The Nuggets could be riding a six-game losing streak, gutted from injuries and facing a daunting seven-game road trip, and it wouldn’t matter: Michael Malone would still find space for a good joke.
Following Friday night’s 11-point loss to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, Denver’s wise-cracking coach emphasized the only way to end the losing streak would be to commit defensively.
“In the last six games, I know for a fact we’re the 30th ranked defense in the NBA,” Malone said. “And that is a far-cry from the defense that we started the year off playing. And that’s why … I think Nikola (Jokic) might be Defensive Player of the Year.