Jokic, Malone & More on Tough Loss vs Timberwolves

Jokic, Malone & More on Tough Loss vs Timberwolves

Seeing the film where did this thing get away from you in the why well the the why was easy for me uh we we were um not ready to play we weren’t physical we weren’t aggressive um yeah that that first half you know we deserve to be booted off the court to be

Quite honest um you know and I challenge that guys at half time because that first half was unacceptable across the board you know and and that’s my job as a head coach to start with me getting guys ready to play um making sure they understand what’s at stake and

You can tell them about it but still you know if your players don’t perform that that’s starts with me first and foremost and then our players obviously uh in the first half not even close to the necessary level of energy physicality urgency that you need against a very

Good team a team that’s been in first place most of the year and uh you know challenged him at halftime and uh they came out like grown ass men and you know we played a second half like we cared and uh you know never really got back in

The game you know uh it may have appeared that but at least we played hard at least we defended at least we hit somebody I’ll give you the one stat that kind of tells that sums up first half and second half how many turnovers do they have in the first half Z you

Know what that means they didn’t feel us at all not at all second half nine turnovers 10 points for us so um you just can’t show up you know and as I remind you that guys this is not last year we do not have a cushion to hey we

Can take a game we can rest guys like well we’re in a dog fight we’re in a dog fight and obviously Jamal being out that’s not ideal but we have to get him healthy and um I can live like you know what Reggie Jackson was 4 or5 tonight

Reggie left it all out there I I was really impressed with that Christian Brown went two for 10 tonight loved how he played so he struggle to make shots but when you struggle to make shots as we all know then everything else has to be great has to be elite in the first

Half you know we didn’t make shots we didn’t guard we did nothing is that disappointing that you didn’t see the effort immediately with you know what’s at stake like you said the seating like you guys are in a battle for you know the number one seed what do you think

Harrison yes were you disappointed as a fan absolutely exactly I mean that’s why I said I mean the fans had every right to be disappointed with that first half it’s you know again going into this game We’re Half game up in first place and uh you know the only chance we

Have of winning uh the tiebreaker against Minnesota is to beat them 3 to one CU we’re not going to catch them and the conference wins just not so you know you let a golden opportunity slip through your hands and it’s one thing if a team comes in here and beat you I

Think we can all walk at it and say you know what they were better than us tonight you know but tonight I don’t think that was the case I felt uh yes so to answer your question yeah it was disappointing and I I hope that when you

Speak to our players I think they’ll be hopefully equally as disappointed and it doesn’t get any easier you know we got Cleveland coming in here on Sunday so we’ve lost two in a row and uh you know we’ll see what we’re made of was Nicole’s risk bothering him at all oh he

I was surprised he played tonight to be quite honest yeah his uh his wrist is really giving him a lot of trouble and you know that you know as we know you know Nicole is a guy that plays through a lot of things that most guys wouldn’t

Play through um so yes to answer your question his rist was bothering him tonight you guys have proud of yourselves on playing through a lot in tough situations had a lot of scheduled spots this year but with the does his outcome tonight change anything about how you’re going to approach the final

Eight games of the Season uh I don’t think so I mean like uh right now obviously uh I have to make sure that I take my blinders off once in a while because I get in that Foxhole and I’m thinking about Cleveland right now um you know but sometimes you have to come

Up for air and think that we have eight games to go and like I was just talking with Jamal and like he apologized to me I said don’t don’t apologize man you’re not trying to be hurt and your health is more important than a win right now uh

Because as I’ve said many times to you guys I have complete confidence that that group regardless of seed can beat anybody anywhere when we’re healthy cuz we’ve done it um so but I I’ll have to think about that one M about kind of

Where it at but I I just want to win I want to get back to playing 48 minutes of Denver Nugget basketball so we can walk out of here feeling really good about ourselves playing the right way and you think about it I think we’re 15

To four now since a break overall it’s been phenomenal phenomenal like that’s incredible to do you know but I just hate losing two in a row like that that really bothers me if you can’t tell what about their defense stood out in terms of holding you guys to 98

Points and that be number one defense yeah I mean just the their size their length um and obviously we really struggle to make shots we another night where we were two for n in transition opportunities uh Phoenix game we were 1 for seven so uh even when you think you

Have it an an Avenue to the rim there’s a Rudy goar there’s a Jaden McDaniels there’s um you know NZ re you got a great athlete in Edwards so there’s a reason they’re the number one defense in the NBA through 70 plus games and uh when you’re not getting stops you know

You only have four transition points know since the break we’re averaging over 18 but if you can’t get a stop then it’s going to make it really hard to get out and run um so now you’re playing against a half court defense and their

Elite in the half court so uh yeah a lot of things that we can clean up for sure one more on on nights like tonight where Jamal’s been out for a few games now where can Mike and Aaron like scale up their scoring especially in matchups like this one where Nicole is facing

Double teams as often as he is where where can they continue to get better well I I think you know the way they guard us obviously Rudy goar just roams the paint you know they put Nas Reed or towns when he’s healthy on Nia and they you know they assign Rudy goar

To Aaron and he just kind of plays free safety roams the paint so in those instances obviously Aaron like he did early tonight you know um finding the gaps finding the openings in the paint playing behind the defense as well as looking to create two-on-one opportunities on and off the ball U

Because goar is just roaming he’s like a free safety out there and and obviously you know McDaniels is draped all over Michael Porter um not letting him come up the floor so obviously we can screen better to free him up um and then obviously you know

Just I think if we can get some easy ones in transition that helps everybody you know again it’s it’s tough playing against that defense in the half court for 48 and I felt for most of the night it was a just a a slug Fest in the half

Court and that’s to their advantage thank you coach thanks everybody said that he was surprised that he played tonight G RIS that how’s it feeling time off of it man I mean I will see I mean I really trust uh Jason and and the medical stuff and our doctors so

Um we will see you know hopefully hopefully it’s going to be a little bit better just so I don’t feel it every time and I shoot it you know but it’s good I’m used to it to the pain so it’s kind of normal for mecole just the way that the team

Approached like the first half just what was the level of disappointment from you guys just going into halftime just with I mean know they’re a good team you know I think yes we can say the the effort was whatever but that’s how the basketball is you know they they make it

R we playing bad then the ball is going to bounce on their side I mean if they’re playing a little bit harder especially they’re going to have the 50/50 ball so I think that’s part of the game and the you know it’s not that we want to play Bad

And be down 20 you know it’s happened they’re really good team that’s why they’re for they first on the best right now right so they have really bad really good team even with with cat out they have a guys who can step up and uh uh play the role

And and be effective in that role so really good very good coaching staff so that’s why they’re good how much you guys think you’re missing Jamal right now just not being hav gotten to 100 points in each of the last two just missing the scoring the playing

Uh I mean yes I mean he’s a big big factor of of of our team and of our system and uh when we miss him you know even even says um you know second unit have him on the floor the whole like the whole concept change

And he can score of course and he can he can contribute contribute and we miss probably his energy to uh but you know those things happens injuries that happen so hopefully we’re going to be healthy in the in the playoffs Nicole has your mindset about

Taking a game off to deal with a minor injury has that changed at all over the course of your career um I mean I don’t know um I’m used to to pain and I’m used to play Under injuries U some some nights are good some nights a little bit better so uh

We just part of how how I probably grow up I don’t know does Minnesota seem like a significantly better team than the version you played last year in the playoffs I mean of course they miss they miss no they McDonald’s and Naz they and then they miss Kyle Anderson in last

Couple games so that’s three really big important players for for the for their team um even even even I think even without them in the plays they they they they put up the fight they were they were in the game every they actually won the

Game over there and they had them had a shot for overtime here the last game The Last the fifth game so they have a talent they they know how to use the talent uh and they have really build like they build really good Conley’s played such an important part in your

Career when you see him in the building tonight do you enjoy that do oh yeah of course him he’s he has a great energy always positive guy that uh I think his biggest problem is the his job you know I think people look at him as a general manager

Or whatever I think he’s a really good person a really good guy and uh if he doesn’t do this job people kind of be like him even more you know um for for me right now it’s kind of easy because he’s not he’s my friend right now he’s not even my gender manag

Or whatever so I can talk bad things to him and we can have we can have we can have a fun but um it’s always good to see him you know great person because he is your friend you you like beating him even more and he like you or no I mean

They have a they have a couple guys they were here fintry Micah uh Monte is all their team you know it’s always good to it’s always good to beat to beat uh team that they have a our last I say boys coaches players but they got they got us

Tonight Minnesota is the only team in the league to hold you guys under 100 points multiple times this season um what makes their defense so tough um I mean their number one defense in the whole NBA uh they have a Personnel really build uh they can they can do a

Lot things defensively they can um literally do do whatever they can switch one through five they can be a drop they can play small boy but they’re really not small uh they can play Big you know they have so many uh variations and they have a really good Defenders you

Know they have a you you know they say like Anderson is kind of slower but he’s so intelligent and he’s using a to to take the space and he has a good hands uh and andt who a freak of nature and who can be on the ball and do bunch of

Things Rudy of course NZ they have a they have a really good uh I think they have a really good Personnel that’s figh they number one in uh defense in the NBA with that just with us like eight games left to go in the season for you

Guys now and I know that you guys have have talked about the the one season before you guys now dropped the three just has your perspective at all changed on whether you guys need the one seat or not just heading to I mean I really don’t know

Like if you want to pick and choose who you’re going to play I think that’s not a good thing I never did that I mean I think you you should go there and Win Every Game and uh you know beat the best probably uh so I just want us to to to

Play good and to be healthy that’s the most important thing thank you thank you guys just from your perspective what what happened with the team just starting in the first half and just how you guys got down uh we came out got punch in mouth lot phys more physical

Team looked like a lot hungrier um I don’t know they just they played well together collectively so um you can tell their mindset they want to come in here they made a very much play playoff atmosphere they came in here and tried to punk us and I was very successful in the first

Half um proud way we came out in the second half competed but uh it was a little too late is this the point in the season with 70 plus games play where it’s like sometimes you have it sometimes you don’t and you guys are just trying to get to the finish line

And stff the play um possibly but hopefully we um we come and change our mindset hopefully we can get right coming up this weekend um yeah we we we’re definitely not doing exactly what we want to do we want to Trend in the right direction we want to

Play our best basketball you could say a 70 plus games I understand it’s hard to have energy um guys are tired everybody around the League’s tired but especially a match up like this um understanding the magnitude of it honestly um the playoff Chase playoff race um for

First a team that we’re battling with so just very disappointed with the way we came out in our approach but um said happy the way we came out in the second half but we got to be better with as physical as they were defensively and

Just what Rudy does as a as a pain protector just how difficult was it to sort of navigate the paint and then just get to there and create good shots consistently for for the team as well uh I think for the team is was of um him

Standing in the paint we know what he’s going to do but um personally I didn’t make enough shots especially at The Rim um when that was the challenge I got to be better uh yeah they had his discombobulated but yeah I think we if I make a couple more

Shots honestly at The Rim then rotations probably start changing a little bit we start getting even more open wide wide open shots um I think the last two games we just haven’t um shot the way we’re accustomed to but uh like I said uh putting pressure on the basket just got to find

A way to finish and then I think it’ll open things up especially with a team who rely so much on their length their physicality right there and uh really having Rudy go be anchor them at The Rim I think we can get some finishes then you know Mike can get some guys like

Mike can give some real Great Looks um a lot more of our wings we get some shots you know for second unit Christian Payton just get guys comfortable but uh we just want to get healthy and start trending in the right direction you guys have shot pretty

Poorly from three over the course of these last two is there something connected to that just in terms of not necessarily getting the right be look sort as something Happ we play fast we we we’re aggressive I think we we’re not shying away from shots but um just find

A way to generate some better ones um I like everybody to be aggressive everybody to shoot their shot but I think we just get some easy basses earlier whether it be layups seeing the ball go through the rim um I think getting some more defensive rebounds I think we’re getting stops but we’re

Allowing teams to get too many offensive rebounds I think if we sh that up we can get transition like I said get some easy layups um get guys discombobulated um cross matched and then get some better looks but we got to find a way to finish off this finish off our stops

Um when we make guys miss um complete stops by getting defensive rebounds which fills our offense by allowing us to get transition there are a number of guys on this team a year ago said Minnesota was as tough as team as yall the playoffs are they better than they were a year

Ago or the same or what you see any difference uh biggest difference probably that they know that they’re sending I think last year was they’re putting the project together um and Edwards is another year older um year wiser uh I think they’ve implemented NZ Reed well I think Rudy’s comfortable now

This situ ation Mike connley was phenomenal I think guys are just more cemented in their roles they’re more comfortable um I think they believe more they actually I don’t think they think um the playoff push that they gave us last year was a fluke um I think it just

Gave them confidence so they’re definitely a team to look out for a team trending in the right direction a team on up and up but um you love games like this you love to um measure up see where you’re at especially uh before you get into the

Playoffs so it was a good test um like I said it’s tough that we got our butts handed to us tonight but um hopefully it’ll refuel us especially these last two losses against playoff teams um potential playoff match up so um we just got to get back to the draw board we got

To find a way to get some shots to fall but really continue to play great defense play with energy and just finish out finish from defensive possessions you’ve seen a lot in this league what impresses you the most about and The passing Lanes allows them to stay in passing Lan more allows them to stay on the perimeter more um allows them to try to take away thre so yeah it’s it’s working we just got to hit shots um you know what shots the coverage at they in you know what shots

You’re going to get you just got to hit more of them but um if you’re not hitting them yeah they’re very lengthy um young athletic energetic and he allows them to kind of he allows them to play free he allows them to play their strengths especially guys like Jen

Daniels um guys like Anthony Edwards you want to get in past the lanes you want to push up be aggressive uh do a great job of you know protecting Mike it allows Mike to be very handsy on the perimeter as well um always been one of the better perimeter Defenders um in

Understanding so yeah we understand they’re going to switch and it’s going to be pretty much a matchup zone so we got to find a way to um beat that and then got to find a way to be better when yic just posting up or spacing and giving him Outlets

Uh I think that’s been a struggle for us the last few games like understanding how to give him Outlets our spacing so that he can make easier reads and then we can have great shots and we can get great ball movement body movement um behind the play after he initiates one more

Question all right cool thank you re no problem

Nikola Jokic, Reggie Jackson, & Michael Malone Press Conference after Denver Nuggets 111-98 Loss to Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, & Minnesota Timberwolves. Nikola Jokic on his wrist and if he plans on taking any games off said, “I really trust the medical staff and our doctors. We will see.” Reggie Jackson said, “They had us discombobulated.” Michael Malone said, “That first half, we deserved to be booed off the court.”

Timestamps:
0:00 – Michael Malone
7:11 – Nikola Jokic
14:10 – Reggie Jackson

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