The Denver Nuggets season was in jeopardy when they fell behind by as much as 19 points to the San Antonio Spurs in the third quarter of Game 2. They needed some sort of motivation to will themselves back into the game – and the series.
With their backs against the wall and a 19-point deficit staring them in their face, Nuggets head coach looked to the Los Angeles Clippers' historic comeback the night before for some inspiration, per Nick Kosmider of The Athletic.
Malone said he reminded the Nuggets, when they were down 16 in the third quarter, what the Clippers did one night earlier.
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) April 17, 2019
In case you didn't know, the Clippers mounted the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history when they overcame a 31-point deficit to steal Game 2 of their playoff series against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
While the lead wasn't as huge as what the Clippers had to go through, comeback from 19 down is still very impressive. In fact, the Nuggets had to erase two separate 19-point deficits throughout the contest.
Denver fell by 19 in the first half after a Demar Derozan technical freebie put them up 42-33. The Nuggets made a run to cut the lead to as low as six in the second quarter, but the Spurs closed the first half with a 10-point cushion.
San Antonio went on another run in the second half. They had the Nuggets by their throats after Rudy Gay completed an and-one play to once again put them up by 19 with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter.
This is where Malone, apparently, used the Clippers card to motivate his players, who were mostly first-timers in the playoffs. This obviously worked as the Nuggets outscored San Antonio 55-27 from that point on to secure the much-needed 114-105 victory.
No one needed this spark more than guard Jamal Murray. Murray had been going through a rough stretch after a dismal ending in Game 1 and an abysmal Game 2, where he scored just three points through the first three quarters.
Malone pulled him to the side for an inspirational talk, and this gave him the confidence he needed to spark their run in the fourth quarter. The spitfire guard pretty much salvaged the Nuggets season as he scored 21 of his 24 points in the final period.
The series now heads over to San Antonio, where the Nuggets haven't won since 2012, for Games 3 and 4.
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