"We were kind of selfish": Nuggets cite effort, defensive lapses in loss to Heat

It was a third quarter to forget.

After holding a one-point lead over the Miami Heat at halftime of their first seeding game — an achievement in itself for Denver who was without three starters in Jamal Murray (hamstring), Will Barton (knee) and Gary Harris (hip) — the Nuggets let go of the rope. By the time the third quarter drew to a close Denver found itself in a 15-point hole.

The Heat outscored the Nuggets 38-22 in the third as Miami hit on four of its seven 3-point attempts in the period. Eight third-quarter turnovers by Denver also led to 19 Miami points. From there, the Heat coasted to a 125-105 win.

“They were aggressive. They were pressing. We were catching the ball a lot further (out) than where we’re supposed to catch it,” said Nikola Jokic who led the Nuggets with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. “We didn’t finish well. We didn’t shoot well. I think we had eight, nine turnovers in (the third quarter). We didn’t help each other. We were kind of selfish. Everybody thought, it’s my time, it’s my time. Me first, then everybody else.”

Many of the same problems that plagued the Nuggets throughout their three scrimmages resurfaced against the Heat. Denver turned the ball over 19 times and the Nuggets allowed the Heat, who were the NBA’s best 3-point shooting team during the regular season, to shoot 13 of 29 (45%) from beyond the arc. Kelly Olynyk knocked in 4 of his 6 attempts from distance. Duncan Robinson and Jae Crowder combined to shoot 6 of 11 from 3-point range.

Where did Denver’s defense go after a strong first half? Michael Malone cited effort.

“I thought we had possessions tonight where I saw a lot of guys out there not playing hard,” Malone said. “Whether you have guys out from injury or coronavirus, that’s unacceptable. If you turn the ball over and you walk down the floor because you’re feeling sorry for yourself, that does not sit well with me.

“I like guys that play hard. I’m attracted to guys that go out there and no matter what’s going on find a way to give great effort. And we need to find those guys. We had good examples but we didn’t have enough good examples tonight.”

Torrey Craig, who tallied 10 points, five rebounds and four assists and started in place of Barton at small forward, agreed.

“I could sense a lack of energy, a lack of a spark if you will,” Craig said. “I think we’ve got to come out and do a better job of rallying together as a team. We can’t have a few guys playing hard and a couple of guys who are lacking energy.”

Without a few of their main scoring options, responsibility fell to Michael Porter Jr. to shoulder some of the offensive load. But Porter struggled in his second-career start, shooting only 4 of 11 from the floor for 11 points. Porter also only recorded one rebound in 25 minutes.

“I thought Michael struggled a little bit, but he wasn’t the only one,” Malone said. “He’s got to realize when his shots not going, he’s got to find a way to do other things. Usually Michael’s a terrific rebounder. His rebounding rate is off the charts. He played 24 1/2 (minutes), only had one rebound. I know Michael Porter can bring a lot more than he brought tonight.”

After having to close their practice facility in late-June due to positive coronavirus tests, the Nuggets weren’t able to play 5-on-5 in Denver before traveling to Orlando. The Nuggets couldn’t scrimmage during practice once they arrived inside the Disney World bubble either due to a lack of healthy bodies. The first time Denver was actually able to play a true game of 5-on-5 since the NBA shutdown back on March 11 was in their first scrimmage July 22 against the Washington Wizards.

It’s why the Nuggets have held to a strict company line throughout the first few weeks of their Disney stay. Publicly, the Nuggets are preaching patience and that they’re using the eight seeding games to get the rotation on the same page and rediscover the chemistry that their starting lineup had throughout the regular season. But over the last week you could sense an understandable amount of frustration from Malone around the lack of bodies the Nuggets have had available.

Denver shouldn’t panic. The Nuggets have locked up a playoff berth and seeding isn’t nearly as important in these playoffs with no homecourt advantage. Even after the loss to Miami, Denver remains four games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks who currently hold the seven seed. A first-round matchup with the likely second-seeded Clippers probably isn’t in play.

Still, the playoffs begins Aug. 17. Time won’t be on the Nuggets’ side forever.

“It’s definitively testing my patience. I’m trying to take a deep breath and take a step back and understand where we’re at,” Malone said. “We’re behind everybody, which is understandable. But there’s also the competitive side of me that wants guys to go out there and play hard.”