Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone criticized his team for being selfish after their disappointing loss to the Portland Trailblazers. As per Mike Singer on Malone's reaction to the game:
“Couldn’t even get my full question out. Malone said there were no positives. Said they got their ass kicked again. No silver linings whatsoever. Said they played selfish basketball when the game flipped in the second quarter.”
The Nuggets fell to their fifth consecutive defeat after losing the game 119-100, and there won't be much for Malone to be happy about. His team was poor defensively in the first quarter which finished 33-27 to the Blazers. The Nuggets had a total of eight first-quarter turnovers, which points to some of Malone's disappointment.
Jeff Green and co. attempted to mount a comeback multiple times throughout the game, but by the fourth quarter they found themselves too far behind. The Blazers entered the fourth quarter with a 90-79 lead, and it took a while for the Nuggets to get their game going. By the time they found their groove, it was too little too late.
The number of turnovers Denver committed on the night can explain the selfishness that Malone was unhappy about. By the time there were four minutes left in the game, the Nuggets had already committed 17 turnovers. To put this into perspective, Portland only committed a total of 9 turnovers the whole game.
Currently 8th in the Western Conference standings, the Nuggets face the Milwaukee Bucks next, who are starting to pick up pace with a four-game winning streak. Michael Malone will hope that between now and that Bucks game, his team can get some sense of teamwork going.
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