data-mm-id=”_z9fin0zva”>The Denver Nuggets were one of the Western Conference's better teams during the regular season, securing the No. 3 seed as a great offensive team with a defense that ranged from solid to poor depending on the night. Through four games of their first-round series against the sixth-seed Utah Jazz, it hasn't quite been the same. The offense has been fine, and even very good on some nights. The defense, though … the defense has been nothing short of putrid, and has allowed the Jazz to take a dominating 3-1 lead in the series. That's not entirely the team's fault. Gary Harris and Will Barton were two of the Nuggets' best perimeter defenders during the regular season and both have missed the entirety of basketball's restart in Orlando. Jamal Murray is very important on offense but doesn't offer much on the other end of the court for a guy who needs to play most of the game fro Denver to win. But my God, have the Nuggets been bad. Their defensive rating in the bubble has been 131.1 so far. To put that into perspective, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the worst defense in the NBA by that metric during the regular season, and their defensive rating finished the year at 114.8. If the Nuggets played this kind of defense during the regular season, they would have ranked dead last in the league and would have boasted one of the worst defenses ever. They certainly were not a great defensive team when they had Harris and Barton healthy, but they ranked 16th in the league with a defensive rating of 110.4 before the playoffs. That kind of drop-off can't be chalked up only to the absence of two players, no matter how valuable they are. Mike Malone is a coach who values defense and appears to be in physical pain whenever he watches his squad blow a rotation or allow an easy basket. The Nuggets have completely fallen apart on that end of the floor. The presence of Michael Porter Jr. has not helped matters there. He was never tabbed as a defensive stud, but given these are his first real NBA minutes, Porter has to adjust to the speed and scheme of NBA-level defense at the same time. That leads to a lot of "what the hell was he doing" moments on that end of the court. But Malone has to keep him out there because he's so good offensively. But again: the presence of individual poor defenders (or a lack of good ones) does not permit Donovan Mitchell to to average 39.5 points per game this series. The Jazz have scored more than 120 points in each of the four games against the Nuggets thus far, and only one went into overtime. That kind of failure cannot be blamed on injuries. Watching the Nuggets play, it just seems like it's an effort issue. Which is confusing because this is the playoffs. The one time of year where effort, of all things, should not be a problem. Nikola Jokic seems to be the biggest offender in that department. He's responsible for so much of Denver's offense it's tough to rail him for not having the energy to bust it on defense, but it's been unacceptable. Rudy Gobert is not exactly an offensive powerhouse and yet he's averaging 19 points a game on 75 percent shooting from the floor against Jokic and his teammates. No matter how Malone tries to mix up the Nuggets' defensive coverage, Utah is just picking them apart. Gobert has wide-open layups, and if he doesn't, Mitchell has an opening for a shot, an easy pass, or a chance to drive to the hole for a foul. It's like clockwork. Game 5 might be different with the Nuggets' season on the line. It better be if they don't want to get escorted to the buses a few hours after the game ends.
Related Posts
Mikel Arteta admitted his side came up short in both boxes as Arsenal slumped to defeat to West Ham to miss out on regaining top spot in the Premier League.
The Gunners remain behind Liverpool as they lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on what Arteta conceded was one of the most frustrating nights of his four-year tenure as Arsenal boss.
Tomas Soucek’s opener – awarded after the VAR could not determine whether the whole ball had gone out of play in the build up – and a second-half header from former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos earned the visitors a deserved win.
A defence masterclass from David Moyes side
— Premier League (@premierleague)
Things could have been even better had Said Benrahma not had a stoppage-time penalty sav…
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou believes his players have become conditioned to the constant demands for success.
Captain Callum McGregor lifted the cinch Premiership trophy on Saturday after a 5-0 win over Aberdeen rounded off a season in which Celtic collected 99 points and scored a post-war club-record 114 league goals.
Postecoglou has now claimed four of five domestic trophies available since arriving from Japan in the summer of 2021 and he can follow in the footsteps of Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon by clinching the treble with Scottish Cup victory over Inverness on Saturday.
Good morning, Celts!
… about last night
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC)
“From the moment I arrived, I think I have sa…
Galatasaray have offered a three-year contract to Patrick van Aanholt of Crystal Palace, according to .
The 30-year-old left-back will be out of contract at the end of the season, and Crystal Palace apparently still haven t decided whether they want him at Selhurst Park beyond the summer. His situation has attracted attention from several Premier League clubs, but Galatasaray have made a concrete offer first, and it is now being considered by his representatives and discussed between the two parties.
Having played for Den Bosch and PSV Eindhoven at different youth levels, Van Aanholt spent almost his entire senior career so far in England. He joined Chelsea s Under-18 side in 2007 had loan spells with Coventry, Newcastle, Leicester City, Wigan, and then a two-year one w…
AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said his striker Omar Bugiel reported being the victim of alleged racist abuse during Saturday’s goalless draw at Bradford.
Play was briefly stopped by referee Ross Joyce towards the end of the game after a complaint was made about something shouted from the Valley Parade crowd towards Bugiel.
Jackson said he was unaware of what was said but revealed Lebanon international Bugiel had spoken to the referee about the incident.
“I think there were some racist abuse towards Omar Bugiel. He’s gone in with the referee to report it.
“I don’t know what was said. Obviously, we’ll wait to see the report until I comment further but someone in the crowd has said something to him that they shouldn’t have done.”
Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston will embrace his developing role as one of the more senior members of the squad after signing his latest contract.
Ralston has made five appearances since the return of Brendan Rodgers and the manager quickly showed his faith by handing him a new contract until the summer of 2027 this week.
The academy graduate made his Celtic debut seven years ago under Ronny Deila and was handed further first-team action by Rodgers before truly establishing himself in the early days of Ange Postecoglou’s reign, following loan spells with Dundee United and St Johnstone.
Given the number of players who have arrived at Celtic Park over the last two years, the Scotland international accepts he can now be classed as a senior player.
Antho…
Chile have become draw specialists as they look to kick-start their Copa America campaign against Bolivia in Cuiaba on Friday.
La Roja recorded their third consecutive 1-1 draw after Eduardo Vargas equaliser cancelled out Lionel Messi s superb free-kick against Argentina on Monday.
Copa America champions in 2015 and 2016, Chile have struggled for form since the 2019 tournament, winning just three games (L5, 6D).
Encouragingly for Chile, they have dominated Bolivia in the Copa America amid a run of five wins and a draw in CONMEBOL s showpiece event.
We must improve the possession of the ball and do it more calmly, not be so direct in some parts of the game because that causes us a lot of wear and tear, Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo said following the dra…
Pep Guardiola hailed as “unbelievable” Erling Haaland’s goal haul after Manchester City’s top scorer hit five in the FA Cup holders’ fifth-round thrashing of Luton.
The 23-year-old took his tally for the season in all competitions to 27 as he combined with the excellent Kevin De Bruyne to deliver a goalscoring masterclass in the 6-2 victory at Kenilworth Road.
It came less than four weeks after his return to the side following nearly two months out with a foot injury, and took his total since joining City in the summer of 2022 to 79 in 83 appearances.
Through to the next round in style!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
After looking noticeably out of sorts in recent games, particularly during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadi…
Gareth Southgate has been pleased by England’s progress during an unbeaten 2023 but knows there is work to do as the team tries to win the European Championship.
The Euro 2020 runners-up are among the favourites to win in Germany next summer but seemed to lose their edge after sealing qualification with two matches to spare.
Friday’s uninspiring 2-0 Wembley win against minnows Malta was followed three days later by an underwhelming 1-1 draw in North Macedonia as the curtain came down on an undefeated year.
November’s double-header will not live long in the memory but Southgate has “learned a lot” from the fixtures, with attention now intensifying on his fourth – and possibly final – major tournament in the dugout.
“We wanted to look at a f…
What the papers say
Paris St Germain and Newcastle are believed to be leading the chase for Kalvin Phillips. According to The Telegraph, the Manchester City midfielder is likely to leave the club this month in search of regular football, having made just two starts for City since his £45million move from Leeds 18 months ago.
The Hull Daily Mail reports Burnley winger Manuel Benson has entered talks with Hull City. The paper says the development comes after the two sides verbally agreed on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Manchester City are reportedly among a wealth of teams interested in 18-year-old Lille defender Leny Yoro. Le 10 Sport, via the Manchester Evening News, says Liverpool and Paris St Germain are also tracking Yoro, but Lille are unlikely to enter…
France got back to winning ways as they came from behind to beat Chile 3-2 at Stade Velodrome.
Les Bleus endured a poor start for the second time in as many games, falling behind after just six minutes in Marseille through Marcelino Nunez s finish.
However, they turned the contest on its head before half-time with Youssouf Fofana equalising and Randal Kolo Muani heading them in front.
Olivier Giroud ultimately got the winner for Didier Deschamps side who, despite Dario Osorio s late strike, completed their Euro 2024 preparations with a ninth victory in 12 games since their 2022 World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
France, who conceded after just seven seconds against Germany on Saturday, were punished for another slow start as a neat one-two down the righ…