Michael Malone Articles - Page 14

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been called out by fans for what they believe is a cheap shot in the injured shoulder of Portland Trail Blazers big man Enes Kanter. While Blazers coach Terry Stotts said that it was uncalled for, Nuggets coach Michael Malone came to his player’s defense and argued there was […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone never expected that Game 3 of their series with the Portland Trail Blazers will end up in four overtimes. With that said, he also never thought he would be playing Nikola Jokic for 65 minutes. The Nuggets lost to the Blazers, 140-137. Jokic — who finished with a triple-double […]

Denver Nuggets forward Torrey Craig made headlines when he suffered a broken nose in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. Craig received an accidental elbow in the face during the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game, causing him to bleed on the floor and be helped back to […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reflected on their Game 2 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He noted his team’s struggles but also singled out Torrey Craig as the unsung hero of the game. Per NBA TV, Malone believes that his team didn’t have the presence of mind to drive to the hoop knowing […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says when power forward Paul Millsap is playing well, it takes pressure off of star center Nikola Jokic on offense. Malone says because Millsap is such a dynamic scorer, when the veteran big man has it going, the Nuggets don’t have to force feed Jokic in the post all […]

Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic can do just about everything offensively. He can shoot. He can do work in the post. He can pass. He can dribble. He can make free throws. Obviously, that makes him one of the toughest covers in the league, and the Portland Trail Blazers will begin figuring out just […]

The Denver Nuggets and Michael Malone are moving to the second round. They booked their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals after dispatching the San Antonio Spurs in a nail-biting 90-86 victory in Game 7. After the series-clinching win, Malone applauded Denver’s improvement on defense, especially on threes, per David Aldridge of The Athletic: This […]

If there’s one thing Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone proved in their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, it’s the fact that Nikola Jokic has what it takes to be a Hall of Famer one day. The Nuggets are in a do-or-die situation as they head to the must-win Game 7 against […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says he’s ready to play star big man Nikola Jokic 48 minutes in Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Malone says there’s no point to save Jokic for anything because their season is on the line. Michael Malone says that he’s not afraid to play Nikola […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone was unsure if San Antonio Spurs set an illegal screen on point guard Jamal Murray with ill intent. Though one thing is sure — he was not happy about it. As seen in the video below, after screening for the outlet to Derrick White, Poeltl flips the screen, but […]

Right after a Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone reflected on what went wrong. He came to a simple conclusion. Per NBA TV, watch the coach’s postgame press conference. Mike Malone cited how Nuggets turnovers and offensive rebounds for the Spurs led to a 22-4 San Antonio […]

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets produced an astonishing game in a losing effort against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. In a game that the Nuggets lost by 17 points, Jokic was utterly dominant – logging 43 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals in 38 minutes for Denver. Those 43 points […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is treating Thursday’s Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs like a Game 7. The Nuggets are up 3-2 on the Spurs and can close out the series in San Antonio on Thursday. Denver won Game 4 in San Antonio after losing Game 3. A focused Michael Malone at […]

After winning Game 5 which put them up 3-2 in their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets Head coach Michael Malone said that Gregg Popovich not being in the Hall of Fame is a ‘damn shame.’ Per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, Malone said in the post-game conference: “Why is Gregg […]

The Denver Nuggets were able to tie their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday, and head coach Michael Malone said that a huge part of their success in Game 4 was because of Nikola Jokic’s defense. In an interview with Mike Singer of Denver Post, Malone said he’s proud of […]

The Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs are currently tied in their best-of-seven series at two games apiece, and as they prepare themselves for the pivotal Game 5, expect both teams to make necessary adjustments to push the series in their favor. The Nuggets-Spurs series is undoubtedly the most competitive in these playoffs. Every time […]

With his team’s season on the line, Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone needed to make some changes. Malone boldly inserted reserve forward Torrey Craig into the starting lineup, replacing struggling forward Will Barton, in Game 4 of their first round series match-up against the San Antonio Spurs. The former G-League standout proved to his […]

If Game 3 was the Derrick White Game, then Game 4 has to be the Torrey Craig Game. Reserve forward Torrey Craig gave the Denver Nuggets a much-needed spark to propel them to an important Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, 117-103. None of this would have been possible, though, without Michael Malone’s […]

For the second time in this first-round NBA playoff series, the Denver Nuggets saved their season against the San Antonio Spurs. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was focused on that reality, not a larger piece of the Nuggets’ bitter history in San Antonio. Denver knotted this Western Conference quarterfinal series at 2-2 with a 117-103 […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone is considering making lineup changes ahead of Saturday’s crucial Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs. Hours after the Nuggets dropped Game 3 to the Spurs, Malone told The Denver Post’s Mike Singer that he will consider all options in terms of making changes in Game 4 to give […]

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets by a score of 118-108 in Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Thursday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was not happy with the Nuggets’ effort during the loss, saying that some of the players […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says referees are letting San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl get away with setting moving screens. The Spurs blew out the Nuggets in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead in their first round series. Malone says the refs allowed the Spurs to play a physical game […]

Will Barton’s shooting struggles have now plagued him for three straight games and while Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone decided not to bench his starter, he made no promises when it comes to fourth quarter minutes. So Barton was benched for a second consecutive game against the San Antonio Spurs, due to a lackluster […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone has no intentions of benching forward Will Barton after two poor-shooting games this postseason, claiming he won’t overreact to a brief slump through the early part of this series. The transition specialist shot 1-of-10 from the field on Tuesday and 6-of-15 on Sunday’s Game 1, combining for a woeful […]

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray saved his team’s season on Tuesday, as the sharpshooter scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to help Denver erase a double-digit deficit and defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2. Murray obviously has his elite basketball skills to thank for his epic performance, but the youngster also […]

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 […]

Following a disappointing playoff debut for Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray on Saturday, he came back with a vengeance in Tuesday’s Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs. Thanks, in part, to Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s faith in him. “He was so frustrated at halftime at not making shots, shots he’s made his whole career,” […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone felt bad for Will Barton after the home fans booed him in Game 2. After scoring 15 points in the Denver’s Game 1 loss, Barton stunk up the joint with just three points on 1-of-10 shooting — including 0-of-6 from 3-point distance — in Game 2. The 28-year-old swingman […]

The Denver Nuggets will look to bounce back after losing Game 1 of their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday. The Nuggets came into the postseason with the second-best record in the Western Conference, but they were outplayed by the seventh-seeded Spurs despite their homecourt advantage. Head coach Michael Malone told Denver […]

Jamal Murray has been one of the Denver Nuggets’ driving force this season. Being the perfectionist that he is, however, the 21-year-old is still constantly looking for ways to further improve his game. In this respect, Murray himself admitted that he believes Nuggets head coach Mike Malone ought to be harder on him. Murray set […]

The Denver Nuggets have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this year. After barely making the playoffs last season, they earned the two seed in the West this time around, pushing the Golden State Warriors for the conference’s top overall record until the final week of the regular season. Much of […]

Much of the Western Conference playoff seeding remains undecided. But the one team that truly controls its own fate is the Denver Nuggets. Owners of the second seed in the West, the Nuggets can clinch their spot with more win. Doing so, however, could result in a second-round playoff match-up with the dangerous Houston Rockets. […]

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a short night for his team, but the veteran head coach made sure that he will have a share of the postgame spotlight. Popovich crashed into the postgame press conference of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. No, he did not do it in a disrespectful manner. The […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone is not one for trickery. With his team two games back of the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference and also a game and a half ahead of the Houston Rockets for the second spot, Malone was asked whether or not he is the […]

The Denver Nuggets will likely get home court advantage at least in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. However, Nuggets coach Michael Malone is not taking any chances in their remaining games this season. While other playoff teams are expected to rest or limit the minutes of their key players in their upcoming […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has addressed the recent concern for Nikola Jokic’s intensified emotion over foul calls (or lack thereof) on the basketball court. Jokic, 24, was ejected from Sunday’s 95-90 loss to the Washington Wizards after arguing a no-call late in the game with referee James Capers. The play involved Wizards forward […]

The Denver Nuggets swept the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, but Denver head coach Michael Malone doesn’t think that matters if the two teams meet in the 2019 playoffs. The Nuggets and Thunder could face off in the first round of the postseason. Many believe Denver would easily defeat OKC since they had so much […]

Jamal Murray buried a couple of clutch baskets down the stretch and sunk the game’s last two free throws to keep the Detroit Pistons from staging a 27-point comeback win. The Denver Nuggets led by 27 points at the half after limiting Detroit to nine points in the first quarter, to Mike Malone’s joy, but […]

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic has received an outpour of support from the entire league, ranging from teammates to opponents, yet even his former head coach Mike Malone has been on top of the news of his recent injury, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. The Denver Nuggets head coach, […]