DENVER — Nuggets coach Michael Malone wanted to keep his money in his own pocket.
“I have no comment about the officials,” he said after Denver’s 122-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Nuggets’ fourth victory in a row and seventh win in their last eight tries. “Zero.”
Friday’s final box score told the story that Malone didn’t want to. The Nuggets beat Gregg Popovich’s bunch for the second time this season to even the season series with the Spurs despite a 39-19 free-throw discrepancy that left most players in Denver’s locker room frustrated. The Nuggets were also whistled for 27 fouls to the Spurs’ 20.
“They have champions on their team. We don’t have any here,” Mason Plumlee said. “Richard (Jefferson) we’ve got, but you’ve got to earn that. When we win we’ll expect that as well.”
“We’ve got such a young team,” Will Barton added. “We haven’t made the playoffs yet. We’re fighting to earn (respect) right now.”
Publicly, Nuggets players said all the right things.
Denver is a young team who hasn’t made the playoffs in four years. In his sophomore season, Jamal Murray is as confident as they come on the court but sometimes that doesn’t sit well with referees. Nikola Jokic, who turned in his third consecutive triple-double and got a postgame endorsement for league M.V.P by his coach, doesn’t get much respect from officials either.
But credit Jokic, who’s made a conscious effort to cut down on his interactions with officials after two ejections this season. He watched calmly as both Malone and Murray were tagged with technicals late in the fourth quarter.
“Sometimes you just react because it’s emotions. You cannot control it,” Jokic said. “I’m trying. I’m trying my best. I think I’m a lot better. I don’t yell or do extra emotions. I just try to be like cooled down.”
Despite the cookie cutter comments, some Nuggets players are fed up with the quick whistle.
Two players expressed frustration to BSN Denver that just 10 days after last week’s meeting with senior vice president of referee training and development Monty McCutchen that served as a preamble to a player-referee summit at All-Star weekend, nothing has changed regarding how the Nuggets are being officiated.
“We just have to worry about what we can control,” Malone said.
The frustration from Denver’s coaching staff and players was evident throughout all four quarters Friday night versus San Antonio. Malone was frequently caught in lengthy conversations with referee Tony Brothers, and his players were in constant dialogue with all three referees throughout the night.
If winning games and playoff appearances do get you respect from officials, the Nuggets are on the right track. With the victory, Denver moves to 33-26 on the year and is currently sixth in a crowded Western Conference.
The Nuggets are also nearing full-strength with Mason Plumlee returning to the rotation Friday after an eight-game absence. Marquee free agent signing Paul Millsap, who played in just 16 games before injuring his left wrist, will be back in a few weeks as well.
“At some point,” Malone said. “Our team will get the respect we deserve because right now, we’re not getting that.”
