The Nuggets have 10 days to get in shape, according to Michael Malone’s judgment.
That’s the remaining time between their third preseason game — a 118-114 loss to Phoenix’s bench on Sunday — and opening night of the 2024-25 regular season.
Malone questioned his team’s conditioning after the Nuggets fell to 0-3 in the preseason, unable to pull out a win at Ball Arena even with their starters playing until the end of the third quarter.
“I don’t think we’re in great condition right now, and that’s one thing we talked about as coaches during the game,” Malone said. “Looked like some guys are just winded and a little tired out there. So that’s something that we can try to improve upon.”
Phoenix Suns center Mason Plumlee, left, drives to the rim past Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the second half of an NBA preseason game Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Malone was frustrated by the Nuggets’ failure to guard Phoenix’s role players one-on-one, which he said resulted in constant help-defense rotations while the Suns rained 3-pointers. Phoenix finished the night 23 for 50 beyond the arc, while Denver made just 12 of 36 attempts.
“We dominated the glass, dominated the paint, but got our (butt) kicked from 3,” Malone said. “To give up 37 points in that third quarter was embarrassing. So we have a lot of work to do. That’s what preseason’s for. Tomorrow we’ll watch a lot of film.”
And do a lot of running, based on his assessment of the team’s tiredness. With only two preseason games remaining a week before Oklahoma City visits for opening night, the question is how the Nuggets can remedy their conditioning in such a short span: by continuing to push the starters deeper into the second half of their remaining exhibitions, or by running more behind the scenes?
“Probably both,” Malone said. “I think some, you can do (during games). Like tonight, I ran those guys the whole third quarter. And obviously Jamal (Murray) didn’t play in the second half. But (I) played that starting unit the whole third quarter and tried to push their envelope a little bit. And that was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys. Then in practice, I think we can get up and down more. I think so often as coaches in modern-day NBA, the league’s gotten so soft (that) everybody’s afraid to condition and run. We have to.”
Malone had initially planned for his starters to play into the second half of Sunday night’s game, which they hadn’t done previously. The Nuggets started their preseason with two games against the Celtics overseas in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After that came a week of recovery and practice before the loss to Phoenix.
Tempo may have had something to do with Malone’s discontent. The Nuggets have made it a point to get out of their comfort zone this preseason by seeking transition opportunities. That was part of the second unit’s identity last season, but the starting lineup thrived by methodically dissecting defenses in the half-court.
“Obviously if you’re playing at a pace that maybe you’re not accustomed to, it could definitely challenge your system,” Malone acknowledged. “But you know, we’ve talked about trying to be a better running team this year. … It can’t be just Russell Westbrook off the bench. It’s gotta be everybody. The best running teams are teams that have everybody rebounding and everybody running.”
Malone was more pleased with his team’s offense, which outscored the Suns 58-30 in the paint and featured 21-point games from Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Julian Strawther. Porter’s physical shape has generally looked like a bright spot on the roster, as the Nuggets have tried to generate more scoring chances for him requiring off-ball movement and on-ball usage.
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“I think it’s just trying to push myself. You can’t really get in basketball shape without playing,” Porter said. “But tonight was just good to see how I feel out there so I can continue to work on it. Keep running up and down the floor. I just felt like I was running the floor well. So I’ve just gotta keep staying in that mindset of getting in better shape, after a good game, after a bad game.”
Malone rested Murray after halftime but stuck with Porter, Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. That unit nursed a 90-88 lead into the fourth, but the Suns were red-hot by then, even with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen taking the night off. Denver’s reserves didn’t fare any better in the fourth. Ryan Dunn finished the night 6 for 11 from 3-point range for Phoenix. Bol Bol was 4 for 5. Monte Morris was 4 for 7.
“They just had us, over and over and over again, just kind of getting into our paint, collapsing our defense, kicking out,” Malone said. “Another drive and kick. Another drive and kick. So they played well. And obviously, we have a lot to clean up, which you expect. But against their second and third unit, to give up 67 points in the second half is obviously very disappointing.”
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