With Nikola Jokic returning to the lineup after a three-game hiatus, the spirits were high in the Nuggets camp ahead of last night’s Mavs encounter. However, their confidence was quickly shattered after they got outscored by twenty points in the first half. Yes, they tried to make a comeback in the second period but the deficit was too massive to overcome. Of course, Michael Malone was not pleased with the squad’s performance and sent them a stern message after the tough loss.

Letting out his emotions about the team’s first-half struggles, he said, “I think in the first half, we gave up 44 in the paint. And I told our players at halftime ‘You know they’re on pace to score 88 in the paint.’ You know that had my blood boiling.” Obviously, they were missing their defensive powerhouse Aaron Gordon as he is still recovering from a calf injury. However, Malone understands that cannot be used as an excuse if they want to contend for a title. Other players need to step up.

In fact, they did step up in the second half and gave up much fewer points in the paint. But it was too little too late. And Malone blamed the loss on their first-half performance, “I mean it never comes down to the final five minutes. I thought in the first half, it was just really bad basketball by us on every front.”

When asked how he can prevent such situations in the future, he put the responsibility on the entire team’s shoulders, “I can’t do everything for these guys. I mean look, you’re professional athletes, we all have a job to do. So, everybody’s just gotta show up and do your job. We gotta understand who we are and the things that are non-negotiable… I will continue to do my job to help these guys get ready. There’s also responsibility on everybody in the locker room to bring it themselves.”

Nikola Jokic continues to dominate but Jamal Murray needs to step up his game

Despite the three-game absence, Jokic showed no signs of rust. He was clearly the best player for his team last night as he finished with a 33-point triple-double. But the rest of the team could not match his energy. Especially Jamal Murray, who only had fourteen points on an underwhelming 4 of 16 shooting.

Moreover, Murray has not played up to his standard this year as his averages have dropped from last season to 18.3 points and less than six assists. If the Nuggets wish to be title contenders again, he needs to step up his game and support Jokic as the second superstar. And the star guard even took accountability for his team’s struggles in a recent interview.

“I take full accountability. It’s not easy when you aren’t playing well. It hasn’t been easy with guys like Nikola and Aaron (Gordon) out. We were fully capable of winning these last games. But, for me, I have to play better. I have to take account for that. It starts with me.” Hopefully, he will put his money where his mouth is in the upcoming games and spark a turnaround for the Nuggets.