchise leader in made 3-pointers caught a pass from Aaron Gordon, set his feet and sunk an open 3-pointer, the 805th of his time with the Nuggets.
Murray started the night tied with Will Barton III. He planned to set the record Wednesday against the Bulls, but his shooting touch was one of many things that did not go the Nuggets’ way. Murray finished 1 of 7 against the Bulls, allowing him to break the record early Friday.
Murray added a second 3 but missed a couple of important ones in the final minutes. He finished with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. He made 9 of 21 shots from the field. That includes a tough 2-for-8 mark from 3.
Teammates came over to congratulate Murray at the next stoppage in play, but there was little to celebrate the rest of the night.
Jokic streak ends
The fact that Friday’s loss was the first this season when Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double made it hurt a little bit more.
Jokic finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He added three steals. He was responsible for five of Denver’s 14 turnovers.
The Nuggets are now 25-1 when Jokic records 10 or more points, rebounds and assists.
SPURS 128, NUGGETS 120
What happened: Denver’s troubles started in the second quarter and hardly got better the rest of the way.
Nikola Jokic got off to a strong start. Jamal Murray hit a record-breaking shot, and the second unit found some success late in the first quarter, helping Denver to a 12-point lead to start the second. After trailing by as many as 15, the Spurs took their first lead while putting the finishing touches on a 42-point second quarter and took a 68-67 advantage at halftime. Denver’s defense didn’t get much better in the third, and San Antonio started the fourth quarter up five. A couple of minutes into the fourth, the Spurs opened up a 10-point lead. The Nuggets closed within two in the final minutes before San Antonio closed on a 10-4 run, preventing the Nuggets from picking up an attainable road win.
What went right: Jokic came out aggressive on the offensive end. After failing to reach 20 points in his last four games, Jokic had 21 at halftime. He made 6 of his 9 shots in the first quarter and was 8 of 16 at halftime, making 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He finished 14 of 24 with 37 points. The last time he took 25 shots was the overtime win over Phoenix on Christmas.
What went wrong: After Christian Braun’s 3 put the Nuggets up 15 in the first 20 seconds of the second quarter, the Nuggets failed to generate quality shots and started to turn the ball over. The Spurs started to take advantage by getting inside Denver’s defense before heating up from 3. The result was a 42-29 edge in the second quarter. San Antonio shot 64% from the field in the second quarter.
Highlight of the night: Michael Porter Jr. provided a spark, possibly too much of one, when the Nuggets needed one in the middle of the third. Porter drove the lane and put down a left-handed dunk over Zach Collins to bring the Nuggets within six. Porter appeared to talk some trash, to which Collins took exception. The Spurs center followed Porter back down the court and leaned into Porter’s space. Porter, who was initially assessed a technical foul for taunting, shoved Collins away before they were separated. Both players were eventually ejected.
Up next: The Nuggets return to Denver for Sunday’s matinee against the Brooklyn Nets.