DENVER — In a season that’s been marred by injuries, Nuggets coach Michael Malone has cut back on practices and shootarounds over the past few weeks to ensure his players are as well rested as possible for Denver’s stretch run.
The Nuggets have not practiced since March 29 in Oklahoma City and held their last shootaround prior to their March 26th matchup in Philadelphia.
“Right now we’re playing guys, because of the injuries, 40 minutes a night and I can get them out of bed and run them up and down the court but right now I think our best chance to win games is to be as well rested as possible,” Malone said before his team hosted the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night. “When you come off of a 15-day road trip, seven games and you’re back in your bed for one night you’re not all of a sudden rested. There’s a cumulative effect here that we’re talking about.”
The Nuggets went their entire seven-game road trip without the services of starting shooting guard Gary Harris, who’s been sidelined since suffering a knee sprain March 15 against the Pistons. Harris has missed Denver’s last eight games and is still two or three games away from returning to the Nuggets’ lineup.
But Denver is inching back towards full health. Paul Millsap, who missed 44 games earlier this season with a left wrist injury that required surgery, has played in the Nuggets’ last 17 games and is coming off three-straight games where he’s scored at least 20 points. Nikola Jokic missed seven games in a row in December but is at full health for Denver’s stretch run. Wilson Chandler (nasal fracture) missed the Nuggets’ win over the Bucks on Sunday but is active tonight versus the Pacers.
In coming to the decision to cut practices and shootarounds, Malone also counseled Denver’s veterans.
“We feel, I feel most importantly that that’s the best thing for our team,” Malone said. “We give them rest physically but as well as mentally so we can go into these games and hopefully give ourselves a chance to win.
That decision is sure to sit well with the majority of the Nuggets’ locker room.
“Good teams don’t practice around this time of year,” Will Barton said in February. “Ain’t got time for that. You need fresh legs, guys are playing 30-40 minutes, and you practice hard too. That’s going to be tough. Now I see why A.I. said that. I didn’t understand that when I was young but man, playing 40 every night and then you got to practice? I might say that too.”
