The Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks battled it out on Thursday night. The last time the two teams played one another, the Nuggets were thoroughly embarrassed by the Knicks, as they lost 122-84.
Things were different this time around. Even though the Knicks were without OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, they still managed to keep the game close. In the end, the Nuggets would end up victorious, 113-100.
The Knicks are one of the most physical teams defensively, and they gave the Nuggets fits at times. Offensively, they're also rather intimidating, thanks to talented point guard Jalen Brunson. For this matchup, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was tasked with guarding Brunson.
This was no easy feat, but Caldwell-Pope held Brunson to a respectable 26 points on the night. This was rather impressive considering Brunson had two 40-point games on the Knicks' current road trip.
Caldwell-Pope elevates the Nuggets' defense
During his postgame press conference, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone showered Caldwell-Pope with praise. This isn't the first time Malone has acknowledged Caldwell-Pope as a first-team All-NBA defender.
“All the guys in the locker room, they call him first-team,” Malone said. “I just really and sincerely hope that the national media, and everybody else, really takes into account the job he does every night. We see it. I see it every day. He is an incredible defensive player.”
After every game, the Nuggets name one player the Defensive Player of the Game and they are given a chain. For this game, Caldwell-Pope was undoubtedly given the Defensive Player of the Game chain. This also isn't the first time he has been given the chain, as he's been the one Nuggets player who's received it the most this season.
“You don't stop a guy like Jalen Brunson. He had two 40-point games on this road trip. But I thought he [KCP] made him work for everything tonight,” Malone continued. “You can't say enough good things about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He's a pro, he's a leader, he's about all the right things. Completely selfless, and he goes out there and does his job every single night to the best of his ability. That's why we call him first-team, cause he is a first-team All-NBA defender in our eyes.”
Caldwell-Pope's history as a defender
It's no surprise that Caldwell-Pope is having success on defense. He's had a defensive rating over 105 for the majority of his career, via StatMuse. But in his two seasons with the Nuggets, he's performing at his best.
For the 2022-23 season, Caldwell-Pope posted a defensive rating of 114.7. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Caldwell-Pope had 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, three blocks, and even grabbed the series-clinching rebound to help the Nuggets earn their first-ever NBA Championship.
This season, Caldwell-Pope has a defensive rating of 115.3. He has been a key member of the Denver's defense, which is currently ranked second-best in the league.
With this continued success, Caldwell-Pope will find himself in the conversation for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
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