Inside The Nuggets

Michael Malone Makes Blunt Statement After Nuggets Lose to Trail Blazers

The Denver Nuggets suffered a bad loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Joey Linn

Dec 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone looks on in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena.
Dec 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone looks on in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Denver Nuggets lost their three-game winning streak on Thursday night when they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers at the buzzer. Erasing a 17-point fourth quarter deficit, the Nuggets were able to make it a game down the stretch, but Portland had the final possession and got a game-winning layup from Anfernee Simons at the buzzer.

This was just one of several disappointing losses the Nuggets have suffered this season, and another that could negatively impact their seeding in the Western Conference standings at season’s end. Recognizing this, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a blunt statement after the game.

Michael Malone
Nov 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reacts after a calling a timeout in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

“Why does it take being down 17 points to start the fourth quarter to play hard?" Malone said he asked his team. "That shouldn’t be the emphasis behind playing hard. We should be playing hard because we wanna be a great team, we want to win as many games as possible… These are the type of games - games like this, games like the one we had in Washington, that come back to bit you in the a—.”

Malone added the Nuggets need to continue being honest with themselves and discuss how they can improve. 

The Nuggets are now 14-11 on the season which has them sixth in the Western Conference standings. While there is still a lot of time to turn things around, especially with a player like Nikola Jokic, this has been a disappointing start to the year for a team with championship aspirations.

Related Articles

Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History in Nuggets-Mavericks

Nikola Jokic Makes Strong Russell Westbrook Statement

Latest Update on Denver Nuggets Potentially Signing Ex-Lakers Player

Published
Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

Home/News