MILWAUKEE — The Nuggets have been on the road all week, taking on a gauntlet of Eastern Conference playoff teams in their most strenuous stretch of the schedule since January.
Here are five notes and takeaways from the trip and beyond.
Watson’s recovery
Peyton Watson (right knee) went on the road with the Nuggets and played 3-on-3 with teammates after sitting out practice Wednesday, but his right leg was supported by a brace while he played. He tried to create shots off the dribble during the light workout as if to test his knee, which he sprained on Jan. 31 in Philadelphia.
The range of movement was encouraging, but it doesn’t mean a return is imminent. Despite his original four-week reevaluation timeline nearing an end this weekend, “he’s still got some hurdles to clear,” Malone said Thursday.
“Heading in the right direction. … I don’t know, maybe another seven to 10 days, kind of see what happens after this road trip, when we get back after the Boston game. Kind of reassess everything. But he’s definitely making progress, and hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”
Gordon’s song-writing chops
Aaron Gordon spent his All-Star break finishing and releasing an R&B song titled “Too Close,” which is available on music streaming platforms.
It took him about four weeks to write the song by “singing in the car, singing in the shower,” as he described it. He performed vocals on the track himself.
“It was mastered a couple of days before Valentine’s Day,” he said. “I had some time off with my calf, so I thought it was entertaining. I had fun. It’s just a way to get things off my chest.”
Gordon, 29, has tried out a variety of creative hobbies and entrepreneurial pursuits in recent years. Last February, he participated in a Nuggets practice with paint splotches on his arm. His friend, a sculptor in Orlando, had sent him a 9-foot astronaut statue for him to try throw-painting.
Denver’s starting power forward laughed at the possibility of a music career awaiting him someday when he’s done in the NBA.
“Hopefully I’m too old for people to be listening to my R&B songs as a career after basketball,” Gordon said.
Malone’s conversation with Payton
Practically the entire NFL community happened to be in Indianapolis at the same time as the Nuggets this week. Their annual road game against the Pacers coincided with the league’s draft scouting combine. Broncos coach Sean Payton took advantage of the coincidence by watching the Nuggets from a suite at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Before the game, he and Malone had a long conversation on the court.
“I really enjoyed it. I didn’t fully realize the extent at which he is like a basketball guy, a basketball junkie,” Malone said later. “We talked about my time in New Orleans (as an assistant coach for the Pelicans). Obviously, he’s a legend down there for his job with the Saints. And I thanked him for the job he’s done for the Broncos. Because obviously I’ve been here 10 years, and I’ve seen quite a few Broncos coaches come and go.”
Malone joined Monty Williams’ staff in New Orleans four months after Payton’s Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010. Payton spent 15 seasons in the Big Easy.
Other topics covered in the conversation included Payton’s high school career, when he played against future NBA player and coach Doc Rivers, and the NFL combine, of course.
“I’m gonna help him with their draft picks,” Malone said, “so we’ll see what we do.”
Strawther’s March Madness moment
March has arrived, meaning the men’s and women’s basketball NCAA Tournaments are almost here. The first two rounds of the men’s tournament will feature games at Ball Arena, just like two years ago when Julian Strawther’s Gonzaga team played in Denver on its way to the Elite Eight.
That tournament run brings back fond memories for the second-year Nuggets guard. One in particular. The highlight Strawther watches more than any other from his basketball career is “1,000%” his game-winning 3-pointer in the Sweet 16, he told The Post. Trailing by one, he buried a shot from way beyond the arc with 7.2 seconds to go, knocking out UCLA.
“But I think the reason I go back to that one is just to watch reactions more than anything. Like, it was a crazy shot to shoot with eight seconds left,” Strawther said. “Down one, to shoot it from the logo, it was a questionable shot. So it’s always funny seeing people like, ‘no no no yes!’”
When UCLA turned the ball over trying to rush it up the floor, Strawther scooped it up, drew a foul and looked into the celebrating crowd with a blank expression, mugging it. “I’m super happy with how that ended up turning out,” he said, looking back on it. “But at the time, that’s literally the only thing I could do. I couldn’t react.”
He’ll take that over his reaction the first time he ever hit a big shot.
“Honestly it took me a while. I don’t think I made a big one until high school,” he said. “My sophomore year of high school, on the road, a division opponent. I made a three (at the buzzer), down two. At the time, I didn’t even know how to react. I started screaming everywhere. I was acting a fool.”
Rubik’s Cube: Jokic edition
As nationally visible as Denver’s loss to the Lakers last Saturday was, Malone naturally fielded another round of questions about it before the next game at Indiana. Among them, he shared his thoughts on the notion that Los Angeles solved the “Rubik’s Cube” that is Nikola Jokic, providing the league with a blueprint for how to defend the reigning MVP.
“I think people thought they’ve found the Rubik’s Cube many times in the last 10 years, only to see Nikola Jokic show them that he’s always a step ahead,” Malone said. “But you have to give the Lakers credit, like we did the other night. … There are things we showed our guys that we could have done a lot better to help alleviate some of their game plan. But if that’s the national narrative, so be it. It was effective the other night.”
The 23-point loss has been lingering with the Nuggets this week. Conversations about how to counter JJ Redick’s game plan have continued. But Denver still has two chances to make amends. Luka Doncic, LeBron James and company visit Ball Arena again on March 14.