How the Nuggets returned to "chill mode" in Game 3

PHOENIX — The Suns didn’t hide their desire to play faster in Game 3. Throughout the entire week leading up to Friday’s matchup, Phoenix broadcasted that it was going to try and seek out more transition opportunities. The Nuggets knew that the Suns, especially with Cameron Payne in at point guard for Chris Paul, would try and push the pace too.

But Denver didn’t look like a team prepared for a faster Suns attack in Game 3.

“We weren’t ready for it,” Michael Malone said.

I think it only took three Suns possessions — the first three possessions of the first quarter of Game 3 — for Malone to come to that conclusion. Phoenix scores its first three baskets in transition and without much resistance from the Nuggets’ defense.

The Suns talked all week about how they were going to play faster in Game 3. Michael Malone said Denver talked about Phoenix playing faster too, but "watching the film, we weren't ready." The Suns scored their first three baskets of Game 3 in transition. pic.twitter.com/yU7CapHF6Y

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) May 6, 2023

Game 3 was an outlier defensive performance from Denver in these playoffs. The Nuggets have been locked in on the defensive end all postseason. They surrendered just 10.8 fast break points per game in their five-game first-round gentleman’s sweep of the Timberwolves. In Game 2 vs. Phoenix, a matchup where Denver’s sub-50% shooting from the field and 7-27 (26%) shooting from 3 would theoretically lead to countless Phoenix fast break opportunities, the Nuggets held the Suns to just 11 fast break points.

In total, the Suns ran the Nuggets for 23 fast-break points in their 121-114 Game 3 win.

“I think we were just a little bit slow,” Nikola Jokic said. “I don’t want to say, sleepy, but they were making the first move and we were reacting.”

The clips, which I’m sure Malone ran through with his team during Denver’s Saturday morning film session, aren’t pretty.

Jamal Murray ISO’s against Jock Landale on this early second-quarter possession, misses a step-back 3, and then takes a moment to admire his miss. All of a sudden, it’s too late. Landale slips behind Murray, who tries to intercept the skip-ahead pass, and it’s an easy transition bucket for the Suns.

This is really bad. So much standing around and watching instead of getting back.

This looks like a massive miscommunication between Jeff Green and Bruce Brown. I’m not sure how you just leave Payne here.

Your point guard missing at the rim is typically a death blow to your transition defense, but the Nuggets had a chance to recover here. This is a 4-on-4. Denver just didn’t sprint back fast enough.

We’ve praised the Nuggets all playoffs for how locked in they’ve been. Prior to Game 3, Denver had successfully leveled up its defense in the postseason. The Nuggets had flipped the switch. But Denver’s defense returned to “chill mode” in Game 3, the same mode that the Nuggets couldn’t get out of during the last several weeks of the regular season. They were lazy, lethargic, maybe sleepy, as Jokic said.

Those clips look like the regular-season Nuggets — the same step-too-slow Denver defense that was a source of frustration for most of the year. But again, a faster Suns pace in Game 3 is something the Nuggets expected. That’s what makes the Game 3 let-up so frustrating.

“We talked about it. We kind of expected it,” Jokic said. “I think they didn’t surprise us.”

We’ll see if the Nuggets can get back to the defensive team that they’ve been for most of these playoffs tonight. How dialed in Denver is on defense probably determines if the Nuggets win Game 4.