NBA 2017/18

"Litvanija je bila nula, Lianđelo i Lamelo je stavili na mapu"

Bol kaže da za Litvaniju pre nego što su Lianđelo i Lamelo stigli u Vitautas niko nije ni čuo.

"Litvanija je bila 'nula'. Niko nije ni čuo za Litvaniju. To je sada sve što vam izlazi iz usta, Litvanija, Litvanija, Litvanija. Jer su se braća Bol pojavila u Litvaniji. Stavili smo Litvaniju na mapu. Niko nikada nije mislio o njima. Tamo sad imate dva tinejdžera i sve oči uprte ka njima", rekao je Lavar Bol u razgovoru za ESPN.

Why Denver Nuggets’ defensive conundrum has Michael Malone “questioning my whole being as a coach”

Denver has won 10 of its last 14 games, but ranks 28th in the NBA in defensive efficiency during that span.



Upon returning from the all-star break, Nuggets coach Michael Malone showed his team a series of graphics that outlined its recent offensive and defensive numbers that are eye-popping for opposite reasons.

Only Houston and Golden State are putting up points more efficiently than Denver over its 14-4 stretch, which includes a 7-2 mark so far in February. But the Nuggets are piling up wins despite being ranking 28th in the league in defensive efficiency (113.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) over that same span.

With 22 regular-season games to play, is this style sustainable for the 33-27 Nuggets? Malone doesn’t believe so, but acknowledges his team’s run has left him “questioning my whole being as a coach.”

“Obviously, I want our offense to stay where it’s at,” Malone said. “But I do know, I don’t care what anybody says, for us to win and to win at a high level and to win consistently … our defense has to find ways to improve.”

It’s reminiscent of last season, when the high-powered Nuggets missed the playoffs by one game because “we couldn’t stop anybody,” Malone recently reminded. Denver entered Monday’s action ranked dead last in opponent field-goal percentage (50) over its past 14 games. Ten consecutive Nuggets opponents have shot 50 percent or higher for the first time since 1991, a trend the coach called “alarming.”

The errors have varied from game to game, though stopping the pick and roll and isolation plays have been problematic for Denver all season. The Nuggets often switched during Sunday’s 119-114 loss to Houston, leaving big man Nikola Jokic guarding MVP frontrunner James Harden outside the 3-point line and perimeter stopper Gary Harris trying to cloak athletic post Clint Capela.

At times, the Nuggets have lacked discipline while defending straight-line drives, while closing out on shooters or while communicating with each other. They have let opposing stars go off, with Harden’s 41-point outburst Sunday following a 38-point effort from San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge. They’ve fouled at an uncharacteristically high rate, as Houston’s 32 free-throw attempts and San Antonio’s 39 both rank in the top 3 for Nuggets opponents this season.

“We can make them get to another part of their game that’s not their go-to (option), especially in fourth quarters,” Denver big man Mason Plumlee said. “We’ve got to make other players beat us.”

The Nuggets have been missing three of their best defenders — Plumlee (strained calf), forward Paul Millsap (wrist surgery) and wing Torrey Craig (hamstring strain) — for much or all of this defensive slip. But Malone also describes his team as one that currently “picks its spots on when to defend.” Denver held the Spurs to 19 fourth-quarter points in a Feb. 13 win and to 4-of-13 from the field in the last nine minutes of Friday’s victory. Houston went 9-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-5 from 3-point distance Sunday, but that was not enough for the Nuggets to overcome a double-digit deficit.

Malone assured his team has been receptive to his message that the defense must improve, again citing last season as an easy reference point. He can also draw on his experience as an assistant coach in the postseason, when the pace typically slows down and opponents take away preferred methods of scoring during a seven-game series.

That’s why, despite the results, Malone does not believe the Nuggets’ current style is sustainable.

“Right now, it’s just back and forth, layup lines and we’re outscoring teams,” Malone said. “That is not going to help you down the stretch going into the playoffs.”