DENVER — Following his return from left wrist surgery that sidelined the three-time All-Star for the past three months, Paul Millsap vowed that the Nuggets’ defense would improve after the Los Angeles Clippers came from 19 points down in the second half to win 122-120. The loss vaulted the Clippers past the Nuggets in the Western Conference standings from ninth to eighth as Los Angeles clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over Denver.
“Trust me, we will get better on the defensive end,” Millsap said. “Tonight was a prime example of what we need to do to get better.”
Millsap, who’s been regarded throughout his career as a plus defender, was brought to Denver last summer and signed to a three-year, $90 million contract for just that reason. The Nuggets felt a need to address their shortcomings on that end of the floor and thought Millsap could not only change the Nuggets’ play on the court but establish more of a defensive culture within Denver’s locker room.
But Millsap only appeared in 16 games before a left wrist injury and subsequent surgery forced him to miss Denver’s last 44 games. Over those 16 games, Denver fielded a league-average defense — a stark improvement from its 30th-ranked defense over the second half of last season — but since Millsap went down on Nov. 19 against the Lakers, the Nuggets’ defense cratered to last season’s level.
Tuesday night’s meltdown against the Clippers where the Nuggets controlled the game for three quarters reeked of last year’s club.
“Right now, we can’t guard anybody,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Our defense is, I’ve said it before, but right now our defense is embarrassing. I never want it to be coaches and players. It’s us. It’s we. We have to do a better job. I as a head coach, our staff and our players, we all collectively have to do a better job and take a lot more pride in our defense.”
After Denver led 82-63 with 4:24 left in the third quarter, Clippers 7-foot-3 center Boban Marjanovic led a 36-10 run that eventually gave Los Angeles an eight-point lead with eight minutes left in the fourth. The Nuggets trailed by two points with 7.4 seconds remaining and had a chance to win at the buzzer but Jamal Murray couldn’t get off a shot.
Marjanovic finished with 18 points on 5-8 shooting, six rebounds, two steals and one block in 15 minutes. The Clippers were a plus-27 in the time he spent on the floor. Marjanovic became the first player in the NBA this season with at least 18 points, and six rebounds in 15 minutes or less.
“It happened so fast,” Will Barton said of the Clippers’ run. “I don’t even know what to say.”
As a team, the Nuggets gave up 72 points in the paint, 26 points off turnovers and 16 fast-break points to Los Angeles. The Clippers’ bench outscored the Nuggets’ bench 74-24.
Afterward, Malone highlighted two plays that resulted in four of Los Angeles’ fast-break points — the first a Montrezl Harrell layup with 1.7 seconds remaining in the first quarter where the Clippers had to go the length of the floor, and the second a Lou Williams driving layup at the third-quarter buzzer that unfolded in a similar fashion.
“Those plays are huge plays,” Malone said. “Every possession matters, and right now we don’t play like every possession matters.”
Millsap logged 23 minutes in his return — just shy of his 24-minute limit — and scored nine points on 4-10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. He also registered two blocks, both of which came in the first half, and took one charge. He said after the loss that he felt better on the court than he thought he would in his first game back. Denver was a plus-12 in Millsap’s 13 first-half minutes but a minus-19 in the 10 minutes he logged over the third and fourth quarters.
In that first half, Denver held Los Angeles to just 52 points on 48 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent from three. The Clippers ran up 70 points on the Nuggets in the second half including 41 in the fourth quarter.
“Guys see it,” Millsap said. “Today was a prime example of what we need to do and what we need to get better at.”
Over the past week, Malone seemed to be accepting the fact that his team was at its best when playing the offense-first brand of basketball that had led Denver to 10 wins in its last 14 games before Tuesday including close victories over the Spurs (twice), Warriors and Thunder. Over that stretch, the Nuggets were the league’s third-best offense but 29th-ranked defense.
The Nuggets’ loss Tuesday night might have been the last straw for Malone, especially with Denver’s defensive captain back in the fold. Less parity between the Nuggets’ offense and defense is likely on its way.
“I think balance is always good,” Millsap said.
