Game 5: Denver Nuggets (2-2) @ Detroit Pistons (3-2) - 7:00 PM ET

[ducler]

[NuggetsWY]

Thinking this is a game the Nuggets won't win if they give up a late lead.
Detroit is an up-and-coming team still fighting for respect.
It seems unlikely they will quit fighting. So if we get a lead, we better work to expand it, not play to protect it.

[skywalker33]

All I will say is ...GO NUGGETS !!

[psimanic1]

I would like to see Harris and Murray together on the court, it can't be worse than this right now...

[eathb_au]

We took giant steps backwards tonight. Really should have won against a team where our roster talent is just better than if not make it competitive. But instead we got blown out completely. Looked like we lacked focus right from the start especially with the Nurkic possessions where he just tossed the ball out of bounds.

I'll remain patient on Mudiay and Murray but those two need to start showing something. Mudiay in particular needs to look to make plays and is trying way too hard to be a Westbrook-scoring like PG.

One random average-scrub player going off but when there are multiple - Ish smith, Lure, Johnson, then there was really something that went wrong tonight and is a sign that you took a big backwards step to any progress you've made.

[skywalker33]

Really have to stop these slow starts, we shot like .200 in the 1st qtr. PATHETIC effects in the 1st are just a lack of focus and preparation IMO. Our 3rd qtr explosion just fizzled this time....a learning experience.

[NuggetsWY]

1) Nuggets are still letting the guards trail over the top when the other team does a pick-n-roll with a big man. It leaves our guards out-of-position and makes our bigs look bad as they try to cover the big and the driving/shooting guard.
2) Last year we were terrible in the third quarter. That appears to be fixed. Now we're terrible in the first and fourth quarters.
3) Team defense is not good and team defense is all about communicating. On one play tonight, Mudiay's man was dribbling. Chandler's man came up to set a pick to Mudiay's right. Chandler slid out to that side so the dribbler couldn't use the pick. He faked going that way and Mudiay went with him, leaving a nice cutback WIDE OPEN. Mudiay could have stayed home and there would only have been the big man rolling with Denver's bigs already down low.
4) Seemed like Jokic played more defense against Drummond than Nurkic, even when they were both in the game at the same time. But they only played about 22-23 minutes each, so it's hard to say.
5) Rotations seem to be getting weirder and weirder. Gallinari's minutes were down a little, Chandler was still over 30 minutes and based on their injury history, it would seem prudent to keep their minutes down to around 24-25 mpg. Jokic & Nurkic get 23 minutes each. That left Faried playing center more than he played PF. Murray got 27 minutes, that's a surprise but the big shocker is Mudiay got just 24. Anyone got a feel for the rotation? Who's going to play center for how many minutes? How about PF?

[RRFB]

Two thoughts..
-Mudiay has looked really awful. I'm not ready to completely give up on him, but a bench role might do him some good for a while. I just wish we still had DJ Augustin.
-We're gonna have to choose between Jokic or Nurkic sooner than later.

Malone said he's changing the starting lineup tonight, wonder who's getting benched.

[King-]

Guards were absolutely terrible last night. I mean, there was a stretch in the 4th where the two guards took turns turning it over and bricking a shot without passing the ball like 5 possessions in a row.

Nurkic was playing well after the first quarter, he had 9 poitns at halftime and then didn't get a single field goal attempt until like 9 minutes in the 4th quarter. That's unacceptable and bad coaching, especially when the backcourt is shooting so bad and you can't buy a bucket.

They should of force fed Nurk the whole 4th quarter.... Also, not sure why Nurkic and Jokic keep only getting 20 something minutes a game, they're clearly the two best players right now along with Gallo.