The Nuggets are thwarting themselves in first halves.
At the best of times, it’s a mere inconvenience, like Saturday in Los Angeles. Before they blew the doors open in a 25-point rout of the Lakers, they trailed by six at halftime.
At the worst of times, it’s an overwhelming self-inflicted crutch, like Monday back in Denver. The Nuggets fell behind by 23 early in the second quarter of an eventual 145-118 loss to the Knicks, falling to 5-4 at Ball Arena this season after only losing 15 home games in the last two regular seasons combined.
Denver (9-7) entered the game with the best second-half net rating (13.3) in the NBA, a secret weapon that has enabled several double-digit comeback wins. But that same Nuggets team was ranked 27th in first-half net rating (minus-8.5), a number that is sure to worsen after Monday. The Knicks shot 62% from the field to Denver’s 41% in the first half, torching the hosts in transition off misses. The margin on fast break points was 17-2 at halftime despite only five Nuggets turnovers.
Peyton Watson (8) of the Denver Nuggets defends as OG Anunoby (8) of the New York Knicks knocks down a shot during the first quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Their half-court defense wasn’t much better. New York lit up the perimeter for a 53% clip, led by a career-high 40 points from OG Anunoby on 16-of-23 shooting.
The Knicks took turns cooking Denver. Jalen Brunson scored nine consecutive points in a pivotal 90-second stretch late in the first quarter while Nikola Jokic was still on the floor, establishing the double-digit lead the Nuggets couldn’t overcome. Karl-Anthony Towns took the baton while staggering with New York’s second unit, leading a run against Denver’s while Jokic was on the bench. Michael Malone used DeAndre Jordan at backup center in both halves, but the results did not improve for the lineup.
In a game that Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. carried offensively, the Nuggets’ bench didn’t make a field goal until three minutes remained in the third quarter. The scorer was fittingly Russell Westbrook, who went on to amass 27 points in garbage time. While Malone waved the white flag, Tom Thibodeau kept his starters on the floor deep into the fourth.
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Towns scored 15 in the second quarter. Anunoby added 18 in the third. Jokic was held to 22 points on 20 shots, seven rebounds and seven assists. He uncharacteristically missed a handful of chances around the rim, and he finally started to come back down to earth from 3-point range with a 2-for-7 night.
Murray went for 20 points and seven assists. Porter added 18 points and 10 rebounds. But the starting lineup was guilty at the defensive end. Porter fell asleep away from the ball a few times. The Knicks hunted Murray on switches. The 145 points were the most allowed by the Nuggets in a regulation game during Malone’s 10-year coaching tenure.
Denver’s last game before the league-wide Thanksgiving break is Wednesday in Utah, where the Jazz defeated New York by 15 last weekend.
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