Game 82: Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves 8:00 PM ET

[Richard Miller]

Tough loss, but as Jokic said in interview, it shouldn't come to this, they should've handled those "easy" games earlier and not be in this situation in the first place.

In a way Nuggets did great considering the injuries and all, pretty much a 50 win team atm. Don't know whether and to what extent it's possible (all those financials are like Chinese to me), but if it is possible, they absolutely need to shed the overpaid deadweight, Faried, Chandler, Arthur etc, really need to go / be replaced with more reliable bench before Malone runs the starters into the ground.

[MidMountain]

The last seven games were more exciting for the Nuggets than a first round series against Houston or GSW. It sucks to lose the last one, but this was an exciting game!

[TwolvesFanRome]

I want to congratulate you ... beautiful game ... I fell in love with Barton ... and Jokic is fantastic ...
Nice battle...

[skywalker33]

Murray shouldn't have done that to Zo. The LAL revenge game cost Denver the playoffs. That's all on Murray.

You LAL children live in such small worlds, you still believe the world revolves around you.....and it doesn't !! GROW UP !!

[Maf]

Did Wilson agreed to sign with Wolves next season? His performance remind me Iguodala's PO...

[NuggetsWY]

Did Wilson agreed to sign with Wolves next season? His performance remind me Iguodala's PO...

Maybe

[The Rebel]

One last comment on last nights game is why the hell did we go away from what was working again? Very limited off the ball movement from anybody but Murray and Harris in limited minutes. I would have preffered to see Craig and Beasley more than watching Barton stand at the 3 point line looking to go one on one and Chandler having the best place in the house to watch last night.

[SoCalNuggsFan]

I think Murray should’ve had more touches late in the game. He got it going in the 4th, then the last couple minutes we’re all Jokic. Which I get, he’s our best player. But it would’ve been nice to see some of those important out of bounds plays set up for Murray at the end of the 4th.

[The Rebel]

I think Murray should’ve had more touches late in the game. He got it going in the 4th, then the last couple minutes we’re all Jokic. Which I get, he’s our best player. But it would’ve been nice to see some of those important out of bounds plays set up for Murray at the end of the 4th.

We weren't all Jokic, there were several possessions that went to Barton and Millsap, with Barton turning it over and bricking 2 shots, and Millsap missing the runner in the lane.

You are right though, Murray should have got more touches. The way the game ended last night reminded me so much of early this season, when Barton and Chandler were given free reign, then when they failed they would toss the ball to Jokic for a desperation play and then everybody would blame Jokic.

[SoCalNuggsFan]

I think Murray should’ve had more touches late in the game. He got it going in the 4th, then the last couple minutes we’re all Jokic. Which I get, he’s our best player. But it would’ve been nice to see some of those important out of bounds plays set up for Murray at the end of the 4th.

We weren't all Jokic, there were several possessions that went to Barton and Millsap, with Barton turning it over and bricking 2 shots, and Millsap missing the runner in the lane.

You are right though, Murray should have got more touches. The way the game ended last night reminded me so much of early this season, when Barton and Chandler were given free reign, then when they failed they would toss the ball to Jokic for a desperation play and then everybody would blame Jokic.

I think more than anything with Jokic, he was just gassed. He’s been playing 40+ mins a game for the last couple weeks, because he’s had to. Plus he was getting mauled by Gibson the whole game. He was unbelievable, but just ran out of gas late.

[NuggetsWY]

I think Murray should’ve had more touches late in the game. He got it going in the 4th, then the last couple minutes we’re all Jokic. Which I get, he’s our best player. But it would’ve been nice to see some of those important out of bounds plays set up for Murray at the end of the 4th.

We weren't all Jokic, there were several possessions that went to Barton and Millsap, with Barton turning it over and bricking 2 shots, and Millsap missing the runner in the lane.

You are right though, Murray should have got more touches. The way the game ended last night reminded me so much of early this season, when Barton and Chandler were given free reign, then when they failed they would toss the ball to Jokic for a desperation play and then everybody would blame Jokic.

I think more than anything with Jokic, he was just gassed. He’s been playing 40+ mins a game for the last couple weeks, because he’s had to. Plus he was getting mauled by Gibson the whole game. He was unbelievable, but just ran out of gas late.

Wouldn't it have been nice if we had a backup center that played backup center and some PF that could play backup PF so our backup center could play backup center - thus giving Jokic a few more minutes off? Then again, Malone seemed intent on playing all of his starters most of the game. Thinking if we don't win, they have all of off-season to rest. Problem is, Jokic wasn't the only one dragging by the end of the game. Since G.Harris was on limited minutes, Murray was the only one running and cutting for most of the game. He was looking exhausted at the end. Meanwhile Chandler & Barton looked relatively fresh. I get Millsap not running a lot, it's never been his game. But Chandler & Barton play better if the run and cut. Good thing they stood around a lot or they could have never played so many minutes. It doesn't help that the relatively stationary D.Harris is our primary bench guard, although I'll give him partial credit for last night. I don't think I've seen him hustle that much since he joined the team. It still seemed like he stood around a lot, but ...

[TooBad]

Tough loss but hopefully this will get malone fired and replaced by a coach who doesn't make Jokic the focal point. Malone neutered Murray around Christmas and he's been playing like passive beta male ever since.

Your STUPIDITY only appears when you post......and you post WAAAYYY to often.

Denver thrives when the offense flows through Jokic, it's fluid, free-flowing...AND WORKS !! Your saying to avoid keeping Jokic the focal point is like saying LBJ needs to come off the bench. Murray is still young, still growing in court awareness, confidence and maturity. He'll get better over time, your basketball "knowledge" is more apparent to be lacking ALL THE TIME !! It also borders on trolling IMO

I'm not trolling I just don't think the current style of play is the right one. This team is quick and athletic and the can't take advantage of it because they insist on giving the slowest guy on the floor the most touches.

[NuggetsWY]

Tough loss but hopefully this will get malone fired and replaced by a coach who doesn't make Jokic the focal point. Malone neutered Murray around Christmas and he's been playing like passive beta male ever since.

Your STUPIDITY only appears when you post......and you post WAAAYYY to often.

Denver thrives when the offense flows through Jokic, it's fluid, free-flowing...AND WORKS !! Your saying to avoid keeping Jokic the focal point is like saying LBJ needs to come off the bench. Murray is still young, still growing in court awareness, confidence and maturity. He'll get better over time, your basketball "knowledge" is more apparent to be lacking ALL THE TIME !! It also borders on trolling IMO

I'm not trolling I just don't think the current style of play is the right one. This team is quick and athletic and the can't take advantage of it because they insist on giving the slowest guy on the floor the most touches.

Clearly you do not watch the Nuggets much. Jokic is often leading the fast-break and is ahead of two or three players from both teams with his head on a swivel watching for players coming from behind. Reminds me of Charles Barkley's dribbling on fast breaks. He was effective but less skilled than Jokic. Consider the great Magic Johnson - who was clearly not the fastest of players but he was able to lead one of the most vaunted fast breaks in NBA history.

Foot speed is not always the determining factor. Consider also then Jokic's vertical leap, such as it is. Clearly he's not a great leaper with 8 dunks on the season but he still gets a block or two in most games (49th in the league) plus he's 9th in rebounds.

[theGreatRC]

Everyone and their mama saw how much of a beast Jokic was in this game. He was giving KAT 3s and mid ranges between his Dominican eyeballs

This is the last time you guys are missing the playoffs & the last time Jokic isn't an all star, that's for sure.

You guys have something special with Harris, Murray and Joker

[The Rebel]

Tough loss but hopefully this will get malone fired and replaced by a coach who doesn't make Jokic the focal point. Malone neutered Murray around Christmas and he's been playing like passive beta male ever since.

Your STUPIDITY only appears when you post......and you post WAAAYYY to often.

Denver thrives when the offense flows through Jokic, it's fluid, free-flowing...AND WORKS !! Your saying to avoid keeping Jokic the focal point is like saying LBJ needs to come off the bench. Murray is still young, still growing in court awareness, confidence and maturity. He'll get better over time, your basketball "knowledge" is more apparent to be lacking ALL THE TIME !! It also borders on trolling IMO

I'm not trolling I just don't think the current style of play is the right one. This team is quick and athletic and the can't take advantage of it because they insist on giving the slowest guy on the floor the most touches.

That is why you appear to be trolling, or have you never actually learn about running teams, because we know you don't watch much of the Nuggets? The guys who are quick and athletic and willing to put in work have plenty of advantages playing with Jokic and having Jokic has nothing to do with a running team.

It is funny how obviously different the Nuggets are when Jokic, Murray, and Harris are off the court and on the court with the veterans The veterans refuse to move off the ball, refuse to get themselves open, and do not even bother to move cut or slash. Last year Gallo figured out how to play off Jokic, but Chandler struggled all year. Barton is way to ball dominant and while he improved near the end of the season he spent way to much time standing around without the ball. Plumlee only sets screens and finishes, he doesn't seem to have the energy that Faried did when they set screens as Faried would cut to the rim on back screens and got many easy buckets. Harris seemed to be figuring it out by the end of this season, but even he was struggling. Millsap is trying but has not really played off the ball like you have to with Jokic since he played for Sloan.

The showtime Lakers were one of the fastest playing teams in history, half the time Kareem never even bothered going down the court and could barely move by that time. He never once slowed them down. Dan Issel was late in his career by the time I could really remember, and he was never known for his speed, yet he also played for one of the highest scoring teams in history. Speed is not required for a fast break offense, wanting to work hard enough and having the proper defense for it is the most important part of it.

Our biggest issue is and has been the veterans on this team, not lack of ability, and most assuredly not Jokic. The young guys like Murray, Harris, Craig, Hernangomez, beasley, all move off the ball and outrun their opponents many nights, when Lyles moved without the ball he had great nights, when he didn't he had bad nights. The starters put up something like a 113 rating and a plus 10 which is among the best in the league even with Chandler not caring to try. Our bench that was playing with Plumlee, Barton, and limited minutes from anybody else was actually the bottom 2 differential in the league. When Craig started getting played that rating went way up.

Our veterans, and their inability/unwillingness to change to fit the system are the biggest issue. Devin Harris was trying, Barton tries but I don't think he can, and Millsap tried hard. Hell Plumlee did as well, but he was trying to be Jokic and it didn't work, and then he tried to be Faried and he isn't him, he has to play to what he does well. Chandler had no interest in trying to change.

I find it very interesting that when Millsap joined the team things started to change. The young Nuggets got tougher, they started playing harder, and we almost made it. Chandler and company are not good leaders, and need to be gone for this team to take the next step.

[NuggetsWY]

Everyone and their mama saw how much of a beast Jokic was in this game. He was giving KAT 3s and mid ranges between his Dominican eyeballs

This is the last time you guys are missing the playoffs & the last time Jokic isn't an all star, that's for sure.

You guys have something special with Harris, Murray and Joker

Thank you very much. Several Twolves fans made nice posts. I liked yours best. It is appreciated!

[TooBad]

Your STUPIDITY only appears when you post......and you post WAAAYYY to often.

Denver thrives when the offense flows through Jokic, it's fluid, free-flowing...AND WORKS !! Your saying to avoid keeping Jokic the focal point is like saying LBJ needs to come off the bench. Murray is still young, still growing in court awareness, confidence and maturity. He'll get better over time, your basketball "knowledge" is more apparent to be lacking ALL THE TIME !! It also borders on trolling IMO

I'm not trolling I just don't think the current style of play is the right one. This team is quick and athletic and the can't take advantage of it because they insist on giving the slowest guy on the floor the most touches.

Clearly you do not watch the Nuggets much. Jokic is often leading the fast-break and is ahead of two or three players from both teams with his head on a swivel watching for players coming from behind. Reminds me of Charles Barkley's dribbling on fast breaks. He was effective but less skilled than Jokic. Consider the great Magic Johnson - who was clearly not the fastest of players but he was able to lead one of the most vaunted fast breaks in NBA history.

Foot speed is not always the determining factor. Consider also then Jokic's vertical leap, such as it is. Clearly he's not a great leaper with 8 dunks on the season but he still gets a block or two in most games (49th in the league) plus he's 9th in rebounds.

Murray and Harris would be all-stars if they didn't have to pass to Jokic constantly. Both those guys were way better prior to the new years and It was because Jokic wasn't involved as much in the offense. Malone made Jokic the focus going down the stretch and it destroyed Murray's game and cost the Nuggets the playoffs. How dumb can you be to draw a play for Jokic with 4 seconds left with the season on the line? Jokic puts up stats but he will never lead a franchise to a championship. He's a 3rd fiddle type of guy.

[skywalker33]

I'm not trolling I just don't think the current style of play is the right one. This team is quick and athletic and the can't take advantage of it because they insist on giving the slowest guy on the floor the most touches.

Clearly you do not watch the Nuggets much. Jokic is often leading the fast-break and is ahead of two or three players from both teams with his head on a swivel watching for players coming from behind. Reminds me of Charles Barkley's dribbling on fast breaks. He was effective but less skilled than Jokic. Consider the great Magic Johnson - who was clearly not the fastest of players but he was able to lead one of the most vaunted fast breaks in NBA history.

Foot speed is not always the determining factor. Consider also then Jokic's vertical leap, such as it is. Clearly he's not a great leaper with 8 dunks on the season but he still gets a block or two in most games (49th in the league) plus he's 9th in rebounds.

Murray and Harris would be all-stars if they didn't have to pass to Jokic constantly. Both those guys were way better prior to the new years and It was because Jokic wasn't involved as much in the offense. Malone made Jokic the focus going down the stretch and it destroyed Murray's game and cost the Nuggets the playoffs. How dumb can you be to draw a play for Jokic with 4 seconds left with the season on the line? Jokic puts up stats but he will never lead a franchise to a championship. He's a 3rd fiddle type of guy.

Who do you think most of Jokics assist go to ? You obviously don’t watch the Nuggets yet try to come across as someone knowledgeable ... and you aren’t

[NuggetsWY]

I'm not trolling I just don't think the current style of play is the right one. This team is quick and athletic and the can't take advantage of it because they insist on giving the slowest guy on the floor the most touches.

Clearly you do not watch the Nuggets much. Jokic is often leading the fast-break and is ahead of two or three players from both teams with his head on a swivel watching for players coming from behind. Reminds me of Charles Barkley's dribbling on fast breaks. He was effective but less skilled than Jokic. Consider the great Magic Johnson - who was clearly not the fastest of players but he was able to lead one of the most vaunted fast breaks in NBA history.

Foot speed is not always the determining factor. Consider also then Jokic's vertical leap, such as it is. Clearly he's not a great leaper with 8 dunks on the season but he still gets a block or two in most games (49th in the league) plus he's 9th in rebounds.

Murray and Harris would be all-stars if they didn't have to pass to Jokic constantly. Both those guys were way better prior to the new years and It was because Jokic wasn't involved as much in the offense. Malone made Jokic the focus going down the stretch and it destroyed Murray's game and cost the Nuggets the playoffs. How dumb can you be to draw a play for Jokic with 4 seconds left with the season on the line? Jokic puts up stats but he will never lead a franchise to a championship. He's a 3rd fiddle type of guy.