Worried? Jamal Murray wouldn’t even entertain the thought.
In the wake of Wednesday’s demoralizing loss to the lowly Wizards, Murray erupted for a career-high 50 points against Cleveland.
Two nights later, the Nuggets (16-14) suffered another perplexing loss to the Atlanta Hawks, which included an ugly 37-point second quarter. If there was a silver-lining to the COVID-crunched schedule, it’s that the unrelenting games haven’t allowed time to dwell.
And rather than belabor the defensive lapses – and there were many, allowing Trae Young to get loose for 35 points and 15 assists – Murray took the big picture approach while jousting with reporters over Zoom.
“Some days you lose, some days you win,” Murray began. “Some days you miss shots, some days you make every shot. Some days one team plays better than you when you know you’re a better team. Some days it’s the other way around. … It’s a long season. We’re not stressing. … You guys know we can beat the teams we need to beat. You guys know we’ll be in the playoffs. Doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We’ll give it our best shot. The mood is just to get healthy.”
On Sunday, the Nuggets were without Gary Harris (adductor), JaMychal Green (shoulder), Paul Millsap (knee) and PJ Dozier (hamstring). That thrust Zeke Nnaji into a starting role against the Hawks’ bouncy frontcourt. When Michael Porter Jr. got in early foul trouble, Nuggets coach Michael Malone resorted to Bol Bol, who hadn’t played meaningful minutes in weeks.
The second unit so far has been a rotating cast of players, most of whom weren’t even on the Nuggets last season.
“We got a lot of bodies out,” Murray said. “You guys don’t take that into consideration sometimes. We got a lot of guys out. We have Thrill (Barton) playing the four. Bol hasn’t played all season, getting in there and doing a great job. Sometimes it’s a chemistry thing.”
Murray’s point was valid. There can’t be the same expectations cast upon Nnaji and Bol as there are upon Green and Millsap, two playoff-tested veterans.
And Murray was right in another regard, too. When the Nuggets falter against teams with worse records – Washington, Sacramento (twice) – it’s almost always because their defense betrays them.
“I never think it’s our offense,” Murray said. “… Make other teams have to think about the shots they’re taking. … We gotta worry about our defense and let that fuel our offense.”
The Hawks converted 13 turnovers into 20 points on Sunday night. In the three games (1-2) leading into the Atlanta game, opponents were averaging 23.3 points off Denver turnovers – the fifth-worst rate in the NBA. So while Denver’s offense is always potent, it’s also their carelessness with the ball that’s yielded easy scoring chances.
Here is the full back and forth with Jamal and @msinger.#Nuggets #MileHighBasketball https://t.co/BUIFfynWFS pic.twitter.com/KEQfNYVHhQ— Michael Spencer (@MichaelCBS4) February 22, 2021
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“What you think, Mike?” Murray asked. “You’re writing the stories. I’m just asking a simple question.”
After suggesting that the team has a tendency to beat themselves, Murray agreed.
“Everything you said is right, man,” he said. “… We beat ourselves. We give ourselves a chance until we don’t give ourselves a chance. … We’ve got a young team trying to step into a big role.”
But then, as is customary, Murray relayed a confidence that’s never wavered.
“We’ll be alright, man,” he said. “I love our squad.”
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