Searching for a spark after an 0-2 start to a pivotal six-game road trip, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone looked down his bench mid-way through Friday night’s first quarter.
His gaze settled on Malik Beasley and Emmanuel Mudiay. The former entered the game at the 4:19 mark of the quarter — the earliest Beasley has seen the floor this season. Mudiay followed a few minutes later and the two unlikely heroes propelled Denver to a 103-89 win over the Orlando Magic.
After a first quarter where the Nuggets shot just 6-20 from the field and tallied only 14 points — one of Denver’s worst scoring outputs over a 12-minute span this season — Beasley and Mudiay changed the game’s momentum in the second.
The backcourt duo helped Denver erase a 13-point Magic lead before halftime as the Nuggets put together a stout defensive effort over the final three quarters. The Nuggets held the Magic to just 40 percent shooting in the game. Denver racked up seven steals and forced Orlando into 14 turnovers.
Orlando’s 89 points were the second-lowest total Denver has allowed this year. The Nuggets held the Kings to 79 points in their home opener.
The extra playing time for Beasley wasn’t much of a surprise. After a demoralizing nine-point loss in New Orleans Wednesday night, Malone ripped his team for their defensive effort.
“I’m not going to play the same guys over and over when we give up every single night 110 (points), 120 (points), 55 (percent) from the field 50 (points) in the paint,” he said. “It’s not in my nature. I’m not going to sit there and watch that much longer. I’ll tell you that much.”
Beasley’s defense is the reason why he’s jumped Juancho Hernangomez in Denver’s rotation over the past couple games and why he played a season-high 29 minutes tonight. Beasley finished with 12 points on 5-9 shooting, hit two threes, chipped in four rebounds and three assists.
His counterpart in the Nuggets’ backcourt played one of his better games in a Denver uniform. Mudiay finished with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and was a plus-11 on the night. More importantly, the third-year point guard committed just two turnovers in 31 minutes.
Beasley, Mudiay, Will Barton, Trey Lyles and Kenneth Faried played the entire second quarter. Mudiay played over starter Jamal Murray in the second and fourth quarters although trainers were seen attending to Murray’s ankle at one point in the third. Murray played 17 minutes and scored two points on 1-6 shooting.
Barton, Mudiay and Beasley combined for 34 of the Nuggets’ 49 first-half points. Denver’s bench outscored Orlando’s bench 53-16. Barton finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.
“Great energy, great productivity, great efficiency, ” Malone said of his bench via Altitude TV.
Denver took a one-point lead into the half and was able to separate from Orlando in the third quarter. Gary Harris, who was dormant for much of the first half, scored 10 points in the opening four-and-a-half minutes of the third. The Nuggets outscored the Magic 32-22 in the quarter and 54-41 in the second half.
Faried changed the game on the defensive end of the floor as well. He came off the Nuggets’ bench and scored a season-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Tonight’s win was Denver’s first road victory in their last five games away from Pepsi Center. The Nuggets play in Indiana on Sunday.
