SALT LAKE CITY — Motivation can be a cruel and fickle mistress.
Technically, the Nuggets didn’t have anything to play for Saturday afternoon, having already clinched the No. 1 seed in the West. Yet the decision to trot out their regular starters suggested otherwise.
A slow, disconcerting start gave way to a more promising finish even if Denver’s reserves faltered in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets finished the road portion of the regular season with a 118-114 loss, dropping their record to 52-29.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone, owing to Utah’s 59 rebounds and dominance in the paint, was disgusted.
“Maybe I’m just wired a little differently, man, I’m (ticked) off right now,” Malone said. “… The moment you think that losing is OK, it’s just another game, that starts to seep into who you are, the essence of who you are. And I heard a long time ago, there’s two types of people, those who like to win and those who hate to lose.”
Denver ends its regular season on Sunday, at home against Sacramento, in front of their fans. Considering that Denver’s starters all played three quarters, there’s no telling what Sunday’s depth chart might look like.
Malone said he’d go home, watch film, “talk to myself” and figure out a plan for Sunday from there.
MVP Nikola Jokic took just five shots but impacted the game in myriad ways. His 10-rebound, 10-assist double-double suggested his recent calf injury wasn’t too alarming. Jamal Murray, despite a nagging thumb injury, buried 20 points and dished five assists. On numerous occasions, he appeared to grab this thumb out of habit and discomfort. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rebounded from a recent shooting slump with six 3-pointers in one of the highlights of the game.
Aaron Gordon added 15.
“It’s not so much about motivation,” Gordon said. “It’s more about continuing to build good habits. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.”
The fourth quarter was reserved for more valuable development time for Denver’s promising rookies, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. Utah outscored Denver, 29-19, over the final period.
Caldwell-Pope opened the third quarter with his fourth 3-pointer, further underscoring that when the postseason hits, one of Denver’s most consistent two-way players will be fine. Caldwell-Pope has been a foundational piece of what the Nuggets have accomplished this season but had recently struggled due to an ongoing illness. Saturday, he snapped out of it, letting his triples fly with confidence.
Though the Nuggets’ defensive intensity waxed and waned, a discrepancy that won’t work in the postseason, Denver’s snipers made it rain in the third quarter. Led by Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets knocked down eight 3-pointers in the quarter. Michael Porter Jr. and Murray found their stroke from outside, as did Gordon. Denver’s 40-point quarter gave it a 95-89 edge entering the fourth quarter.
Jokic and Murray eased into the game with a handful of baffling turnovers. Porter wasn’t engaged defensively and missed most of his open 3-point tries. Instead of calling a timeout after the Jazz reeled off a 15-2 run to start the game, Malone seemed to want to let his players either figure it out or own the embarrassment.
The second quarter offered a different level of engagement from the Nuggets’ core. Murray played with more panache, on both ends, and Jokic started picking apart Utah’s defense. Murray and Caldwell-Pope drained five 3-pointers in the first half, buoying a 36-point second quarter. Denver trimmed what was once a 19-point deficit to just 58-55 going into the break.
And the body language, on both Denver’s players and Malone, finally picked up after an ignominious start.
