It speaks volumes about the respect Pascal Siakam is garnering throughout the NBA that the Denver Nuggets were OK with leaving one of the hottest three-point shooters in league alone, to be sure that Siakam couldn’t beat them with a last-second shot.
Twice on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Nuggets swarmed Siakam with multiple defenders, one of whom left Fred VanVleet open beyond the arc with the game on the line in the frantic dying seconds.
The Nuggets caught a break — VanVleet missed a game-winner in the final five seconds, and OG Anunoby’s put-back attempt was blocked — but it was far more luck than management.