OAKLAND — The Denver Nuggets are getting a crash course on what the next few months will hold.
Intense scrutiny, pressurized moments, momentum swings. That’s been the story of the past week, which culminated Friday night against back-to-back defending champion Golden State with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on the line.
After their one-point loss at San Antonio on Monday, their third in a row, Nuggets coach Michael Malone put a positive spin on the defeat.
“This kind of failure, if we’re willing to learn from it, can be a positive,” he said. The Nuggets had stormed back with a 34-point fourth quarter and given themselves several chances to win in the final seconds. The question, in Malone’s mind, was why they’d dug themselves a 21-point deficit in the first place.
Two nights later in Los Angeles, they found themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Nuggets were up 23 points in the third quarter against a reeling Lakers team who rallied to get within two points with 8:30 left. The Nuggets, in large part thanks to the play of Gary Harris, unleashed a 15-4 run that all but ended the game.
As Harris put the finishing touches on his personal 11-0 run, ESPN commentator Mark Jackson weighed in on the broadcast.
“These are valuable moments for the Denver Nuggets,” Jackson said.
He was right. The Nuggets had weathered one of LeBron James’ infamous runs and secured the “must win,” as Malone later deemed it.
In the crowded postgame locker room, veteran Paul Millsap offered his thoughts.
“We take something that we weren’t able to do two games ago against the Pelicans (when the Nuggets failed to hold on to a 19-point lead) and that’s get a big lead and withstand it,” Millsap said. “I think moreso on the mental side we can learn a lot from this game by how poised we stayed throughout it.”
Against the Warriors Friday night, or in a hostile playoff environment like Utah, San Antonio or Oklahoma City, their ability to stay composed may determine how far they go.
“That’s good for us,” Malone said. “It’s not going to be easy for 48 minutes. We have to understand why we built a lead and not get bored with success.”
The other factor that has worked against the Nuggets all season has been the dearth of available bodies. But now that they’re finally healthy, they’ve been able to close games with their most trusted lineup of Nikola Jokic, Will Barton, Jamal Murray, Millsap and Harris. Clinging to a two-point lead in Los Angeles or withstanding a run in Oracle Arena is the closest the Nuggets will get to being able to simulate what a playoff environment is going to feel like.
“The more they have those fourth quarters where they play together and take a close game and pull away, two points to 16 points, that’s only going to help their chemistry and their confidence with each other,” Malone said.
