The Denver Nuggets began the new year exactly as they finished the last one. In a turnaround, they went through the Atlanta Hawks in a game that had plenty of scoring. Despite the Nuggets’ putting up convincing performances with a 139-120 win, putting Denver in the fourth position in the Western Conference, coach Michael Malone feels it was rather “embarrassing”.

Even as the Nuggets went into the break with a 74-71 lead, with great defenses, Malone was far from impressed. “Yeah, I mean, at halftime I just told our guys this is embarrassing. There were too many examples in the first half where we were literally just jogging back and it looks like we’re just trying to outscore teams,” he said in his press conference.

And to be fair, the Denver Nuggets don’t just have one of the most potent offenses, but when they score a high volume, they manage to win despite their questionable defense. In 21 games the team has scored 120 or more, they have only lost four times. However, Malone isn’t willing to settle for a few strings of games. He wanted to remind the team of the objective. And with a dream to lift the title again, playing defense is a necessity.

“If we’re going to be a team, that’s serious about winning at a high level and trying to make the playoffs and win a playoff series, you can’t just give up 70+ points in a half. You know, allow teams to outrun you in transition and crash the glass for offensive rebounds,” said Malone.

One of the reasons the championship-winning coach stressed playing hard on the defensive end is because he is aware of the Nuggets; potential. Offense has never been a problem. “We can score with anybody… But when we play some defense and rebound, we are just so dangerous,” Malone professed.

Interstingly, Michael Porter Jr. echoed the same sentiment in the post-game pressers, with him focusing on conserving their energy. He said, “Even last year we had a very clutch fourth-quarter defense but it would be better if we could string together more quarters so we’re not in certain situations, coming out ready to play and not conserving our energy.” He continued, “When we go into halftime and we regroup and we can see what we did wrong on film, we come out with more of a sense of urgency.”

Least to say, the message was well received. The Nuggets’ activity on the defensive end saw a complete switch. The Hawks scored below 30 points in each of the two quarters in the second half. Additionally, the Nuggets didn’t see a decline in their offense with their defensive tenacity.

Guys like Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook, and Strawther injected amazing energy on the defensive side, helping the Nuggets pull off a 19-point win.

The Nikola Jokić-Russell Westbrook experiment is thriving

In the offseason, the Joker who seldom makes any demands reportedly pushed the organization for the Brodie. Once the move was made, the NBA community had its concerns. Who handles the ball? Which of them is the primary playmaker? Such were the questions that arose given both the Joker and Westbrook are triple-double machines.

The answer that has come up so far this season is they both will do everything.

Tonight was the second game in a row that both Westbrook and Nikola Jokić logged in 10+ assists starting together. One game ago, both of them posted a triple-double. So far in the 29 games they have played together, the Nuggets have an 18-11 record while being a +4.7. For context purposes, if adjusted to 36 minutes, they are just as good as the celebrated Jokic-Murray tandem in terms of their cohesion together.

And Michael Malone too acknowledges the importance of having Russell Westbrook on his side. It’s not just his leadership, but Brodie plays with an insatiable drive to win games. Aside from his playmaking, Westbrook has also turned into a defensive hawk for the Nuggets, allowing guards to shoot only 26.3% from three-pointers.

No wonder Malone is thoroughly impressed by the former MVP. “He came here for one reason, and that’s helping us win a championship. And he hates to lose. That’s what also I love about him. He’s built the right way, and I’ll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day,” he says about him.

And it’s clear that with the team embracing him, Westbrook is enjoying his basketball and becoming a key figure for the Nuggets.