Nuggets HC Slams Team For 'Embarrassing' Loss to Blazers

Michael Malone was not happy that his team lost to Portland.

Mar 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone following a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are trying everything they can to make a run late in the season at the playoffs. Surprisingly, they have made up a lot of ground in the last few weeks in the standings.

Right now, the Blazers are just two games behind the Suns for the final play-in spot in the West. They were seven games back as recent as the All-Star break, so this turnaround has been remarkable.

Portland has won four straight games and actually looks like they might pull off this unlikely run to the playoffs. Their most recent win was over the Denver Nuggets.

Read more: Deni Avdija Has Blazers on Brink of Playoff Spot

The Trail Blazers took them down 128-109, although the Nuggets didn't have Nikola Jokic for the game. Still, that didn't stop Michael Malone from ripping into his team after losing to the Blazers.

"This wasn't us tonight, we'll be better next time" -Jamal Murray

Hear from Jamal Murray following the loss to Portland #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/BZitGnFKqp

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) March 22, 2025

"That was embarrassing.," Malone said. "That was just a joke. We had 18 blow-bys. I don't know what our guys are thinking with 11 games to go. If we continue to play the way we are playing, we will be in the play-in tournament. Very simple. I don't think we played with any pride tonight."

The Trail Blazers have to be pretty pleased that they were able to elicit such a response from a losing coach. They can take pride in the fact that Malone thinks they should've beaten them easily.

Portland continues to be an underdog in most of the games that they play. That hasn't stopped them from winning games.

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Part of what frustrated Malone so much is that the Blazers are missing a bunch of their starters, too. They didn't have Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, or Robert Williams for this game. Those are three key contributors.

Portland doesn't care. They keep finding ways to win games. They still have some ground that they need to make up if they want to make the play-in tournament.

The Trail Blazers think they can win both play-in games if they are able to play in the tournament, too. They just have to keep winning games to get there,

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For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.