With this defense, the Nuggets aren’t going anywhere

Michael Malone watched his defense miss one assignment after another, experience breakdown after breakdown, and blow enough coverages to fill an entire postgame film session. Then, Zach Collins slipped into the paint for an easy and-1 layup with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter. It was all Malone could take.

Denver’s coach stormed off his sideline after Collins’ bucket gave the Spurs a 97-85 lead. He shouted directly at Austin Rivers, who rotated over from the weakside and fouled Collins on the play, and immediately went back to the Nuggets’ huddle in an attempt to get Denver’s defense back on track. Unfortunately, it was the beginning of the end for the Nuggets Tuesday night.

“I just didn’t think that we had the requisite focus, the determination, urgency, desperation, whatever adjective you want to use,” Malone said following Denver’s 116-97 loss. “I just don’t think we had it tonight and just the lack of discipline, the things that we’ve been working on since September, have been giving us trouble all year long and they continue to give us trouble. That’s probably one of the more frustrating things for me. Just too many breakdowns in a big game, and they made us pay for it, so give them credit.”

By now, the story on this Nuggets (regular) season has been written. Denver is still a very good and borderline elite offense, simply because of Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets are currently the seventh-ranked attack in the NBA without Jamal Murray for the entire season and Michael Porter Jr. for most of it. Over their last 10 games, the Nuggets hold the fourth-best offensive rating in the league.

Defensively, the Nuggets have been trending downward all season. Since March 1, the Nuggets rank 24th in defense. Over the last 10 games, the Nuggets are allowing 120.2 points per game. Their 120.6 Defensive Rating over that span ranks 27th in the league. Only the Pacers (tanking), the Lakers (god awful), and Trail Blazers (tanking) are worse.

“My friend, I really don’t know,” Jokic said when asked how to fix the defense. “It’s 80 games. I don’t know. Probably just to play hard.”

Want an inside look at the Nuggets’ team film session on Wednesday? It likely featured these lowlights.

This was a great defensive play from Aaron Gordon, but he gives it right back with this boneheaded mistake. This was disappointing from the veteran.

Malone pretty much called the Nuggets’ zone defense trash last week and said Denver only goes to it out of desperation. Well, the Nuggets were in a 2-3 look late in the first quarter last night. A basic cut by Keita Bates-Diop from the wing blew their zone up rather quickly.

The Nuggets went into Tuesday night looking to get Bryn Forbes back in a rhythm. Forbes has been absent from the rotation in the last two games and before that had routinely been getting his second-half minutes cut. My read on this decision is that Malone wants to prepare for life without Davon Reed, who’s currently on a two-way contract and not eligible for the playoffs even though he’s been a featured part of Denver’s second unit as of late.

Forbes played in the first half vs. the Spurs but again was cut from the rotation in the second. Lapses like this one where Forbes allowed Josh Richardson — a 44% 3-point shooter this season — to get off a clean look instead of running him off the 3-point line are likely why.

Are the Nuggets in a 2-3 zone here? It seems like everyone, except DeMarcus Cousins, thinks so. Bones Hyland put Tre Jones in the VIP line and escorted him right to the front of the rim too.

Not sure why Monte Morris straight up leaves Bates-Diop unguarded under the rim in transition here.

Will Barton has to provide better point-of-attack defense than this.

Hyland can’t get hung up on this screen and allow Lonnie Walker to walk right into an uncontested triple.

Gordon, who come playoff time will draw the Luka Doncic assignment or spend chunks of a series guarding Steph Curry depending on who the Nuggets face in the first round, took responsibility for Denver’s defensive lapses Tuesday. He thought the Nuggets were too quiet on that end of the floor.

“That’s on me. I’ve got to be the staple of this defense. I’ve got to be kind of like the captain of this defense,” he said. “I’ve got to just talk. I’ve got to make sure that I’m explaining where I’m at, what I’m doing, what needs to be happening, and just having a constant line of communication with the four other players on the floor. I take that upon myself. I was too quiet tonight on defense.”

The Nuggets blew the chance to clinch a playoff berth vs. San Antonio but still control their own destiny for a top-6 seed. A win against the Grizzlies on Thursday or the Lakers, who were officially eliminated from the playoffs last night, in their final regular-season matchup on Sunday means that Denver avoids the play-in entirely.

But if the Nuggets’ defense doesn’t flip the switch it won’t matter. This team won’t be competitive in the first round if it can’t stop anyone.