Nuggets looking for repeat defensive performance against Hawks

31 games are a whole lot of games. Yet with the regular season approaching the final quarter pole, the playoffs are on the horizon. For the Denver Nuggets, who sit one game up for the eighth seed in the West, they’ll have to take care of business on the road from here on out to secure their first playoff bid in three years.

That notion might not mean getting a win against the Hawks in Atlanta where Dwight Howard, Paul Millsap, and Co. are just 15-11 this season. But starting a three-game trip, which takes Denver from Atlanta to New York and then to Cleveland, before returning home for a date with the Warriors, means the Nuggets must take care of business when the opportunities away from Pepsi Center present themselves.

Regular season game No. 52 | Denver Nuggets (23-28) vs Atlanta Hawks (30-22)

Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia | 5:30 PM MST | TV: Altitude

Denver’s defense?

The Nuggets are coming off their most impressive defensive performance of the year against the Mavericks, when Denver held a Dallas squad, the most efficient offense in the league statistically over the previous seven games, to just 87 points.

That point total was the lowest the Nuggets have surrendered all season and a slight defensive adjustment may have been the catalyst.

“They have a lot of shooters and they set a lot of ball screens,” Michael Malone said of the Mavericks. “So when you have a small lineup that starts with a Dirk Nowitzki at the five, a Barnes at the four and Matthews at the three, we didn’t want to be down the floor and giving them a lot of separation. So we wanted to be more aggressive, up at the level. Attack the ball and get back. And I give Wilson, I give Darrell, Juancho, all of  our smalls a lot credit because they did a very good job of showing tonight in those pick-and-rolls.”

Here’s what Malone is talking about:

Check out this first quarter Wesley Matthews and Nowitzki pick-and-roll. Denver plays this action like they have for much of the season. It ends in a Nowitzki mid-range jumper. A shot the 38-year-old hits in his sleep.

Watch how the Nuggets altered their scheme in the second half. First Darrell Arthur, then Wilson Chandler jump out to hedge the ball handler, stopping his progress and delaying the action, on back-to-back possessions no less.

That tweak, which was put into action late in the third quarter, helped hold the Mavericks to just 20 points on 36.4 percent shooting in the fourth, as Denver held on for the win.

Atlanta presents a different challenge defensively than Dallas. The Hawks play a more traditional front line of Howard and Millsap, so Denver may revert to a less aggressive game plan on defense or, see if the oven’s still hot.

Malone’s ability to elevate his group on the defensive end of the floor, a unit which still ranks last in the league defensively this season, will likely decide Wednesday night’s outcome.

Spotlight on Barton

Without Danilo Gallinari for a third-straight game, Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay, who’s now missed four of Denver’s past seven games with a back injury, Will Barton came to play against Dallas pouring in a game-high 31 points on 12-18 shooting and 5-7 from three.

Gallinari is still sidelined, it’s looking unlikely that Mudiay will play against the Hawks, and even though the Nuggets should get Faried back in the lineup, Barton will still shoulder much of the load on the offensive end of the floor. That’s a welcomed sight to Barton, who loves the spotlight and responsibility.

The 26-year-old is embracing his new role in the starting lineup without Gallinari. It’s a spot in the rotation he enjoys playing and something he eventually wants to be permanent.

“One of my goals is to be a starter,” Barton said back at Media Day. “I don’t want to be put in a box yet. I feel like I’m still young in my career, still young in age, so I feel like I can still become a starter and be a good starter. So I’m definitely striving for that in my career. But as of right now, I’m going to do whatever coach needs me to do. Wherever he puts me at I’m just going to do what I got to do, but I definitely want to be a starter. I feel like I can take that next leap.”

Exposure and more minutes for Barton is an intriguing development with a banged-up Denver rotation, but it could lead to playoff contenders inquiring about the wing’s availability.

31 points against the Mavericks, to go with however many he’s able to put through the hoop on this three-game road trip could lead to contenders placing calls. Teams have reportedly called Denver and offered a first-round pick for Barton in the past, but it seems highly unlikely the Nuggets would part with a key member of their rotation for that return in the middle of a playoff race.