Murray’s heroics can’t save Nuggets in disappointing loss
Feb 18, 2021, 6:44 AM
The Nuggets lost a heartbreaker in Washington on Wednesday, roaring back from a 13-point deficit to tie the game with only 2.1 seconds to go. They lost after the Wizards’ Bradley Beal — the NBA’s leading scorer — was fouled by JaMychal Green on a baseline drive with only 0.1 seconds left on the clock. Beal’s free-throws sealed the Nuggets’ fate, but Jamal Murray’s Herculean efforts were the only reason the game was even close in the first place.
Murray scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Nuggets back from a 121-108 deficit with fewer than five minutes remaining, draining shot after shot and all but willing his team back into the game; reminiscent of his daring playoff performances in the Orlando bubble last fall. When it was all said and done, Murray scored the Nuggets’ final 11 points, but it was all for naught.
It shouldn’t have ever been that close.
Denver sprung from the gate with a 41-point first quarter, and the Nuggets looked like they were on their way to a laugher on the second-night of a back-to-back, but the team looked overconfident in the second quarter and their effort waned. Washington, sporting dangerous scorers in Beal and Russell Westbrook, led the Wizards to a stunning, 46-point second frame to lead the Nuggets at the half.
Davis Bertans did the rest. Bertans was deadly from behind the arc, hitting nine three-pointers on 11 attempts on his way to 35 points.
“Obviously, Bertans killed us tonight,” head coach Michael Malone said after the game, obviously frustrated with his team’s defense. “That guy (isn’t) supposed to get off 11 shots from the three-point line.”
Down five major players the night before in Boston, the Nuggets had guards Gary Harris and Monte Morris back in the fold, but it made little difference as the Wizards scored nearly at will for much of the game.
After the game, Malone was upset with the officiating, issuing complaints about Beal’s fateful drive.
“I thought JaMychal Green was vertical, straight up, which is legal. And then prior to that, and I said this to (referee) Marc Davis when the game ended, I thought there was an illegal screen in there to get Bradley Beal open that wasn’t called.”
In actuality, Green didn’t leap straight up, but the foul may not have been called in a contested playoff game, and Green and his teammates were left slack-jawed in shock as the Nuggets left with another road loss.
The team will try to regroup in Cleveland on Friday, and this time, they’ll be bringing a little something extra — “bubble” Jamal Murray is back.
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NEXT UP: Nuggets (15-13) at Cavaliers (10-19) | Friday, Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m.
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TEAM NOTES
• The Nuggets welcomed Gary Harris and Monte Morris back to the active roster, but neither was particularly effective in Wednesday’s loss. Harris, in particular, looked rusty after missing more than two weeks with a strained left thigh.
• The Nuggets had 16 fewer free-throw attempts than the Wizards, a fact that was not lost on a frustrated Michael Malone. “It had nothing to do with attacking the rim more,” Denver’s head coach said after the game.
• By falling to 15-13 on Wednesday, the Nuggets find themselves in an unexpected and precarious situation; they hold the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff chase, with the Grizzlies and Mavericks nipping at their heels. With months left in the season, it’s far to early to scoreboard-watch, but it’s more clear evidence that this Nuggets team isn’t as much of a threat as they were last season.
• The 130 points the Nuggets surrendered to Washington was the highest total of the season, including a disastrous 46 points allowed in the second quarter.
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PLAYER NOTES
• Jamal Murray reverted to his playoff form in Wednesday’s loss, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, including the Nuggets’ final 11 to finish with 35 on the night. Murray’s game-tying three from the edge of Washington’s mid-court logo with 2.1 seconds left capped a fiery final quarter for the Nuggets guard. Murray has averaged more than 28 points on 52 percent shooting over the last three games, including an impressive 46 percent from three.
• Nikola Jokic scored 33 points to go along with nine assists and seven rebounds, but also he also allowed Wizards guard Bradley Beal to drive the baseline on the game’s final play, leading to the game-winning free throws after JaMychal Green fouled Beal at the basket.
• Michael Porter Jr. looked solid on Wednesday, scoring 14 points and collecting seven rebounds. While Porter still shoots too many threes — especially given the obvious athleticism he displayed on a thunderous dunk early in the game — he was more into the team’s offensive flow on Wednesday, and his effort on defense was notable.
• Facundo Campazzo is averaging 14.7 points per game over his last three outings as his average time on court has ballooned to nearly 27 minutes per game.
• Zeke Nnaji’s breakout has been short-lived. Since his 16-point performance in Denver’s win over the Lakers on Sunday, Nnaji has only scored five total points in the two games since, while shooting 29 percent from the field and racking up an awful -26 in plus/minus.
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THE FINAL WORD
“We were up 20. We didn’t play any defense. We can not have that many letups,” — Nikola Jokic
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INJURY WATCH
• Paul Millsap (left knee sprain) didn’t return after halftime on Feb. 14. He is day-to-day.
• P.J. Dozier (right hamstring strain) has been out since Jan. 26. He is day-to-day.
• Greg Whittington (left knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 19 and was expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
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ROTATION (MINUTES)
Starters:
G Jamal Murray (40)
G Gary Harris (28)
F Michael Porter Jr. (31)
F JaMychal Green (30)
C Nikola Jokic (37)
Bench:
G Facundo Campazzo (25)
G Monte Morris (19)
F-C Zeke Nnaji (13)
C-F Isaiah Hartenstein (10)
G R.J. Hampton (7)
F Vlatko Cancar (DNP-CD)
G Markus Howard (DNP-CD)
C-F Bol Bol (DNP-CD)
