The Denver Nuggets weren’t able to send off 2019 with a win, as early defensive struggles sunk them in a 130-104 loss to the Houston Rockets. Despite a valiant comeback effort in the third quarter, Denver’s offense couldn’t find a rhythm throughout the night as the Nuggets began their longest road trip of the season with a loss.
"The defense was not up to par," Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. "Our defense has slowly been disappearing, even though we've gone 9-1 in the past 10 games. Give them credit, they're a good team. But this was disappointing."
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as both teams executed well offensively. After a quick 7-2 start by the Nuggets, the two teams traded baskets during the quarter before Houston began to slowly build up a lead. An 11-4 run by the Rockets gave them control of the game midway through the first quarter and they would ultimately take a 38-26 lead into the second quarter. Houston closed the quarter on a 14-6 run over the final three minutes and knocked down five 3-pointers in the frame.
Despite the second unit’s best efforts, Denver couldn’t close the gap to begin the second quarter, as Houston maintained a 12-point lead midway through the quarter at 53-41. Denver’s offense was limited by turnovers in the first half, as it committed 10 in the half, which helped James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon lead Houston’s offense. Those three guards combined for 43 points on 15-of-26 shooting from the field in the half as the Rockets took a 69-52 lead into the halftime break.
A 14-6 start to the second half by the Nuggets cut Houston’s lead down to single-digits at 75-66. Nikola Jokić and Paul Millsap fueled the run by scoring a combined 12 points in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Jokić was determined to put his stamp on Tuesday’s game throughout the third quarter, as he dropped 13 points in the period as Denver clawed back into the game. The Nuggets continued to chip away at Houston’s lead during the closing stretches of the quarter as Houston took a 92-89 lead into the final quarter. The Nuggets dropped 37 points in the quarter as the offense broke out of its early struggles from the first half.
Houston stopped Denver’s momentum dead in its tracks with a 12-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. Houston continued to slowly pull away during the middle stages of the quarter as Denver’s offense went ice cold. Houston opened up a 19-point lead with just under six minutes remaining and never looked back.
Here are three takeaways from Denver’s loss:
Early defensive struggles buried Denver
When you give up 69 points in the first half, it’s very hard to win the game. While Denver’s offense wasn’t operating at peak levels with 10 first-half turnovers, it was the defense that sunk the Nuggets on Tuesday.
After playing a more traditional defensive scheme against Harden and the Rockets this time around, the Nuggets struggled early on the defensive end and surrendered 9-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc to Houston. As mentioned earlier, Houston’s top scoring guards found plenty of success in the first half, and Denver couldn’t overcome the deficit in the second half, despite an impressive third quarter.
"I'm glad that our offense has picked up, but our defense has been on a milk carton recently," Malone said. "One-on-one, no help defense, 3-point defense, all of the above (has been a struggle)."
Morris led an impressive night from the bench
Denver’s second unit thrived on Tuesday, in no small part due to the play of Monte Morris. Morris finished the night with 18 points, four assists and three steals in 22 minutes of action, as he was looking for his shot early and often in order to get into a rhythm.
"Defense is a great place to start," Malone said. "Consistency is key, and right now I'm trying to figure out what we're going to get on a nightly basis and it's my job as a head coach to help those guys figure it out."
Overall, Denver received 45 points from its second unit, which was key in keeping the game relatively close in the first half and then bringing Denver back into the game in the second half. Given the different starting lineups that the Nuggets have used in recent games, getting consistent production from the bench has been key.
An up-and-down night for the offense
The Nuggets’ offense wasn’t sharp in the first half of Tuesday’s game. Although Denver was able to score 52 points in the half, it committed 10 turnovers and struggled to get into a consistent flow.
The third quarter was another story, as Denver dropped 37 points in that quarter alone, mainly fueled by Jokić, who had 13 points in the frame. However, in similar inconsistent fashion, the Nuggets could only muster 15 points in the fourth quarter as Houston pulled away and closed out the game early in the quarter, prompting plenty of garbage time minutes.
The Nuggets have thrived offensively in recent weeks, owning the top-ranked offensive rating in the league since Dec. 12. However, that wasn’t the case on Tuesday as the ball movement wasn’t as crisp as fans have come to expect in recent weeks.
The Nuggets continue their road trip against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday (tip: 5 p.m. MT).