After a Game 1 loss that saw the Denver Nuggets fall behind in a series for the first time in two years, Nuggets coach Michael Malone hoped his team would respond with a win in Game 2 to tie the series. Instead, Denver came out flat and was blown out by the overwhelming Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Game 2 loss puts the Nuggets in a nearly impossible position, with the defending NBA champions needing to win at least one of the next two games in Minnesota to force another home game back in Denver. After the lopsided defeat, Malone spoke to the media and gave his assessment from the sidelines.
“They kicked our a–,” Malone said. “It's gonna be a challenge [coming back in the series]. The body language of our guys is not where I think it needs to be, but we just got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans. The good thing is we don't play until Friday. We have a chance to kind of get away and think about what we want to do moving forward. I'm not worried about anything other than trying to win Game 3, and really, just trying to win the first quarter of Game 3 and build it from there, take it one quarter at a time.”
Michael Malone, Nuggets ‘frustrated' by 0-2 deficit vs. Timberwolves
In his post-game press conference, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone admitted that he felt his team “lost control” of its emotions in a decisive Game 2 loss, which featured Jamal Murray throwing a heat pack onto the floor and Malone himself getting in the face of an official.
“Frustrating night and the frustration creeped over, and I thought we lost control of our emotions a little bit tonight,” Malone said. “We have to have a little bit more poise when they're going on a run, when we're not getting calls, whatever it may be. You gotta be able to handle that, read the game, react to the game. I felt as a unit tonight it wasn't great. We can definitely be better.”
Despite the 0-2 deficit, which only six teams in NBA history have overcome after dropping their first two home games, Malone said that he had not lost hope in the series.
“We got outcoached, we got outplayed,” he said. “You can feel sorry for yourself or you can do whatever you can to try to be better come Game 3, and that's my focus, is rallying these guys to continue to fight. No one said it was gonna be easy. Right now, we understand that.
“My hope is yeah, we're down 2-0, not ideal. But it's a long series, first one to four. Can we find a way to believe in each other, believe in ourselves, and win Game 3? That's all that matters.”
The Nuggets will now travel to Minneapolis, where they will need to win at least one of the next two games to avoid what would be a shocking series sweep. If Denver does lose Game 3, the team would need to pull off the unprecedented feat of winning a series after trailing 0-3. No team in NBA history (out of 154 instances) has ever done it,
Game 3 is set to tip off on Friday at approximately 7:30 p.m. MT.
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