With several injury and rest absences on the second night of a back-to-back, the Denver Nuggets dropped their second game in a row, losing 113-106 to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Nuggets were without their entire starting lineup and some key reserves in this one. Among the players that sat…deep breath…Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson (along with Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes II of course). After last night’s Double OT thriller vs the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Nuggets did the smart thing and played the long game with the vast majority of their rotation.
The only recent rotation players that played were Russell Westbrook, Jalen Pickett, Zeke Nnaji, and DeAndre Jordan. To their full credit, the Nuggets made it a game with hustle, good execution, paying attention on the defensive glass, and just some solid shotmaking and playmaking from Westbrook and Pickett kept Denver in it.
Westbrook logged 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, taking on a leadership role and a willing scoring option in a lineup that needed someone to direct traffic. His shooting efficiency wasn’t great (11-of-25 from the field, 3-of-10 from three) but somebody had to absorb responsibility tonight, and he was the natural choice. Mistakes in the clutch like a couple missed layups and wild turnover were also brought over from the previous night’s unfortunate outing, and the Nuggets lost the chance they had after the Spurs capitalized going the other direction.
Westbrook declined to speak to local media for the second night in a row.
On a positive note though, Jalen Pickett logged 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists tonight, the very first triple-double of his NBA career. Pickett’s 10th assist came right at the end of the game just before the end, but it still counts, and he should be proud of the performance. Pickett was tremendous tonight, playing solid basketball on both ends of the floor and setting the table for teams in an efficient and effective way.
“Every chance he’s gotten a chance to play this year, every time he goes out there, he plays well, and he’s proven himself to be trustworthy,” Michael Malone shared about Pickett postgame. “He takes care of it, he’s not going to wow you, he’s not going to do anything that’s going to be on a highlight necessarily, but he’s just really steady, really solid.”
Pickett, very quietly, has played in 26 of the last 29 games since February 1st. The game before, Westbrook sustained an injury that held him out through the All-Star break. Now, Pickett is staying on the floor as a fringe rotation option, in part due to the Julian Strawther injury, in part due to simply being good enough to not relinquish those minutes. He’s now averaging 4.7 points, 2.6 assists, and 0.5 turnovers on 16.2 minutes per game since February 1st, shooting 39.3% from three in that span. He’s a reliable option, and while the Nuggets may choose not to play him in the playoffs, he’s making it a viable option to do so.
Overall, this was a game where the Nuggets were clearly outmanned. They tried hard and made mistakes, and playing against a team with Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, they simply needed to be more precise in clutch time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
“You watch a guy and you watch all his highlights and he gets out there and still does those moves against you,” Jalen Pickett said of Chris Paul, a point guard he’s watched for most of his career. “Just learning how crafty he is and how well he plays with a change of pace.”
It’s always cool to go up against your heroes, even in a losing effort.
Five Games to Go
As the Nuggets start the wrap-up process of the regular season, it’s important to remember that Denver’s done most of their great work already. They have 47 wins. If they win out, they get to 52. If they don’t get to 50, they will probably fall below the three seed in the West almost certainly.
As it stands, the Nuggets have dropped to fourth place in the Western Conference. In fifth place, the Golden State Warriors host the Nuggets on Friday. That is suddenly a massive game as the Nuggets are just one loss ahead of Golden State in the standings. There’s a world that if the Nuggets don’t get to 50 wins, they might fall below the fold of homecourt advantage in the West anyway.
Even though Denver lost both of these games, I think they did the right thing by going hard against the Wolves and resting against the Spurs. They still have things to prove to themselves and to the rest of the NBA with the season winding down, and while that decision may ultimately cost them in the standings, it’s better to show that Denver can compete with good teams.
Still, Denver would of course prefer to win and stay ahead of the competition. The Nuggets are now just two losses ahead of the eighth seed, and if they don’t care care of business, they may find themselves in the Play-In tournament mix.
Here are the final five games of the year:
- Friday @ Golden State Warriors
- Sunday vs Indiana Pacers
- Wednesday @ Sacramento Kings
- Next Friday vs Memphis Grizzlies
- Next Sunday vs Houston Rockets
Winning one of the last two games would have been good. Winning both would have essentially clinched a playoff spot. Denver’s Magic Number for the playoffs is currently four but will likely drop to three shortly. Denver controls their own destiny, and three wins in a row vs Golden State, Indiana, and Sacramento would put a lot of fans at ease.
We will see whether Denver has a healthy roster to bring to Golden State.
Final Rotations
