Michael Malone hates the Nuggets’ defense. And his players don’t care. There is no other conclusion to draw after the Trailblazers torched Denver late Friday night.
The Nuggets were outmuscled and outhustled. This marks the first time this season they have lost both games of a back-to-back. And before rolling out the excuse that Nikola Jokic sat out with injury, it should be noted that Portland played without its top three big men and its leading scorer.
The Nuggets were torched because of a lack of effort. They don’t have a major problem. They have two.