Nuggets' "one-on-one defense" Michael Malone's No. 1 priority ahead of matchup with Suns

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DENVER — The Nuggets look to continue their winning ways against the Phoenix Suns and keep building towards the playoffs. Phoenix has been playing better as of late winning five of their last ten games while the Nuggets have won five of seven.

Regular season game No. 45 | Denver Nuggets (19-25) vs Phoenix Suns (15-30)

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado  | 7:00 PM MST | TV: Altitude

Containing the perimeter

Containing the perimeter has been an issue for the Nuggets all season long and tonight will be a big test against Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe. Booker is averaging 27 points against the Nuggets this season while Bledsoe put up 35 points thanks to going 11-11 from the free-throw line in the last matchup. Brandon Knight also got in on the scoring in the first matchup putting up 32 points of his own.

“We need to defend without fouling,” Michael Malone said at shootaround Thursday. “Booker and Bledsoe put tremendous pressure on you and in our two games they are averaging over 32 free-throw attempts per game.”

The combination of Bledsoe’s vision and ability to effortlessly get to the rim with Booker’s IQ as a perimeter guard is a lethal concoction. It will be paramount for the Nuggets to find a way to contain each guard in a one-on-one setting to come away with a victory, which is much easier said than done.

“I think one of the harder things to do in the NBA, and this is what separates good defense players and defensive teams, is multiple effort plays where you have to shrink and tag and now close out to a guy with a live dribble and that is where I think that is where we have the hardest time,” Malone said. “We close out but we don’t have high hands at times and we give up threes.”

“There are definitely times when it is just a one on one game and you have to guard your man,” said Malone. “We have been a little better lately but on the season that has been a big problem for us. ”

The Nuggets have an opportunity to build on the defensive intensity they displayed against the Utah Jazz. They will need that type of effort consistently if they plan on making the playoffs and separating themselves from the bottom half of the Western Conference.

Footnotes

Johnny O’Bryant has been officially signed to a 10-day contract by Denver and will be available tonight against the Phoenix Suns. The power forward from LSU will wear No. 9 for the Nuggets.

Emmanuel Mudiay will miss his third consecutive game with low back soreness. He did not participate in shootaround this morning and will continue getting treatment around the clock.