The Denver Nuggets destroyed the New York Knicks on Thursday 129-92, coasting to a 22-point lead at halftime and only growing from there. Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, also a former Knicks assistant coach, felt for David Fizdale, who's tasked with developing his players while getting wins with a cumbersome roster.
“I give Fiz credit,” said Malone, according to Chris Iseman of USA TODAY Sports. “His job is a tough job. We all know that. That comes with this job and that comes with this city. But he has them playing hard. He has them fighting. And that’s something that I think he deserves credit for. Very tough, very physical, very hard playing team.”
The Nuggets shot the ball extremely well, facing little resistance from the Knicks and connecting on 56.3% of their field-goal attempts, including 53.8% of their threes. Denver outrebounded and out-assisted the Knicks by 15, showing the stark contrast between a Western Conference contender and a bottom-of-the-barrel Eastern Conference team hoping to climb off the cellar.
Fizdale has a tough job with his edict, as the Knicks (4-18) are once again likely to wind up as one of the worst teams in the league while the development of his young players is only going so far without some Ws in the column. Fizdale dressed all 13 players in this 37-point massacre, but that is unlikely to matter much as the Knicks still try to find a way to snap an eight-game skid.
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