Matt Moore here, the host of the daily Locked On Nuggets podcast, with your daily Locked On Nuggets newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Nuggets and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
How The Clippers Cooked the Nuggets
Dec 1, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) shoots against Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) and center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez/Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The 10-piece gives you 10-things you need to know about the Nuggets’ 82 regular season games. This edition covers Denver’s 126-122 loss to the Clippers Sunday night.
1. COOKED: Denver lost the math game in every conceivable way. They gave up a. more threes, b. more made threes, c. more free throw attempts, and d. more made free throws. That was a combination of defensive lapses and missed free throws that have become typical of the lack of precision this team has played with this season.
2. WALL COLLAPSE: Denver’s defensive scheme with Jokic creates a wall to stop perimeter penetration in pick and roll. But when Jokic doesn’t engage to actively stop the ballhandler, it just takes two defenders out of the play and allows the rest of the opponent’s team to play 4-on-3, leading to open threes. For as bad as the perimeter defense was, and we’ll get there, the inconsistency of Denver’s execution of their base scheme causes their biggest defensive problems.
3. HUNTED: That said, once the Nuggets did start executing correctly which helped them take the lead, James Harden started hunting the 1-4 switches Denver uses, and attacking weakspots like Michael Porter Jr. and Julian Strawther off the dribble. To their credit, Denver made key adjustments to counter that, too, but then had to go too far with open doubles which Harden easily dissected for, you guessed it, more 3-point attempts.
4. MR. NUGGET RETURNS: Aaron Gordon returned from injury and honestly looked awesome. He made plays at the rim, hit another 3-pointer, and made the team look better in his minutes off the bench despite a -7.
5. TIGHT SQUEEZE: Michael Malone went to an eight-man rotation in this one. The approach seems to be to tighten the rotation and play fewer guys vs. key playoff contenders but the thing is, the Nuggets play in the West. Every team except Portland and Utah are playoff contenders. It’s racking up too many hard minutes on a team hoping for a long run (which doesn’t look likely right now but still).
6. NOT ENOUGH SWAT: Peyton Watson had a really good game as he was the Nuggets’ best defender in navigating screens, but he didn’t play in clutch time and Julian Strawther got a lot of minutes. Michael Malone may have thought he needed the offense Strawther brings, but asking Strawther to navigate the timing sequences in back-line pick and roll help was a bridge too far for the youngster. Watson would have helped.
7. SAME OLD STORY: Jamal Murray was fine. Eighteen points, 7 assists, good efficiency on 7-of-12 shooting, only three turnovers. His defense was bad, as he was beaten on straight-line drives and backdoor cuts, but he was hardly the only problem. It’s just that you do expect more from Murray than “fine.” When he’s bad, he’s filleted by fans and analysts, and when he’s fine, he’s met with a shrug. But this is just not the bar you expect max players to meet.
8. TYPICALLY GREAT: Jokic’s offensive numbers were excellent as always, with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. He shot 12-of-24 which is a good percentage but 28 points on 24 shots isn’t great efficiency. Still, hard to argue he should have or could have done more.
9. MATH IS A PAIN: I hate to keep harping on it, but Denver had 26 more points in the paint, only two fewer points off turnovers, one more fastbreak point, and lost because of the 3-point differential. They do not have the shooters or perimeter defenders to maintain the balance you need in this league.
10. UP NEXT: Denver faces the Golden State Warriors Tuesday in Denver for a marquee matchup and a chance for the Nuggets to either once again remind everyone what they’re capable of as they have vs. the Thunder and Mavericks this season, or once again show they’re not in the same class they were last season, let alone the title year.
December 1, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada/Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
You’d be forgiven if, a quarter of the way through the season (yes), you haven’t given the following teams that much attention. Maybe your main rooting interest has been struggling, and it’s taken all your psychic energy to will them through the slump. Better yet, maybe your team is thriving and you’ve been enjoying the ride. Maybe you’re still looking for a team to get behind, in which case, the following three franchises would make great options.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks being on this list has not alleviated my general wariness of the Hawks as a whole, but they’ve been playing through some of the things that make me doubt them. First, the Hawks love to play up. That is, they tend to excel against technically better and markedly more skilled teams; teams farther along the competitive timeline that I always get they feeling Atlanta would rather emulate than put the work in to be at the same level with.
This season, the Hawks are still playing up — they’ve beat the best in conference Cavaliers twice — but they’re recognizing what should be easy wins, like against the Charlotte Hornets. With Trae Young injured and in and out of the lineup, Atlanta’s bench has provided some of the most needed and entertaining offensive bursts in the league, with De’Andre Hunter back with a vengeance after being out for 10 games with a knee injury. Hunter’s regularly putting up 20-plus points per night, and hounding the glass.
Atlanta has a string of high-low games this week, facing the Pelicans, Bucks, Lakers and Nuggets, which should be an ample test to whether they can play and stay consistent.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Milestone Nikola Jokic joined Magic Johnson on a historic NBA list, showcasing his incredible playmaking abilities. Jokic’s achievement highlights his excellence and solidifies his status among the greats. (Sports Illustrated)
Watch A moment between Russell Westbrook and James Harden before the Nuggets-Clippers game went viral, capturing the attention of fans everywhere. Witness the memorable interaction that sparked conversations. (Sports Illustrated)
Milestone Jimmy Butler misses shot so Bam Adebayo can record a triple-double in Heat win (Bleacher Report)
Saturday, Dec. 07 | 7:00 PM | Capital One Arena (Washington, DC) | Get Tickets
3peat (ICYMI)
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