Michael Malone Calls Out Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray After Nuggets' Blowout Loss

A frustrated Malone wants more from his two stars.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone talks to guard Jamal Murray during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena on November 25, 2024. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets, in a 145-118 blowout loss to the New York Knicks at Ball Arena, permitted the most regulation points they've allowed at home since 1991. Such a lopsided loss would be one the team is eager to quickly put behind them, right? Wrong. Speaking to reporters after the game, a frustrated Michael Malone clearly wants his team to remember this feeling.

"Nah, f--k that," Malone said. "No, we're not flushing. You don't flush when you get embarrassed. You don't flush when you gave up 145 points. You don't flush when you didn't play hard, didn't play with effort, didn't play with physicality. I'm not flushing anything."

On the strength of scorching 60.9 percent shooting from the field and 52.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc, the Knicks opened up a lead as large as 30 points at one point. And while Denver enjoyed a productive night offensively, they didn't get nearly enough effort on the defensive end, and, in Malone's view, not enough leadership from the team's top two players, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and star guard Jamal Murray.

"Well yeah, like Russell Westbrook," Malone said. "He's vocal. But we need more than Russell Westbrook. I need Nikola Jokic. I need Jamal Murray. I need guys that have been here in that starting lineup to be vocal. And tonight we got embarrassed."

Jokic, for his part, acknowledged the team "didn't show up" and needs to "do a better job." Murray, during his session with the media, said he felt that the focus of some of the players on the team was elsewhere.

Whatever the reason, it's clear that something needs to change, as the Nuggets have dropped four of their last six games after embarking on a five-game winning streak earlier in November.

"We're 16 games in and we're talking about effort, we're talking about toughness, we're talking about physicality," Malone said. "... And regardless of who's in, who's out, who do we want to be as a team?"

"So, yeah, leadership would be great, toughness would be great, physicality would be great, playing like you actually care would be great, and we didn't do that tonight."

Denver (9-7) travels to Utah to take on the Jazz (4-12) on Wednesday.

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