What we learned about the Nuggets-Mavs matchup

What we learned about the Nuggets-Mavs matchup

The unfortunate part of being great in clutch time is that sometimes the clutch time doesn’t go your way Denver loses to the Mavericks in a weird game we’ll talk about it plus the MAV the matchup and uh some Silver Linings all that more on locked on nuggets you are locked on nuggets your

Daily Denver Nuggets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome to locked on nuggets your daily de nuggets podcast part of locked on network your team every day thanks for joining us making this your first listen being an everyday as they say hanging

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LinkedIn / lockon NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply my name is Matt Moore I’m the senior NBA writer for the Action Network joined by Adam mahrez from dnvr coming to you after the Denver Nuggets take a tough loss versus the Dallas Mavericks on

Sunday in the ABC showcase game uh back and forth Affair we’ll talk about it we’ll break into Parts we’ll talk about all the details 107 105 Mavericks get the win on a Kyrie Irving left-handed Skyhook runner at the buzzer uh in a a really fascinating game in which more

Than one person kind of commented this on Twitter that I saw of the the the Nuggets online community Adam that they were like you know what they probably didn’t deserve to win this one with how they played and the fact that they still had a chance to win is probably a

Testament to how good Denver is I have some thoughts on the clutch stuff but I’ll go ahead and get your big pitchure thoughts on the loss of the Mavericks I mean it was bound to happen Denver we 13 games into this post Allstar break uh you know portion of the

Season and it just shows you how hard it is to have extended runs you have these games where you play with fire and Denver by the way has had a handful of them of these 13 games I think I don’t I don’t know off the top of my head it

Feels like eight of them have been phenomenal Denver has just been phenomenal maybe they’ve had a bad stint here or there but for the most part they haven’t had bad quarters they’ve had a couple where they had bad quarters this Phoenix game the Utah game you know

They’ve had these ones where they let their foot off the gas this was one of this was probably their sloppiest and least inspired game of of the 13 and maybe that was the ma I thought yoke was pretty passive I think he was more frustrated with the physicality of the

Game and I and it you know it seemed like that got to him um but it just was a poorly played game and yet they get to the clutch the energy goes through the roof you just saw that they were able to channel this energy for the final five

Minutes of the game where it was like oh now they are sprinting up the court now they’re like going after everything and grabbing rebounds and making plays and I for a second there I thought man this nuggets team is unbelievable they can play bad against a good team for this

Long and still get a win and I think they felt that way too but you sometimes you play with fire and you get burned and tonight I just a weird Bounce from Murray shot and then obviously a phenomenal shot from Kyrie to flip this one the other

Direction yeah so I think I’ll I want about the clutch thing for a second which is which is this um I saw in the Seth part now who we both know and uh heed to work for the bucks and he does analytics work for dunon and the

Athletic and he he’s done a lot of work on clutch stuff and one of the kind of conclusions he’s going to come to is he know talk about he put this to me this way um clutch performance is noise unless it isn’t and what he means by

That is I I know you’re rolling your eyes but here’s kind of like I talked to Seth about these things too I just disagree with him on it on this on this take this is like this is a very much of a a I have with what sort of the analytics

Community but go go ahead explain the problem but also one thing he has kind of mentioned though is he’s mentioned like well look it’s possible that like Denver it’s more indicative because Denver’s execution is higher like if you’re a poor execution team and you just happen to win in the clutch that’s

Probably noise but Denver’s not that they’re a high execution team that wins in the clutch which I think matters but one of the the key things to kind of understand is it’s really good to have the ability to play in the clutch like the nuggets have in their bag but there

Is always inherently we saw this in the Suns game and in my opinion this one there is just the yeah no if it’s close Two Shots go sideways and that’s it like you can ex Denver but Denver won the clutch minutes by a lot yeah right so

The thing is is they were so far behind they were down 13 points like they they’ put themselves in such a hole that they ended up playing with the fire there but it wasn’t like they weren’t able to execute in the clutch they ex no I agree

I think that what I’m more trying to indicate is just like hey if you’re to be in close games like you are going to like you’re going to have to accept like yeah you’re going to lose some right like it’s it’s never the the goal is

Always to have it as a tool in the bag and not something you rely on I do think that that I don’t even think it’s that hold on let me interject because here’s what I think about the clutch I think it is reveals for most teams and certainly

For the Nuggets it reveals their ceiling like that’s what they look like when they are fully focused and dialed in that’s why I think it’s important and I think there are teams that are not like that in the clutch and you think yeah when the game gets more intense more

Focused as it goes on and some teams seem to execute better and see some teams seem to execute worse Denver was great defensively in the clutch last year and it was one reason I was so adamant and I think it’s actually when Seth and I first had a discussion about

This that’s one of the reasons I thought Denver’s gonna be good defensively in the playoffs they are when it matters and it’s like yeah but that’s noise I said I don’t think it is and then the playoffs happen yeah and and that really is I do think that that’s kind of part

Of it is like they and maybe there’s something valuable to this that they do turn on like the the playoff gear whatever it is flip the switch however you want to use the terminology that they do it regularly enough to understand still what it means like they

Never get far enough away from it that they forget kind of uh the ups and downs of it um but let me ask you about the final nuggets possession um they drop and leave they basically or they they double cover yoke um somebody mentioned that AG was open on the finale oop by

The way phenomenal job by dmvr of nicknaming it the finale oop that’s just shout out yeah it’s just unbelievable um what did you think about that final possession were you comfortable with the shot that Murray took and it just didn’t go in how did you feel about that final

Possession for Denver I I am not as bothered by it as most people are because I know a lot of people are saying you should get the last shot there and it’s true you want to um but it’s hard that’s like harder to do than people realize this happens a lot by the

Way when a team has 24 seconds on the clock that they end up taking a shot and there’s a rebound and there’s like one second or two seconds left three seconds is a lot 2.8 is kind of on the higher end but again here here was the point I I

Brought up on dmvr and I think it’s to me it’s the only thing I think about this Denver’s closing thing is the pick and roll but the pick and roll needs space it needs time because if you jump out on the ball handler you need time to

Deliver the pass and then you know like you most teams in those moments go to ISO and the reason is ISO is much easier to control the time like you literally hold the ball until the clock runs out and it’s like okay one second left I’ll

Shoot it it’ll take a second to get there Denver doing the pick and roll and Dallas going to yic and I don’t think they did this like they wasn’t Galaxy brain they just yoke scored they were like overloading on yoke Murray ended up being open with five seconds left on the

Clock and he kind of had to take it I mean so to me I’m not bothered by it other than it’s a very very specific example of a time when Denver maybe should go against the Twan game if there is exactly 24 seconds on the clock and

The game clock and shot clock are the same it might actually be more valuable to go to the just go to yic on the elbow let him hold it until three seconds left and then decide are they doubling okay pass if not all right somore Shuffle

Okay all right that that tracks uh on the other side we’ll continue this conversation let’s hit the rebounding problems for Denver the physicality uh with the new way that the things are being efficient quote new way that things are being officiated um as well as come of other reactions from the

Nuggets lost to the Maverick with that on the other side when we return on locked on nuggets when you’re hiring for your small business you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role that’s why you have to check out LinkedIn jobs LinkedIn jobs has the

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Locked on NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply we’ll be right back on locked on nuggets back here on lockdown thanks for joining us making this part of your day uh one more question I have on this uh the the last play Adam offensively for

Denver okay um what is your opinion on does Nico yic always need to touch the ball in the in a possession that is tied the nuggets are down by a possession or the nuggets are up by a possession on the final shot like does he always have to touch it no I think

Jamal has proven himself in those moments and again like this is the thing about the Twan game and why it’s so deadly is the defense makes choices no matter what the defense has to make CH there’s no perfect coverage you either shade a little bit more to yoke a little

Bit more to Murray a little bit off the corners a little bit off AG some decision is made and Dallas didn’t make a subtle decision they made a loud one they doubled yoke he was wide open it was a wide open shot honestly it was the easiest shot of the fourth quarter for

Jamal and it’s the one he missed yeah I’m I totally agree I just think that’s that that was a re Jamal’s more than earned that respect earned it he’s earned it and I have no problem whatsoever with it um I want to ask about the rebounding so that was the

Other kind of key in this one as the Dallas Mavericks did dominate on the glass today got so many more possessions this was a like a crazy uh game in terms of I want I’ll kind of get to that in a second but uh in total in this game um

The Mavericks had 23 Second Chance points to six for Denver 20 and 23 is kind of a good number relative to the rebounds they got I think they got 21 offensive rebounds so they scored on about half 22 actually they scor in less than half they were 10 of 22 on Second

Chance of points there you go um so Denver has historically been like an elite defensive team in terms of defensive rebounding that’s always been uh their kind of identity is that they have always dominated on the glass uh this season opponents are the Nuggets ranked 16th in opponent offensive

Rebound rate so they’re just kind of in the middle yeah they’re average um what do you chalk that up to what did you see today and how much of a problem do you think it is going forward to me this is all about Dallas is a team that

Stretches you out and they have athletic guys that crash the boards hard I mean Gafford that’s what he does he rebounds and in particularly offensive rebounds but you have a bunch of guys like Derrick Jones Jr and a bunch of guys that just crash from the perimeter so

They spread you out spreading you out playing Five out levels the playing field for size on with regards to offensive rebounds specifically because it means you’re bigs are out on the perimeter guarding pick and rolls and running out at Shooters and then everybody it’s like a free-for-all when

You’re clustered around the paint the big guys get to clear out space box out clear out space and grab it but when you’re spread out speed becomes as important as size and I just think that’s the challenge that they present and I think when you play five out

There’s going to be a higher variance on Second Chance points because you’re more dependent on where the ball bounces and you know like they got a good bounce tonight um Denver was flat footed I mean this is the thing is Denver did not it was a c minus effort at best from Denver

For three and a half quarters and so I it’s hard to judge them I think too harshly on this because there were some flat-footed you know box outs what do you think that’s they like it’s hard to to judge them too harshly on this one it’s like yeah they it’s

Like yeah they were bad rebounding because they didn’t try very hard well that’s what I mean I when I don’t say judge them I mean judge how like sustainable that is for Dallas that that’s the part that’s hard yeah like I have a hard time getting kind of getting

Worked up about the idea that the nuggets are going to have a huge rebounding problem over the course of a seven game series in a playoffs in particular that’s like not a weakness of Denver’s yeah it’s never been it’s never been that but uh Malone’s screaming about the rebounding was was really kind

Of funny quite honestly um I’m looking at some of the numbers the bench unit was particularly bad with offensive rebound percentage um yep C is this right geez okay the Mavericks rebounded 73% of their own uh misses within the 10 minutes as Z played tonight and Malone

Was furious with him and in particular like that he called a Timeout on one possession where Zeke and this is what I mean about flat footed because again some of these are just bad bounces some of them spread you out but the Zeke one the stretch there in particular is one

Where you’re like Zeke you got to want it as much as whoever it was you’re going up against wanted it they just seem to want it a little bit more um yeah so I I have a hard time kind of believing that that’s will be a sustainable problem but it does kind of

Show you like look you better put in the attention to the details a lot of this is like yeah they won’t do this in the playoffs but if they do then yeah they’re going to lose like that that’s where I kind of come down to on a lot of

These things where but at the same time I still am kind of like so let me get this straight uh they got killed on the offensive glass they got absolutely destroyed on the offensive glass Jamal and and Joker uh really struggled especially um in terms of like passivity

And dealing with the officiating um the Mavericks did all of these different like had all they shot poorly that’s the one negative is they didn’t really make threes tonight yep yep all those type of things but like all these things occurred Denver played I thought terrible pick and roll coverage

Like you talk about being flat-footed this to me is like such an indicator and it’s it’s one of the things that’s frustrating me when I see reactions to Denver’s defense when it’s like look how easy this is I’m like yeah when Denver doesn’t execute it’s easy um like I did

Not feel that that on any of the screens they were playing at the level I just it this is one that not not a fan but as an regular Observer that covers this team every day I will at least to this that I get really bothered

When I’m like come on guys like put some pressure on the ball like when they come up and pick and roll and they just kind of stand there I’m like what are you like now you’re doing the worst of Both Worlds you’re not back so you’re not collapsing the paint you’re just giving

Them a lane like Kyrie had Kyrie and Luca had so much space to throw bounce passes to hit the short roll and if you do that like that’s you will get killed that’s how the Nuggets were bad for so many years defensively and they got so

Much better at it over the years and they just weren’t good at those things today yeah it was a lethargic game for Denver I mean on all accounts I do give credit though to to Dallas I think they’re a tough cover they’re an offense that is going to make a lot of defenses

Look bad I just think Denver probably had a little bit more you know more that they could have offered on the defensive end than the yeah I mean look I’ll say like I’m a little higher on Dallas than I was I don’t know three weeks ago maybe

Um in that you’re buying the dip yeah they were really good three weeks ago they yeah they were really good and I was trying to tell all Mavs fans I was like you’re not going to keep doing this and Mavs fans were like we’re going to

Win 52 games and I was like no you’re probably going to slide that’s how this works and then they did but with the recent performance I’ve actually been like man I don’t know like they’re T like they do have a lot going for them I love what they’ve done at the center

Position like I just really like Lively and Gafford as the options to put in pick and roll consistently um and like Kyrie gives you there are all these possessions like I focus so much on the half court stuff uh that whip ahead as for the Kyrie transition three which I

Believe was for the lead at late in the game yeah that’s like a huge possession that’s not like a oh let’s run a really cool set it’s just like Luca dones makes a great pass Kyrie Irving is a guy that can hit a transition three like those are plays that’s just like basketball

Stuff that that helps you a lot even beyond that Matt I think the only buckets to the last like six minutes for Dallas was Kyrie and Luca like they both had three-pointers they both obviously he had the game winner they as much as they ran their offense and you get kickouts their

Offense is going to mostly come down to those guys as shot making and they’re two of the best in the NBA I mean they make incredible shots yeah um let me ask you this would this game have been better if uh we had seen AG at the five

Yes okay but I mean just moderately I look that I I it wouldn’t have made like the biggest difference but I do think there was a very that that stretch for the for the bench in the fourth quarter where they couldn’t grab a rebound I felt was a deflating stretch because

Denver needed to make a run and when you get stops but don’t clear the board it’s just one of those things that’s like super demoralizing yeah yeah um on the other side we’ll wrap up the discussion we’ll hit some of the positives from this game and we’ll look ahead kind of

Big picture as we look at where the Nuggets stand with these final 15 games or so to go we’ll do that up next here on locked on nuggets right now I’ll let you know about Stitch fix you know that instant confidence boost you get from an outfit

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Fire TV channels app all right final segment here with Adam mahrez here on a Sunday night world’s finest after a rare nuggets loss um I mean look I here here’s here’s what’s what’s what’s funny is like the Nuggets lost a late season game to a western conference quote unquote

Rival um in a really tough game and yet it’s it is kind of it’s like I might I do kind of shrug at this one where I’m just like yeah like hey they’re going to lose sometimes breaking news they’re not going to go undefeated every single game for the rest of the

Regular season but I’m also not like one of the things that I’ve been trying to really stress in a lot of uh the ways I talk about the Nuggets is I talk about the margin for error right and like the Gap how wide it is how comfortable what

They can afford to lose etc etc the key with that is simply to indicate that I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught in like they’re the best team and this seems really obvious and in my my experience those things are very rarely true but I’ve also tried to

Stress over and over and over again like Denver has the most championship equity and like the last five minutes of that game to me are just proof of that where it’s like yeah Jamal miss a wide open look he’s gonna hit most times and if not like that game probably go ends up

Very differently and just this one of those games and that happens and it’s absolutely zero I think reflection of of anything about um Denver’s flaws if there was something in this game that I was really concerned with like we would talk about it I can’t find anything from

This game that I’m like oh oh man this could be really tough for them not that they won’t lose game guarding Luca is tough yeah I mean that that part of it like I think L what did he have tonight 37 points um you know he was awesome and

I just I don’t Aaron Gordon I think can do a much better job than he did tonight especially in ke moment the shot that he made to tie the game Denver goes up three with 30 seconds to go and you’ve got to make like think about it if they

Score a three and they make it but it takes nine seconds you’re it’s perfect because now you don’t have that 24 second they gave up a catch and shoot three because Aaron Gordon was sagging off it like you you effectively gave up no time and now you get into the spot so

To me there are little margins where I think Aaron Gordon can do a better job Denver can do a better job but Luca the one thing I will say and give the MS is Luca is would would Feast against Denver the way he feasts against every team but

He would Feast against Denver in a playoffs I actually like they went to a sequence late where they actually had Jamal guard him on that postup that he missed and the more I thought about it when I saw it I like the look of that the best well that’s what you’re gonna

Get they’re gonna they would hunt Murray there yeah maybe um I’m always a little bit curious because I’ve seen some weird stuff out of Luca with his hunting decisions not that they’re bad just I think that honestly I just think he’s really cocky and he’s like bring me your

Toughest Defender I will destroy them and make them and make them suffer um but I actually like I really like that look because it meant that kcp could help off and he’s the best at helping recover and then I like having AG to help out on the glass there like I

Actually kind of like the look of Jamal guarding Luca maybe that would get bad if they guard if they put those two in pick and roll with with Nia but even then like I just I trust Jamal and and joic to execute um two on ball better in

Most situations I mean even tonight like they like I said earlier they made some great shots but to your point it is different the way most teams including them get their shots in the clutch versus Denver Denver gets you know the ball’s moving and they’re getting like really high leverage ball movement shots

That make you work Luca missed that step back you’re talking about which is a good shot and it’s comfortable that you can get at any time but I still think that’s below the type of shot Denver gets usually from their two-man game so I I think I agree with you on that point

As great as Luca is though but but he will Feast but I do trust that if you can get this game within four points in the clutch Denver’s going to pull it out you know eight out of 10 times um I left some room in this in

This last segment we get into some different stuff officiating wise one what do you think of how games are being officiated currently and two in this game in particular um what do you think give me your thoughts just on like the officiating and jokic’s response to it

In the whole thing well I didn’t like jokic’s response the thing is is that yoke should enjoy the new NBA like he should and I think he should take advantage of it I thought that that Dallas got a Draymond whistle tonight with yoke I mean they were especially

Physical but I thought it and I thought Denver like the game was physical but obviously teams are going to try to go even more at yoke because he’s the biggest guy on the court Lively and I thought in particular kba kba is the type of guy that frustrates him the most

Because it’s like PJ Tucker he’s so much at a size disadvantage that the uh line for what’s allowed physically is so high it’s so elevated because it’s like you’re giving up 40 pounds you get to lean on him get to do this one and I just thought yoke lost it a little bit

Tonight mentally like he was so clearly frustrated there are multiple plays where he’s berating an official and you know it is concerning but I would say in a playoffs if this was a matchup I think they’re going to be allowed to be more physical than this so yoke would have to

Me I was a little disappointed in how much it it bothered yoke tonight he’s gotten too used to the other NBA he’s gotten too adapted to the other NBA um it’s funny because like there was so many possession session where I saw Luka doing the complaints

That he still just complains so much um it’s also been crazy one of the things that’s been really notable is that um with the free throws being down two players that you would think would really struggle under these conditions would be Luca who griffs a lot and Shay

And their scoring has remained flat because both of those guys have simply been like oh man I’m not getting fouled okay I’m just going to have to score more efficiently I’ll just do that then like I thought ER Gordon took two tough calls though in the fourth quarter of

This one I thought the one where Luca ripped the arm up I thought that’s the exact call that allegedly the NBA was trying to get rid of because honestly one I didn’t I thought Denver could have challenged that one it’s tough when it’s a judgment call but I thought Denver

Actually could have because even with the rip through I didn’t know if there was contact it looked like there wasn’t actually contact from Ag and then two I thought if you made a referee look at that one it would be like hey isn’t this the thing AG’s arms are like this the

Whole way Luca reaches around goes like that and throws the ball at The Rim so I actually and then there was another one I think a pump fake that he got AG on where I thought AG did a good job of staying vertical and then Luca leaned

Into him that one more 5050 but again I thought those were the types of calls that the NBA was saying hey we got to stop this because some of the stuff is not like real basketball I thought those were the ones someone mentioned in the chat that Lucas scores the most non-f

Free throw points in the league that’s true um I would just say that Luca is always working for those fouls anyway like he does manages to do both he he’s insane man luuka is insane some of the threes hit tonight were just absolutely conkers it’s absolutely wild he is on

One this year like this is a it’s a phenomenal season um all right Silver Linings uh mpj and Christian Brown two guys that you kind of singled out what did you see tonight that was encouraging from a nunet perspective well Michael Porter’s confidence just remain Skyhigh

That’s that’s huge um you know he waxes and waines and games he did that tonight he had good stretches and bad I think that’s what you get with your Shooters um that’s not just Michael Porter that’s every play I mean kcp you get that right

You get hot streaks and then you know he disappears for a while but Porter shooting quicker shooting more confidently and then doing everything I mean he had two blocks two steals tonight to go with three assists which we’re not even talking about mpj having three ass used to be three assists that

Was a career high now he’s getting two or three every time so I just think Michael Porter is in um you know knock on wood I just feel Michael Porter since the All-Star break it’s the longest stretch of consistently highlevel basketball that he’s played and that’s a

Super big he’s leveled up man and you know and look I’m as someone I don’t know I say this about pretty much every young Nuggets player where it’s like I was skeptical of them like yeah I’m just skeptical of all guys when they start um but mpj I think in

Particular I I have a lot of respect for I’ve talked so much about how impressed I am with how he’s sacrifice for this team and what’s cool now is that he is starting to layer in all of the stuff that would projected to make him a star

Too so it’s like he’s doing the things that he needs to do and then he’s adding the star stuff on top top of it he is scoring more consistently he is working more and finding shots he is like those types of things and he’s playmaking and he’s doing the little things and he’s

Defending like he’s been really great he’s had a phenomenal season um I want to get your thoughts what do you think of pton Watson tonight obviously struggled in the from the rebounding perspective a really quiet night for him what what what are your kind of thoughts on on pwat in this

Matchup nothing positive stood out to me not a whole lot negative other than the rebounding but I just thought it was a quiet night from him I’ll have to go back I don’t I don’t have like strong Patt takes I thought Christian Brown was really good in this game but pton Watson

I didn’t really have I didn’t feel great or terrible about it yeah so Christian uh 10 points four or five from the field hit a three in this one actually hit threes that’s a big big deal yeah step back like that’s a big deal for him um

It’s look uh I I say all the time right like veteran players will have good months and bad months well you know second year players maybe that’s the same thing too like he had a rough couple months and he talked a lot early on about his ankle injury like limiting

Him and he just looks like a different guy since Allstar he just looks very much like the type of player that everyone was excited for him to be at the start of the year he looks much closer to that now yeah he’s I mean I think it’s just focus I mean honestly I

Think I think Christian this year probably hoped and expected an expanded role and I think the early part of the year was trying to expand his role and I think right now he’s playing like he played last year which is extremely limited role but that’s probably the one

That’s for him defend and your shots will be obvious you’re not gonna have to guess is this my shot or not they’re obvious and you can make the obvious one I I love fiveish he’s always in our comments and I love the guy but I gota

Push back a little bit here he says Malone being mad about rebounds when he doesn’t put out line up the rebounds good um the Nuggets I don’t think have one without joic yeah the lineup is if there’re something about DeAndre like you can’t put DeAndre in a five outs

Luca pick and that would have he would not have been in rebounding position yeah no and you can you know maybe maybe Kyrie no Luca minutes you can get it with with DeAndre maybe maybe just because like Kyrie’s gonna take a b like Kyrie’s just gonna take the shots that he takes anyway

Um but he can’t do it with LCA absolutely not and the kind of stress here is like yeah you got mad you know why because the whole thing is like look guys if we’re gonna play small like this we got to rebound like that’s the area of weakness it’s like that’s the

Coaching side of it is like we’re we ha if we don’t rebound I can’t play this lineup and if I can’t play this lineup like that messes with our whole rotational structure so it’s important to kind of understand the difference between between those two things if you

Address the problem by being like let’s put DJ out there to rebound which as much as I love DeAndre Jordan and I want good things for him to be quite honest with you the numbers have not born out that the rebounding is better when DJ’s on the floor like it just doesn’t track

I think can’t play pick all he can do when pick and roll is Drop Like if you’re saying that you are conceding Luca pullup threes and Kyrie pullup threes in those moments like I so I don’t get it I don’t think that DeAndre could have played um you’re just trading

One you know one whole for another yeah one ho in your def folks asking me uh in the chat are you at your parents house Matt I am indeed uh coming to you live from my parents basement as a true blogger should be um my uh kids haven’t seen my folks

Yeah so I drove I drove the 13 and a half hours to get here across the last two days uh breaking news Kansas is still so so far apart it’s such a long State um okay so I think you and I are pretty much agreement on this that there’s not there’s nothing there’s

Nothing really cautious no cautionary tales to take from this game um I think I I will say that maybe the luuka thing because he is so dangerous does warrant like a little bit of being on guard against this matchup just because he is so singularly spectacular like I

Okay here’s a good question here’s a great question I think Adam who are you more concerned about in the playoff series Luka donic or Kevin Durant Luca yeah that’s a good I think I think all those teams are equal though to me and by the way I think there’s a really good

Chance the MAV the Mavs are the seven seed and I think there’s a really good chance Denver’s the two seed so I think there’s a good chance that these two teams match up um I will say one thing on the Note tonight that I didn’t notice Luca and Kyrie both played 40 minutes

Tonight yoke played 39 so it’s not like they set far off but like AG played 34 Murray played 36 it’s just and a game that came down to the literal last two point8 seconds that those things matter you know the extra four like you’re not I don’t think luuka plays significantly

More than 40 minutes in a playoff there is um there’s always things that can happen in these last 16 games maybe team completely in the tank and things change I’m open to those possibilities I’ve seen them happen before but based off a probability and how I kind of track the playoff races I

Will tell you um there’s a very very high probability we’re gonna get clippers Pelicans as a four five that one seems like so yeah like it’s getting closer to a lock yeah and so that impacts I think a little bit of when you start to think about like what’s the

Nuggets playoff path G to be if they get the one that’s your second second round matchup is whoever ever comes out of Clippers Pelicans four five um I’m bad because I don’t I don’t think I don’t no I I don’t think de needs to duck any match up I don’t think there’s

Anything they need to avoid I don’t think they need to be like we don’t want to face this or that or the other I’m just more like hey if they get the one they’re gonna face the winner of the Clippers four five but so just like as a

A housekeeping thing I I actually my prediction Matt is that before too long it becomes clear that OKC is the one and that the Clippers are the four and I think that the two3 becomes the focus but the Nuggets play the Timberwolves three times in the next three weeks and

Starting on Tuesday and I just think that is going to be the battle and I think Denver should win it Denver should win that with how banged up they are and what the role Denver’s been on so that’s why I think it feels right now like oh the one seed all these different

Possibilities but I think it’s actually going to become more narrowly focused of okay we just got to beat down Minnesota and by the way there’s always a chance you can gain three four game like two three games on Minnesota going down the stretch of the final five which would be

Valuable because you would love to not have to Sprint through the the final round so I think there’s a lot of this to Denver if you just take care of your games and beat Minnesota all three times you probably create enough separation that you can be smart about how you

Approach you know getting ready for the playoffs I agree all right it’s G to do it for Lon nugget thanks for joining us appreciate you guys being with us hurricane you’re absolutely right Nebraska is worse than than Kansas appreciate you guys being with us have yourselves a great week sowi I be with

You tomorrow and then Adam and I will be back on Wednesday with me here from my parents basement thanks for joining us we’ll see you guys again next time on locked on nuggets

Luka Doncic shines and the Nuggets’ lethargy is too much to overcome despite a furious clutch time comeback in a loss to the Mavericks. Is Denver’s clutch time reliance “playing with fire?” Plus, should Joker have touched the ball on the final possession, why Denver got crushed on the glass, and what makes Luka Doncic such a tough cover. Plus, playoff matchup thoughts and MPJ’s continued emergence. All this and more on Locked on Nuggets.

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