Nuggets considering starting lineup change ahead of Game 4

SAN ANTONIO — The Nuggets are mulling a change to their starting lineup. After getting worked 118-108 in Game 3 — a final score that wasn’t indicative of the beatdown the Spurs put on them as the second half wore on — Michael Malone said Friday he is considering some tweaks to give Denver a chance to even the series at AT&T Center, a venue the Nuggets haven’t won at it since the Ty Lawson days.

“All options are on the board,” Malone said. “It’s never about any individual. It’s got to be what’s best for our team. We’re going to meet this afternoon as a staff, rewatch the game and figure out what our best options are moving forward. If we have to make a lineup change, we’ll do so. If we stay with the same lineup, if we feel that will give us our best chance, we’ll stay. No decision has been made yet in that regard.”

Denver’s Jamal Murray-Gary Harris-Will Barton-Paul Millsap-Nikola Jokic quintet was outscored by 21 points in 17 minutes in Game 3. The Nuggets fell behind early, and if it wasn’t for a 16-0 run the bench unit ripped off in the second quarter, things could have gotten darker for Denver earlier than they actually did. The Nuggets have yet to win a first quarter in the series. They were outscored 25-20 in Game 1, 26-21 in Game 2 and 31-22 in Game 3.

Two members of the starting unit are struggling in particular: Jamal Murray and Will Barton. Aside from the fourth quarter of Game 2, Derrick White has dominated the matchup with Murray. His size, speed and physicality has given Murray issues.

“I think Jamal first and foremost has to take a lot more pride in his ability to guard and contain and make Derrick White feel us,” Malone said Thursday. “Derrick White did not feel us tonight.”

Murray is shooting 39.1% from the field in the series and has been a weak link defensively, but he’s entrenched as a starter. If Denver does switch things up, expect it to come at small forward. Barton seems to have lost all confidence in his shooting stroke. He was booed in Game 2 in the midst of a 1-for-10 shooting performance. Malone rode with him again as a starter in Game 3. Barton looked hesitant, finishing with four points on 2-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes. He only played five minutes in the second half — a sign that his role could be reduced moving forward.

Barton hasn’t looked himself after a core injury in October that required surgery and caused him to miss 38 games. That could open the door for Malik Beasley or Torrey Craig to step into the starting lineup in Game 4. Beasley developed into Denver’s best shooter during the regular season. He’s continued to stroke it in postseason play. He hit 5 of 6 3s Thursday and has connected on 8 of 12 deep balls during the series. He fits in seamlessly alongside Denver’s other starters offensively. The challenge for him would come on the other end, where he could be asked to slow DeMar DeRozan.

If Malone chooses to go with a more defensive-minded option, Craig could be in play. Craig is one of the few defensive specialists on the Nuggets’ roster. They’ve asked him to hold in check everyone from star lead ball handlers like Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard to rangier forwards such as Kevin Durant. Craig, who hit two 3s en route to 12 points, has shot the 3 ball relatively well lately, one more reason his minutes could be increased.

However Malone decides to move the chess pieces around, he hopes to see one thing above all else in Game 4: more physicality.

“They dominated us with our physicality, their screens, their rebounding and their aggressive drives,” Malone said. 

Initially, Malone said the Nuggets gave up 16 blow bys in Game 3. Upon further review, that number was actually 19. All those free lanes to the basket helped the Spurs rack up 62 points in the paint. So did the 15 offensive rebounds San Antonio hauled in.

“We’ve really got to come out with a sense of urgency,” Gary Harris said. “We haven’t won a first quarter yet. It’s kind of like we’re playing from behind the whole game. Kind of like how we played in that second quarter when the second group came out, we’ve got to play like that the whole game.”