Nuggets sound off on Monte Morris' Rising Stars Challenge snub

Three nuggets for the three-game losing streak that came to an end Monday. Denver beat Miami 103-87 in its second-to-last game before the All-Star break.

1. Pretend Paul Millsap got his memory wiped “Men in Black” style before Monday’s game. Indulge me for a second.

Millsap might’ve been confused to see the large Serbian man on his team dominating his fitter looking competition. He also might’ve been perplexed as to why Pepsi Center was cheering on No. 3 on the other team. The most shocking moment of all, though, would’ve occurred when someone informed him exactly how long the reserve point guard wearing Nuggets colors has been at it.

“If I didn’t know, I’d say he was a seven-year vet,” Millsap said.

Monte Morris is not your average second-year player. His mid-range game is too smooth, his decision-making too sound for someone who’s been thrown into an NBA rotation for the first time in his career. Morris made the first five shots he took against the Heat on his way to another 17-point, seven-assist, zero-turnover gem.

“The way he’s poised, man,” Millsap said. “He’s a young guy who’s still got a lot of room for growth, which is the scary part. We’re glad he’s at this level he’s playing at.”

Morris poured in 13 points in the first quarter, and he was on the floor in the third when Denver broke the game open.

“I felt good,” Morris said. I was out there having fun.”

Maybe the NBA didn’t realize Morris is only in his second season? That’s the only explanation for why Morris wasn’t selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend later this month, which pits the game’s best first- and second-year players against each other. Do none of the decision makers know Morris leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (6.31)? That he’s shooting 43.9 percent from 3? That he’s logged the third-most minutes for the second-best team in the Western Conference?

“You can’t tell me there are that many players who are better than Monte Morris,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “The impact he’s had this year, running this team, taking care of it, shooting the 3. C’mon.”

Morris admitted he was surprised he didn’t make the cut.

“With the season I had, I definitely thought I was going to get selected. But I didn’t,” Morris said. “That adds fuel to the fire every night I go out there. Having that recognition would have been solid for me, but I’ve got a lot more goals in this league I can accomplish. I’m going to take this one on the chin and keep working hard.”

Whoever chose the rosters must have believed there was no way a player as poised as Morris is only a sophomore. At least that’s what I’m choosing to believe.

“It’s unacceptable,” Mason Plumlee said. “You’d think that your team being at the top of the West would have something to do with it.”

2. The Nuggets have been scuffling on the defensive end. Their inability to guard on the perimeter and failure to communicate contributed to Detroit, Brooklyn and Philadelphia hanging a respective 129, 135 and 117 points on them out East. Refocusing on that end was a priority against Miami.

For the most part, Malone liked what he saw.

“I think our guys understood that losing three in a row, the numbers that we have been allowing were not anywhere close to the standards that we set for ourselves,” Malone said. “Our guards did a good job of picking up, making them feel us early.”

Denver limited Miami to 41.5 percent shooting from the field and 27.3 percent from 3. The Heat scored 38 points in the second half.

“We talked about it (defense) as a team,” Plumlee said. “That’s what’s been lacking during this three-game skid. We’re scoring the ball fine. We did again tonight. Our defense is what’s going to separate us.”

Plumlee blocked three shots, grabbed eight rebounds and chipped in with 11 points. He provided energy on a night when Denver came out flat.

3. Malik Beasley is in some kind of rhythm right now. Once he sets his feet, it’s over. Beasley made 5 of 7 3-pointers against Miami. He hit four treys in the fourth quarter alone, when he scored 14 of Denver’s 20 points.

Beasley is shooting 43.7 percent from deep on the season, the seventh-best mark among anyone who attempts at least four per game. He’s lethal anywhere around the horn, but especially from straightaway, where he’s canned 31 of 58 looks.