Denver Nuggets cite lack of discipline, energy as reason for Game 2 loss in NBA Finals
DENVER — Even though the Denver Nuggets lost Game 2 of the NBA Finals 111-108 on Sunday, head coach Michael Malone said his team's woes started in the fourth quarter of Game 1.
The Miami Heat outscored the Nuggets 30-20 in the final quarter of the first matchup, which Denver won 104-93. Malone counted 16 wide-open three-point shots the Heat missed as Bam Adebayo carried the team with 26 points while Max Strus was held 0-for-10 and Caleb Martin had just three points.
Before the Finals, speculation swirled that the Heat would be the more fatigued team in the first two games given their quicker turnaround from the conference finals and the lore of the effects of altitude. But the words of the night on Sunday from the Nuggets were "energy" and "discipline," which Malone and his players said was more than lacking.
"We got lucky in Game 1. Tonight they made ‘em. So it was definitely a breakdown in communication, it was definitely a breakdown in our game plan. ... We just were not nearly as disciplined as you need to be in the N-B-A Finals," he said, putting emphasis between each letter of the league's abbreviation.
Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic — who finished the game with 41 points, 11 rebounds and four assists — agreed that the team just wasn't on the same page from the beginning. The Heat jumped ahead 10-2 to start the game and it was an uphill battle for the Nuggets.
"We had a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding," he said. "They were getting open looks, especially at the beginning of the game, and we have a couple at the end of the game, too. You just need to know where to be or what to do or what's the coverage or whatever."
For Malone, the "wheels fell off, really fell off" in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets rallied and gained the lead in the second period. Jokic willed his team forward after the half with 18 points, but Denver lost its momentum. The Heat started the final period on a 13-2 run. They retook the lead after back-to-back three-point buckets from Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent, who was Miami's leading scorer with 23 points. They led by as many as 12.
"They were getting whatever they wanted, threes, layups, and that allowed them once again to sit back in their zone offense, slow the game down and we had a hard time getting stops," the coach said after Denver lost its first home game of the postseason. "Then we had a hard time getting made baskets on the other end. So our defense has to be a hell of a lot better. That’s two fourth quarters now, Game 1 and 2 where our fourth quarter defense has been nonexistent."
The Nuggets held Max Strus to 0-for-10 in Game 1 and the Heat only had two free throws in all 48 minutes, an NBA record-low in the playoffs. On Sunday, the team went 18-of-20 from the charity stripe and three players scored at least 20 points. The last time Miami had three 20-point scorers in the Finals was Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen did so.
QUESTIONABLE? Why coach Michael Malone didn't call a timeout at the end of Game 2 of the NBA Finals
Jamal Murray, who missed the potential game-tying three-point bucket and didn't score in the first quarter, admitted it was hard to keep the energy up after letting the game get away.
"It's defeating when you're giving up mistake after mistake, and it's not them beating you, you're giving them open dunks or giving open shots," he said. "So that's tough to come back from. ... Even when we were up, it felt like we were trying to climb back into the game just energy-wise and intensity-wise."
Veteran Jeff Green finished with nine points and gave the Nuggets their first lead of the game with two free throws in the second quarter. He saw no excuse for the team's poor play and echoed the words of his coach and teammates.
"It's the (expletive) Finals, man," he said. "Our energy has to be better. ... I think it's all about discipline. We just have to be better disciplined on the ball, off the ball, knowing our coverages, what we're supposed to do. ... I don’t think we need a rah-rah speech in order to get us up. I think we know what we have to do going into Game 3."
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