"They just tried to send a message": Nuggets know what adjustments they need to make in Game 3

The Nuggets didn’t get too high after their Game 1 win. They’re not getting too low after a 124-105 shellacking in Game 2 either.

“Honestly, we know we’re the better team,” Monte Morris said Thursday around 24 hours after Denver’s Game 2 defeat. “We’ve beat them on numerous occasions so we’re not trying to overreact.”

You respect Morris’ confidence, and after the Nuggets went 4-0 against the Jazz during the regular season it’s not surprising that Denver’s morale remains high. In the second go around in the playoffs for most of these Nuggets players, they have experience to fall back on too. The series with the Jazz is all square at 1-1 and Denver split the first two games of its first-round series last playoffs against the Spurs before winning in seven.

As the Nuggets learned last postseason, the playoffs are all about adjustments. One of the biggest adjustment the Jazz made in Game 2 was placing their best wing defender Royce O’Neale on Jamal Murray after Joe Ingles got the Murray assignment to open Game 1. Murray scored 36 points on 13-20 shooting to go with nine assists in the Nuggets’ Game 1 win, but was quiet in Game 2 and finished with only 14 points on 6-13 shooting and just three helpers.

“Just be aggressive,” Murray said regarding what he needs to do different in Game 3. “Whether I’m going downhill or I’m taking my shot, just commit to it. Sometimes I get indecisive.”

O’Neale tried to send a message to Murray early in Game 2. He picked Murray up full-court on the Nuggets’ opening possession even though Denver was eventually able to get into its offense and produce a nice basket.

On Denver’s second possession, O’Neale picked up Murray at half-court and caught him in the face with a forearm.

“I think they came out from the jump and they actually got into us, picking us up full (court), boxing out our guys, face-guarding our guys,” Morris said. “They just tried to send a message.”

Now, it’s the Nuggets turn to make adjustments and most of Denver’s upcoming tweaks figure to be on the defensive end of the floor. After fielding the worst defense in the bubble over the eight seeding games, the Nuggets have the second-worst defense in the playoffs after two games.

Denver’s defense is taking on water everywhere, from three-point range, the paint and on the glass. The Nuggets also had the bubble’s worst three-point defense during the seeding round and after holding the Jazz in check from three-point range in Game 1 — they shot 16-47 (34%) from beyond the arc on Monday — Utah went 20-44 (45.5%) from distance in Game 2.

Many of those attempts were wide open. Per NBA.com’s tracking data, 37 of Utah’s 40 three-point attempts were classified as either “open” (when the closest defender is 4-6 ft. away) or “wide-open” (when the closest defender is at least 6 ft. away). The Jazz shot a combined 16-37 from three on those attempts. I can guarantee you the defensive possession from Michael Porter Jr. below, where the rookie leaves the strongside corner (it’s Donovan Mitchell nonetheless) and then doesn’t close out on Mitchell came up during Malone’s Thursday morning film session.

Mitchell’s five other made three-pointers in Game 2 came on dribble pull-ups and he had a lot of success using ball screens. Mitchell’s now 12-22 from three-point range over the first two games of the series.

“We have to do a better job of being into the ball,” Malone said. “And our big guys have to do a better job being up at the level (of the ball).”

The Nuggets also gave up 11 offensive rebounds in Game 1 and 16 in Game 2 after limiting opponents to 10 offensive rebounds per game during the pre-hiatus portion of the regular season. Poor defensive rebounding has led to Denver allowing a league-high 13.5 second chance points per game so far in the playoffs. The Jazz are also averaging 50 paint points per game against the Nuggets, giving Denver the worst paint defense so far in the playoffs as well.

“At some point we have to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘You know what, we’re no longer giving up the paint, the three and the glass.’ We have to take two of those three away,” Malone said. “We can’t give the Utah Jazz everything and that’s what they’re getting right now. That’s why we got our ass beat in Game 2.”

Somebody who would help Denver’s defense is Gary Harris. Remember when Harris was better known inside the Nuggets’ locker room as “First Team” due to his stingy perimeter defense earlier this season? Harris was Denver’s best perimeter defender for most of the year but has been sidelined due to a right hip muscle strain practically since arriving at Disney World. He hasn’t appeared in a scrimmage or game and won’t play in Game 3 on Friday (2 p.m. MT, TNT/ALT).

The Jazz meanwhile could be getting some reinforcements soon as backup point guard Mike Conely is listed as probable for Game 3. Conley didn’t play in either Game 1 or 2 after leaving the bubble for the birth of his son last Sunday.

Malone left the door open for Harris to return this series and said he’s getting “closer and closer,” but Denver’s coach wouldn’t place a timetable on when he could be back in the lineup.

“I think Gary mentally is getting in a very good place,” Malone said. “To see him back active, working hard on the court, smiling, I think he’s getting in a very good place mentally and physically. It would be great to get him back at some point in this series if that’s possible.”

Morris added that Harris has been a source of knowledge on Denver’s bench considering he’s gone up against Mitchell and the Jazz several times over the last few seasons.

“One thing about Gary is he wants to be 100% to help us. He doesn’t want to go out there 50% or 75. He wants to be all in,” said Morris. “Hopefully we can get him back soon.”

The Nuggets will have to trudge on without Harris in Game 3 and mitigate the defensive mistakes that they’ve made in the series up to this point. Malone was pointed with his criticism around Denver’s lack of communication following Game 2, something that’s a familiar tune with these Nuggets.

“There was way too much confusion in pick and rolls between Michael and Torrey,” Malone said. “We gave up probably 12-15 points on communication breakdowns, which is a great Led Zeppelin song by the way.”

Those lyrics from the band’s 1969 debut album are awfully appropriate.

Communication breakdown
It’s always the same
I’m having a nervous breakdown
Drive me insane!

The lack of communication along with the missed assignments, the failure to close out to certain shooters and the inability to stop dribble penetration, all of which were also issues in the Nuggets’ Game 2 loss, are some of the same symptoms that have plagued Denver’s defense all year.

That would drive any coach insane.

“I told the guys if somebody rewatched that game and didn’t put playoffs on there, you wouldn’t even known it was a playoff game, just the way our body language was, our effort and things like that,” Morris said. “Going into next game I think we’ve got to be the aggressors.