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Denver Nuggets' Big Win and Strategic Moves Explained
SportsGrid
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4/12/2025
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Sports
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00:00
in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, and the Memphis Grizzlies.
00:03
We will soon get to the East, where we did actually see everything solidified yesterday
00:07
with another excellent performance out of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
00:11
Giannis right now, a walking triple-double.
00:14
That has been the case for Nikola Jokic all season.
00:16
It was the case yesterday in a huge Nuggets win, 26-16-13 for the Joker.
00:25
They trailed by as many as 15 in this game.
00:28
They did have the lead down to single digits heading into the break.
00:32
It was just three heading into the final quarter.
00:35
Denver, defensively, the area that I think led to Michael Malone being fired,
00:41
stepped up in the fourth quarter and held the Grizzlies to just 14 points,
00:47
which is absolutely massive.
00:49
The thing I posit to you, gentlemen, is do the Denver Nuggets feel more dangerous
00:55
or more vulnerable after their decision, Tom, to fire Michael Malone?
01:01
I would say more dangerous based on, and I don't want to say it's like the honeymoon period,
01:05
right, where you have, like, you fired the coach, oh, we got some good vibes going in our direction,
01:10
and we're at least happy to an extent.
01:12
I would say they're more dangerous because they have the pedigree,
01:15
and I also think that we're going to see, regardless of the rumors of the Westbrook treatment,
01:20
whatever it might be, we're going to see the rotation really tightened up,
01:23
and I think that's where they're going to excel.
01:24
Now, what we were talking about pre-show is the non-Jokic minutes.
01:29
Non-Jokic minutes.
01:30
What will we be getting from them?
01:32
Because I think that is the key point.
01:33
When we see the rotation tightened up, and we see, as we talked about, MPJ and Aaron Gordon play,
01:39
I would say good tertiary roles after Jokic and Murray,
01:42
that's going to be the determining factor.
01:43
If they step up and they are excelling at this point,
01:46
that's where they are the most dangerous.
01:47
So I would say danger more than ready for an upset.
01:51
Yeah, I mean, when you look at this, yes, they have the pedigree,
01:53
but, you know, you're also leaning on Nicole Jokic last night to play 41 minutes.
01:58
That's a lot of minutes, which obviously means you've got to get something out of DeAndre Jordan.
02:04
Something.
02:05
Whether it's six, seven minutes, you know, as a coach,
02:07
you may want to structure how you get him as minutes in regards to,
02:11
and we've talked about this a lot, Kevin, like end of the first quarter, early second quarter,
02:15
so it's longer break time for someone like Nicole Jokic.
02:20
But to me, it was their ability to rebound the basketball.
02:23
Out-rebounding Memphis 52-41, dominating the glass.
02:27
Now, obviously, you see the performance last night out of Aaron Gordon with 33-5.
02:31
Michael Porter Jr., who, to me, I think needs to be a better rebounder.
02:36
I've kind of said this a lot about a guy that's freakishly athletic
02:40
and could be able to go get a rebound.
02:42
For him to have 12 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, to me, is key.
02:47
Now, when it gets to them in the playoffs, and we're going to get into this more and more,
02:53
it's all about matchups.
02:55
Like, I'm a big believer in styles make fights.
02:58
Throw the analytics out the window, throw everything out the window,
03:02
and line me up team versus team, who looks better?
03:06
Now, obviously, if Denver goes on and makes a run,
03:09
it's going to be the greatest move of all time, getting rid of Michael Malone,
03:12
who I've watched at times teams struggle defensively and getting stopped.
03:16
I remember the Knicks scored, I don't know, 140 points against him, I think, both times this year.
03:21
So it should be interesting, tighten up the defense.
03:23
Joker's been Joker, but I think, Tom, that has a point.
03:26
You've got to get the secondary guys who step up, particularly on the minutes
03:30
when Joker is not on the front.
03:31
So the thing is, is I'm not going to sit here and scream that David Adelman is now coach of the year
03:36
because they won at Sacramento and then beat Memphis,
03:39
who is falling all over themselves in their own building,
03:41
with Jamal Murray showing back up.
03:44
I think, though, Denver was taking a look at their team.
03:49
They had a three-game stretch in April where Jokic was 0-3,
03:52
despite averaging 45-12-12, and they went,
03:56
oh my gosh, we're going to be lucky to get out of round number one.
03:58
At the time of the firing, the numbers will move once all these matchups are set.
04:02
Memphis was a plus price.
04:04
They had these markets available to make round number two.
04:08
There are people who believe Nikoli Jokic at the end of the season
04:10
should be handed a fifth consecutive MVP award.
04:13
That won't happen.
04:14
We'll talk awards.
04:15
But people believe that he has been of that level for five straight years.
04:19
In this window of him winning MVPs, they've made one conference finals.
04:25
And I think upper management went,
04:26
we're going to get eliminated in round two at best again,
04:30
because nobody here cares.
04:32
Nobody here cares about anything.
04:34
And that is not just Jalen Pickett doesn't care or Westbrook doesn't care.
04:39
That's big number 15.
04:41
Maybe not caring enough.
04:43
So they sent a message that everybody here is expendable outside of Nikoli Jokic.
04:49
And all of a sudden, what do you know?
04:50
Jamal Murray can walk again.
04:51
It's a miracle.
04:51
Whoa, I mean, that's incredible to see.
04:54
Because here's the thing.
04:55
Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.,
04:57
you're getting traded this offseason if this ends up a shortcoming.
05:00
And it still may end up a shortcoming.
05:02
Because if they're opening round matchups against the Clippers,
05:04
the Clippers feel dangerous to people.
05:05
And if it's against the Minnesota Timberwolves,
05:07
that team is on a two-year window of owning the Denver Nuggets.
05:10
They swept them this year.
05:11
We all seemingly forgot that Jokic got bounced on his own floor last year
05:15
in a game number seven against Minnesota.
05:17
But we don't have to get into that right now.
05:19
At some point, I will force it upon people.
05:21
And that's okay.
05:21
We'll get to it when we do.
05:23
So I think the Nuggets took a ginormous risk.
05:26
But it was because the safe move was them falling short again.
05:31
Maybe they also were emboldened to do it.
05:32
Because Memphis, two weeks ago, fired Taylor Jenkins.
05:35
And everybody was like, huh?
05:37
Here's the thing with Memphis.
05:38
Jenkins are not.
05:39
They are falling all over themselves.
05:41
J.Y., you asked me something before we headed into this segment.
05:43
So I will put it back to you.
05:45
When Memphis is inevitably eliminated in round number one,
05:48
because that's where this is headed,
05:49
do you think we see one of their, call it stars,
05:53
J.J. Aaron Jackson or Desmond Bain, move this offseason?
05:56
You have to.
05:57
You have to.
05:58
Because you can't run it back.
05:59
And when you look at this game, how big of a game it was last night,
06:02
you get outscored by 11 points in the fourth quarter.
06:05
To have Jaren Jackson, Jr., one of the best defenders in the world,
06:10
give you one rebound?
06:12
He's not a rebounder.
06:13
I mean, you know, that's like, you know,
06:15
Malawats last weekend against Houston.
06:17
Oh, it's your boy.
06:18
He's doing a rebound.
06:19
That's a story for another day.
06:20
You and I were here for now.
06:22
But to me, that's the thing.
06:24
Someone's getting moved.
06:26
I mean, and then you got to worry about Jai.
06:29
Guns?
06:30
Grenades?
06:30
Like, I don't know.
06:31
What do you mean?
06:31
He's throwing his words back at him.
06:33
You didn't see his explanation?
06:34
Yeah, yeah, okay.
06:35
It's just words.
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