The Denver Nuggets picked up a 119-115 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, but there is an increasing concern about opposing teams hunting Jamal Murray on the defensive end of the floor, and head coach Michael Malone spoke on what he believes Murray should do to break the reputation he currently has.

“I mean take it personal,” Michael Malone said, via Rachel Strand of ClutchPoints. “I mean that's what I would say. Take it personal. They're calling you out for a reason, and prove to them that you're not that guy, because in this league the streets talk. And if you're that guy you're going to be called up every night. So sit down, guard, and I thought Jamal had some really good possessions late in the game when they were doing that. You know Steph Curry is obviously a really tough cover. I thought the whole team tonight, because you don't guard him individually. With all the movement and the cutting, and his relocating, the guy never stops moving. I thought we did an outstanding job of guarding a guy like Steph Curry. Some of their other guys got off, but Jamal's just gotta stay with it. He didn't shoot the ball well tonight. Eight assists only one turnover, and like I said he had a huge block on Kuminga late in the game.”

Murray ended up with 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds for the Nuggets. But the concern was on the defensive side, of course. Nikola Jokic scored 38 points with 10 rebounds and six assists, while Michael Porter scored 22. Malone said he believes the Nuggets guarded Stephen Curry well, and he scored 24 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds in the game. He was the leading scorer for the Warriors.

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Nuggets fall short in NBA Cup

Despite coming away with a win over the Warriors, the Nuggets fell short of making the NBA Cup Playoffs. They finished with a 2-2 record, behind the 3-1 Warriors and Dallas Mavericks in West Group C. They ended up in third ahead of the 1-3 Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans.

Overall, the Nuggets are 11-8 on the season, which is not bad, but has them all the way down to eighth in the stacked Western Conference. Only four games separate them from the top spot in the conference. Up next is a tough road test against the Cleveland Cavaliers to start a three-game road trip.