Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone didn't hold back in criticizing Nikola Jokic and the rest of the team after their embarrassing 21-point loss to the West's bottom seed Houston Rockets.
The Nuggets started well and actually appeared headed to another solid win against the Rockets, even leading by as much as 10 points in the game. However, they failed to keep the momentum and collapsed in the final frame as Houston staged an insane 38-18 fourth quarter.
Only Michael Porter Jr. breached the 20-point plateau with 23 points, while the rest of the team struggled connecting their shots. In fact, Jokic had a forgettable game with 14 points and 10 rebounds. While the MVP contender stuffed the stat sheet with four assists, two steals and three blocks, his eight turnovers were really costly.
In his postgame presser, Malone slammed the team for their effort and emphasized that another first round exit is waiting for them if they continue to play like they did on Tuesday. He also called the team's performance “soft,” per Mike Singer of Denver Post.
“If that's the way we're going to play, we'll be out in the first round,” Malone exclaimed.
True enough, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets cannot play like that at this point of the season. With just a few games left before the playoffs, they should be preparing to compete at a high level and maintaining good winning habits. However, here they are losing to literally the worst team in the conference.
As Michael Malone said, how can they expect to go on a deep playoff run if they can't even beat the weakest team in the West?
The Nuggets still have three games left to prove that the Rockets loss is a fluke. If they don't improve, what Malone said might just come true.
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