If the Nuggets want to complete another playoff comeback, look Will Barton's way

Even after Wednesday’s 25-point loss that ended with the Nuggets’ starters riding the bench for a second-straight game and Michael Malone saying that his team quit, you still can’t count these Denver Nuggets out.

We’ve been here too many times before. Denver was down 3-1 against the Jazz last postseason. The Nuggets were down 3-1 to the Clippers. A series can flip so, so quickly that you can’t just write this team off. You can’t just tell Nikola Jokic that he’s cooked. Even without Mr. Bubble Jamal Murray, this team is too resilient to listen to the noise.

But if Denver is really set to come back from two games down for the third time in its last five playoff series, some things will have to change. Lots of things. Because it doesn’t matter how many players you’re down. It shouldn’t matter that Murray is out. Quitting in the playoffs is never acceptable.

“I guess for Game 3, I’m just going to try to find guys that will at least go out there and leave it all on the line,” said Michael Malone, who also shouldered blame for the loss. “I may have a hard time coming up with five guys that fill that.”

“I felt we quit tonight.”

The basketball God’s must have been smiling down on the Nuggets during Wednesday’s first half because somehow Denver trailed Phoenix by only 10 points at the break. The Nuggets shot 36.7% from the field, 4-22 from three, and got to the free-throw line just twice in the first half. The Suns shot just 41% from the field across quarters one and two.

That must have been good enough for Denver. The Nuggets’ effort in the third and fourth quarter was a joke. Nikola Jokic said postgame that Chris Paul, who toyed with the Nuggets throughout the second half and turned in a 17-point, 15-assist, 0-turnovers classic in Game 2, was setting his teammates up with “practice shots.”

It was the perfect descriptor. The Suns got whatever they wanted, from two-point range, from beyond the arc, from everywhere. Phoenix shot above 50% from the field and three in the second half. Through two games the Suns are now outscoring the Nuggets 65-46 in the third quarter.

But you can’t be surprised by that margin after Denver had the worst third-quarter point differential in the first round of the playoffs. The Trail Blazers outscored the Nuggets by 29 points in third quarters throughout the six-game series. In the regular season, Denver had the 23rd ranked point differential in third quarters (-61) and the worst among the 16 teams that made the playoffs.

“They are playing better than us,” Jokic said. “They are making shots, being more aggressive, finding the open man. It looks real bad out there. We need to change everything.”

If the Nuggets really want to change, they should first look Will Barton’s direction. Barton returned from a hamstring injury Wednesday that had sidelined him for the last 1 1/2 months and was one of the few Nuggets players who looked like they wanted to be in uniform. He was kept to a minutes restriction but did his part with 10 points (4-8 FG’s, 2-5 3FG’s), three assists, and one block in 16 minutes. In Game 2, he was somehow Denver’s second-best player.

Malone told his locker room postgame that it was “embarrassing” that Barton, who has been out for the last seven weeks, left it all on the line when he didn’t think anyone else did. It was a gutsy performance from Barton, who after Game 2 said that he’s aware of the risk he’s taking by suiting up for the playoffs. He wanted to play more Wednesday, but the plan that Denver’s medical staff has put together and Barton’s trusting wouldn’t allow for it.

“At this point, I don’t know until I get out there and actually do it how long I can play or whatever that looks like. I won’t know until I actually do it,” said Barton. “I do know that I’m willing to take the risk. That’s why I came back and played. I can’t be scared of what’s going to happen out there. I made the decision to play and I’ve got to go out there and give it my all.”

“I’m at a high risk, just being honest. Workouts, playing, 3-on-3, 1-on 1, it’s good, but nothing can replace actual game reps and the intensity of playoff basketball. It is a risk, but I was out there playing tonight. I’ve decided to do that, so it’s on me. I know what I’m up against, and at this point, I’ve got to try to block that out and go out there and play the way I play and give it everything that I do have. Whatever’s in me, I have to give that, or just don’t play.”

Those are the words of a fighter, so who’s going into the ring with him? Jokic is damn tired after last year’s playoff run, a shortened offseason, and from carrying the Nuggets through 72 games and one playoff series. But he will. I know JaMychal Green will. I’m confident Aaron Gordon, who ignited the Nuggets for a brief moment in the third quarter when he went chest-to-chest with Jae Crowder, will. Monte Morris is shooting just 2-17 from the floor in the series, but he will. Facu Campazzo’s a warrior. He will.

The bottom line is that the Nuggets need their role players to fight but also play, defend, and shoot like they did vs. Portland to get back in the series. Morris, Austin Rivers, and Michael Porter Jr. all shot over 40% from three in the first round. Markus Howard even shot 45% (9-20) from three vs. the Blazers.

So far this series, Denver’s complementary pieces are shooting blanks. Morris is 1-7 from distance. Rivers is 2-8 from three. Porter, who played through lower back soreness which looked like severely limited him in Game 2, is shooting 29.4% (5-17) from beyond the arc. Postgame, Malone said Porter’s back was “fine.”

Game 3 can serve as a bit of a reset for the Nuggets. Barton didn’t give details but disclosed that “some things were definitely said,” in Denver’s locker room late Wednesday night. Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported that JaVale McGee spoke up postgame. It’s not like the Nuggets have that much to think about over the next 48 hours while down 0-2 either. It’s pretty straightforward. Lose again and it’s time to book your summer vacation.

Friday’s Game 3 will also mark the first time that Ball Arena can potentially be at 100% capacity since March 9, 2020. Jokic is set to receive his MVP in a pregame ceremony as well. The building will be rocking. Players will be hyped. The vibes will be immaculate.

The Nuggets’ first step towards another postseason comeback is to channel the spirit, aggressiveness, and edge that Barton played with in Game 2.

Denver’s playoff life depends on it.