Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Adelman, Porter, Westbrook
After letting a 22-point fourth quarter lead slip away, the Nuggets turned Saturday’s Game 4 against the Clippers into an instant classic, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Nikola Jokic‘s desperation three-pointer was badly off target, but Aaron Gordon was able to catch the ball in the air and dunk it with a tenth of a second left on the clock (Twitter video link from the NBA), giving Denver a 101-99 win that ties the series at 2-2.
“Air balls are really hard to defend against,” Gordon said. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Officials took a long look at video replays before determining that the game-winning shot counted. Referee Zach Zarba said in a pool report interview that the ball had to be fully out of Gordon’s hand before the buzzer sounded and the red light went on. Frame-by-frame analysis showed that it was, but just barely.
“That (game) is going to be on NBA TV someday,” interim coach David Adelman said. “… I’m glad it’ll be on Nuggets day and not Clippers day.”
There’s more on the Nuggets:
- With Russell Westbrook unavailable due to inflammation in his left foot, Adelman leaned heavily on his starters in Game 4, Durando adds in the same piece. Jokic, Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray and Christian Braun all played at least 42 minutes and no reserve saw more than 13. “Trying to find breaks at the right time. Using the TV timeouts as best we can,” Adelman said in outlining his strategy before the game. “You hate to use timeouts to rest players, but sometimes you have to do that in these games. … It’s Game 4. We’re down 2-1. Our main people, they’re gonna roll. They’re gonna play a lot.”
- Six technical fouls were handed out in an altercation shortly before halftime (Twitter video link from Bleacher Report), but no one was ejected, per Law Murray and Tony Jones of The Athletic. Porter briefly left the bench area and ran onto the court before an assistant coach pulled him back, which means he could face a one-game suspension and a fine of up to $50K. “Sorry. I didn’t know the specific rule. I’m glad I didn’t make it very far,” Porter said (Twitter video link from Clippers beat writer Joey Linn). “… To see my guys get in it like that, I’m just glad I didn’t make it very far. The coaches and my teammates were aware. Because I wasn’t fully aware of any type of rule, but I’m very thankful that I did not get tossed from this game or anything like that. Definitely a learning experience for sure.”
- Westbrook was noncommittal when asked about his status for Tuesday’s Game 5, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. After calling it a “trick question,” Westbrook’s only comment was, “I’ll be in the building.”
Russell Westbrook Ruled Out For Game 4; Michael Porter Jr. To Play
The Nuggets won’t have Russell Westbrook available as they try to even their series with the Clippers later today, the team announced (via Twitter).
Westbrook has been dealing with inflammation in his left foot that limited him to nine minutes in the Game 3 loss on Thursday. He contributed just three points, one rebound and one assist and didn’t play in the second half as Denver trailed badly on the way to a 34-point defeat.
The teams split a pair of close contests to begin the series, and Westbrook played a large role in making the games competitive. He had 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes in the opener and made several huge defensive plays down the stretch as the Nuggets won in overtime. He followed that with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist while playing 23 minutes in Game 2.
Game 5 isn’t until Tuesday night in Denver, so Westbrook will have a couple of days to rest as he tries to get back on the court.
Injuries are taking a toll on the Nuggets, but the team confirmed that Michael Porter Jr. will be available for Game 4. Porter hurt his left shoulder late in Game 2 when Kris Dunn landed on him while they were chasing a loose ball. Porter was able to play 35 minutes on Thursday, but he shot 2-of-9 from the field and was limited to seven points.
Nuggets Notes: Rotation, Westbrook, Porter, Murray, Gordon, More
The Nuggets are banged up, but they don’t have much time to adjust as they find themselves facing a 2-1 hole against the Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, interim coach David Adelman has hinted at rotation changes.
Denver used an eight-man rotation to open the series, with Jalen Pickett playing sparingly as the eighth man. DeAndre Jordan and Julian Strawther have also seen a little action, while Hunter Tyson and Zeke Nnaji have been limited to garbage time and Vlatko Cancar and Dario Saric haven’t played.
Key reserve Russell Westbrook is questionable for Game 4 on Saturday due to left foot inflammation, Durando adds. He exited Game 3 after just nine minutes.
“They checked him out this morning. … So we’ll kind of gauge that as we go,” Adelman said on Friday. “And if Russ plays or doesn’t play, we’re gonna take a look at our rotation. We may play different people. See who can impact the game with how [the Clippers] are guarding and how we’re trying to guard.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- As we noted on Friday, Michael Porter Jr. was able to play the duration of Game 3 but was clearly struggling through a left shoulder injury he suffered in Game 2. According to DNVR Nuggets (Twitter link), Porter is officially considered questionable to play in Game 4.
- The players on the injury report aren’t the only ones hurting. In an appearance on NBA on ESPN (Twitter link), Andscape’s Marc J. Spears said Jamal Murray is working through an injury and that Aaron Gordon told him he could barely jump. “No one’s 100% right now,” Adelman said, per Durando. “Aaron’s not 100%. Nikola [Jokic]’s not 100%. Just like the Clippers. All their guys have ailments at this part of the season. Michael is one of our guys. He’s a mainstay here. If he’s available to play, he will play.”
- With their backs seemingly against the wall, Denver will need to get creative in how it attacks Los Angeles, Durando writes in another Denver Post story. “We got embarrassed today,” Adelman said after a 34-point loss in Game 3. “It happens in the playoffs. I’ve been a part of it before. I’ve been a part of the other side of it. The bottom line is, it’s one game.” As Durando writes, the Clippers have multiple lengthy defenders while the Nuggets don’t have many top-caliber shooters, allowing L.A. to at times triple-team Jokic.
Injuries Mount For Nuggets During Game 3 Rout
The Nuggets got off to a solid start Thursday night during Game 3 in Los Angeles, building an early seven-point lead. However, the Clippers quickly swung the tide of momentum and built a lead they would never relinquish during a 23-2 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and start of the second, writes Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
Denver ultimately lost by a final score of 117-83, a humbling defeat for the 2023 NBA champions. The Nuggets now find themselves facing a 2-1 hole heading into Saturday’s Game 4.
“We got embarrassed today. It happens in the playoffs,” interim head coach David Adelman said. “(We’ve) been a part of it before, been a part of the other side of it. The bottom line is, it’s one game, and (if) we come back (in) Game 4, we do the right things, (we) give ourselves a chance.”
While forward Michael Porter Jr. was able to play 35 minutes Thursday, he was clearly struggling with the left shoulder injury he sustained late in Game 2, scoring just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. After the game, 26-year-old said his shoulder issue is normally a four-to-five week injury and he felt very limited, estimating that his left shoulder was around 20-30 percent healthy, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who reports that Porter suffered a Grade 2 sprain.
Porter said he played Thursday because he was told the injury wouldn’t get worse unless he sprained it again (Twitter link via Shelburne), but he was noncommittal about his chances of suiting up Saturday.
“If I can go out there and feel more confident that I can help the team, then I’m going to play,” Porter said, per Benedetto. “If it’s still in a place like it is today, and I don’t feel like I can help the team at all, there’s no point in trying to go out there.”
To make matters worse for a team that’s already thin on the depth chart, backup guard Russell Westbrook didn’t play in the second half after dealing with left foot inflammation during his eight first-half minutes.
According to Shelburne, Westbrook turned his left foot during pregame warmups and attempted to play through the injury before being pulled in the second quarter. Adelman didn’t have an update on the former MVP’s status after the game, Benedetto adds.
Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Porter, Murray, Jokic
Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook haunted his former team on Saturday, hitting a clutch three-pointer late in regulation and making several game-changing defensive plays to close out an overtime win over the Clippers, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Westbrook, who was traded and waived last summer after spending the past season and a half in L.A., delivered 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the series opener while playing nearly 35 minutes off the bench.
“Russ is Russ,” interim coach David Adelman said. “Defensively he was absolutely incredible. He was playing free safety out there. I thought a lot of the reasons why the (Clippers’ 20) turnovers happened, even if it wasn’t him forcing it, just the way he was roaming around and impacting the game, it was great for us. Then offensively, a couple of times I thought he attacked, maybe we could have pulled it out and executed, but that’s what Russ does. He’s going to play in attack mode. I don’t think he’s going to change after 17 years. If he sees somebody in front of him one-on-one, he’s going to attack, and he made an enormous three in the fourth.”
The Clippers employed a common strategy against Westbrook, giving him plenty of room to shoot from the outside and shutting down his drives to the basket. He was only 5-of-17 for the game, but 10 of his points came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Westbrook didn’t want to comment on the Clippers’ approach to defending him, Shelburne adds, saying, “We can talk about that more when we take care of business.”
There’s more from Denver:
- Westbrook’s expanded role came at the expense of Michael Porter Jr., who scored three points in a little more than 26 minutes and left the game for good early in the fourth quarter, per Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Adelman explained after the game that his closing lineup will always consist of the five “playing the best at that time,” which leads to questions about Porter’s role for the rest of the series. “I’m going to say it again, like I’ve said last week — if Mike comes out, and he plays, and he’s engaged defensively, he’s knocking down shots — Michael will be out there,” Adelman told reporters, “just like everybody else in that locker room.”
- Jamal Murray was able to remain in Saturday’s game after a second quarter injury scare, Evans adds in a separate story. Murray landed awkwardly on his left leg while trying to defend a fast break and was unable to put much weight on it as he walked back to the bench. Although it seemed to affect him for the rest the game, the veteran guard still finished with 21 points and hit several key shots down the stretch.
- Game 1 featured a slight controversy as Nikola Jokic tried to wrestle the ball away from Clippers lead assistant Jeff Van Gundy and trainer Jasen Powell during a late stoppage in play (Twitter video link), relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. L.A.’s coaching staff was considering a challenge, which wound up being unsuccessful. Durando recalls that Jokic had a similar incident involving Suns owner Mat Ishbia in the 2023 playoffs. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it. … (Jokic) did what he needed to do to try to get the ball in fast,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But that’s smart. If a team has a chance to challenge, you want to get the ball in quickly. Tell our guys to do the same thing. But he is the best at it.”
Nuggets Name Ben Tenzer Interim GM
Speaking today to reporters, Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke announced that vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer has been named the team’s interim GM (Twitter link).
Tenzer was a minor league coordinator for the Nuggets from 2005-09 and a legal extern in 2012 before being formally hired by the organization in 2013 as its director of team operations.
He has since worked his way up the basketball operations department, serving this past season as the general manager of Denver’s G League team (the Grand Rapids Gold) in addition to holding the title of Nuggets VP of basketball operations. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link), Tenzer is considered a salary cap expert.
A report last week indicated that Kroenke himself would serve as the Nuggets’ president of basketball operations – assisted by Tenzer and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis – until the club hires a permanent replacement for GM Calvin Booth.
It’s safe to assume that Kroenke will still be the one signing off on any roster moves or personnel decisions Denver makes, but it sounds as if Tenzer will handle the day-to-day GM duties for now. With no trades or free agent signings permitted during the postseason, the Nuggets shouldn’t face any real roster decisions until this summer.
A full-fledged search for Booth’s replacement will be conducted once the Nuggets’ season comes to an end, Durando confirms.
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- During Monday’s media session, Kroenke disputed a report which stated the Nuggets have been reluctant to trade Michael Porter Jr. due to his ties to the University of Missouri (which Porter and Kroenke both attended). According to Kroenke, the Nuggets are willing to trade anyone to improve their roster, as Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette relays (via Twitter).
- Kroenke also pushed back on rumors that Russell Westbrook caused any problems in the Nuggets’ locker room, telling reporters that he “can’t say enough good things” about his experience with Westbrook and referring to the veteran guard as a “spicy ingredient” the team needed (Twitter links via Benedetto and Durando).
- Jamal Murray, who had only played for Michael Malone since entering the NBA in 2016, spoke on Friday about the dismissal of the Nuggets’ longtime head coach, as Durando writes for The Denver Post. “I think he’s done a great job of also setting the example for the group behind us — not just us but for the group behind us,” Murray said. “He always preached a lot of sacrifice and playing for one another and stuff, but I thought Coach always showed a lot of humility in himself. Always taking control of the room. Always hating to lose. He was always setting the tone in that regard. So it sucks to kind of see him go like that, especially the way it happened this late (in the season). But we’re still gonna remain in contact and stuff like that.”
- If interim head coach David Adelman leads the Nuggets to at least the second round of the playoffs, the team should give him the full-time job, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
Latest On Nuggets’ Dismissals Of Calvin Booth, Michael Malone
Team officials and players had grown weary of the disconnect between Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone. That, plus a desire to audition top assistant David Adelman for the head coaching job, led to the dismissals of both Booth and Malone, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Tony Jones report.
Booth wanted to fire Malone as the team struggled down the stretch but knew he no longer had the power to make that bold move because of his contract situation. In the last year of his deal after failing to sign extension with ownership, Booth figured he would have to wait until after the playoffs to dismiss Malone, depending upon how the team performed.
Instead, owner Stan Kroenke and team president Josh Kroenke chose to part with both of them. The Kroenkes had made previous efforts to repair the relationship between Booth and Malone to no avail and ultimately decided to get rid of the negativity that was affecting the team. The team’s most important players, including Nikola Jokic, had grown frustrated and weary by Malone’s fiery approach.
Having replaced Malone shortly before the regular season ended, Adelman will have a chance to show whether he should have the interim tag removed after the postseason. Adelman has the support of the team’s regulars due to his steady and calm demeanor.
The ownership group is also aware that Adelman, whose contract is expiring, could have other head coaching opportunities. The Trail Blazers are likely to pursue him if they decide to fire Chauncey Billups, league sources tell Amick and Jones.
Here’s more from The Athletic’s in-depth reporting:
- It’s expected that the Kroenkes will mull a possible reunion with Tim Connelly, the former Nuggets GM who took over as the Timberwolves’ top exec in May 2022. Connelly has an opt-out in his contract for this summer. However, it’s believed that the Timberwolves’ new owners, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, will try to retain him. If the Nuggets can’t pry away Connelly, they could instead make a run at Minnesota GM Matt Lloyd.
- Malone had more input on personnel decisions when Connelly ran the show. Once Booth took over, Malone had much less influence and that irked the head coach. Booth had considered firing Malone prior to the team’s 2023 championship run.
- Booth had extensive discussions with the Kroenkes heading into the season but chose not to sign what he believed was a below-market offer. However, Booth believed that an extension was a mere formality. The Kroenkes pulled their offer when the club got off to a mediocre start.
- As previously reported, Booth wanted Malone to give more minutes to the younger guys that he drafted, particularly Jalen Pickett and Peyton Watson. After the team was eliminated by Minnesota last season, Booth thought Malone should have expanded the rotation during the regular season to keep the top players fresher, while Malone thought Booth should have given him a more well-rounded roster.
- Booth’s offseason decisions to give Zeke Nnaji a four-year contract and sign Dario Saric further strained the relationship. Malone hasn’t used either player in the rotation in recent months. Malone’s decision to stick with Russell Westbrook, another offseason pickup, over Pickett also caused considerable friction.
- Westbrook’s future with the organization, even if he picks up his $3.4MM option, is uncertain. Adelman was quicker to sub out Westbrook for Pickett during the team’s win over the Kings on Wednesday. Jamal Murray is expected to return from his hamstring injury on Friday.
Latest On Firings Of Nuggets Coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth
The sudden firings of Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth blindsided virtually everyone around the league, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link). Windhorst said the moves were driven by the team’s ownership.
“Extremely shocking you would move on from a coach this late in the season no matter the circumstances, especially when he’s the winningest coach in the history of the team and led you to a championship two years ago, even if there were difficulties in the locker room or within the front office,” Windhorst said. “That he would not be allowed to have the playoffs to try to deal with it is very, very surprising.”
Moving on from Booth was much less eye-opening, except for the timing of the move. In fact, it was anticipated that this would be Booth’s last season in the organization.
“This was less surprising to the league, however, because Calvin Booth’s contract is up after this season. They’ve had negotiations throughout the season and it broke down, it wasn’t going well,” Windhorst said.
There was friction between the coach and GM, mainly due to Booth wanting Malone to play his recent draft picks more often, according to Windhorst.
Here’s more on the Nuggets late-season purge:
- The remainder of the staff held onto their jobs, at least through the rest of the season, The Athletic trio of Tony Jones, Sam Amick and Zach Powell report. David Adelman was named interim head coach. The assistants are all on expiring deals, however, which signals a much different staff could be in place next season.
- Expanding on the notion Booth was upset about rotation moves, The Athletic noted that Booth wanted Malone to play Jalen Pickett over Russell Westbrook during the stretch run. Booth was also unhappy that Zeke Nnaji, who was signed to a four-year deal, hasn’t gotten much playing time and that another free agent signee, Dario Saric, fell out of favor with Malone before December.
- The team’s defensive decline played a significant part in the recent rise in organizational frustration, The Athletic adds. Denver has lost its last four games, mainly due to defensive breakdowns.
- The coaches were frustrated by, among other things, recent front office-led additions to the coaching staff, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
- Nikola Jokic was informed of the decision earlier today before it was announced, Matt Moore of Action Network tweets. Jokic had not requested a change in the front office or coaching staff, though his frustration with the way the team has performed this season played a role in ownership’s decision-making process.
- A panel of ESPN insiders shared their thoughts on the firings, including how the moves might affect their playoff run and Jokic’s future, particularly since he’s extension-eligible this offseason.
- In an interview posted by the team and relayed by Nuggets reporter Katy Winge (Twitter link), team governor Josh Kroenke said he didn’t make a rash decision. “Having observed that group over a period of time there were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at different points in time. But they would get masked by a few wins here and there,” he said.
- Booth had a diplomatic response to losing his job, Jones tweets. “I don’t have any regrets. I did my job to the best of my ability,” he said.
- Negotiations between Booth and ownership regarding an extension was at the “one-yard line” early this season before Booth turned down Kroenke’s offer, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reports.
Nuggets Notes: Pickett, Jokic, Kerr, Westbrook
Jalen Pickett has received extensive playing time for the Nuggets in the first three games of the month. Pickett is averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.3 assists in 30.3 minutes per night and hasn’t committed a turnover in two of those three contests. “He’s proven himself to be trustworthy,” coach Michael Malone told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.
Pickett, a second-round pick in 2023, signed a four-year contract in July of that year.
We have more on the Nuggets:
- While Nikola Jokic is considered an offensive superstar, advanced stats suggest he has quietly become an elite defender as well, ESPN’s Chris Herring and Tim MacMahon write. They note that Jokic has finished first in defensive box plus-minus, which measures a player’s box-score defensive impact and value to his team per 100 possessions, for the past three seasons. He’s within striking distance of doing it again. “He knew that if they wanted to win at a high level and become a champion, he couldn’t be a liability. Now he’s become a strength on that side of the floor and learned how to anchor a defense,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “He literally willed himself to become better on defense.”
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr has high praise for Jokic, Eurohoops.net relays. “It’s unfair to compare eras, but he’s the best center I’ve ever seen. For one year, I’ve played against Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], I’ve watched him obviously. Kareem couldn’t do all this stuff,” Kerr said. “And again, eras dictate a lot of that. We’re in the modern era, and we’re watching a guy who’s doing things that nobody has ever done before. It goes so far beyond the skill level, it’s the competitiveness, the intelligence: he’s absolutely one of the smartest players ever, and you see it in so many different ways.”
- With Jamal Murray sidelined once again due to a hamstring injury, Russell Westbrook had a rough outing in a loss to the Warriors on Friday night, Durando points out. He shot 2-for-9 from the field and committed four turnovers in 20 minutes.
- Westbrook made a couple of late mistakes that proved costly in a double-overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night. The Athletic’s Tony Jones describes why the Nuggets need the best version of the veteran guard to make a deep playoff run this season.
Nuggets’ Malone, Teammates Stand By Westbrook After Costly Late-Game Sequence
Russell Westbrook didn’t speak to reporters on Tuesday after he had a major hand in a disastrous late-game sequence that cost the Nuggets a double-overtime win over the rival Timberwolves. However, his head coach and teammates weren’t willing to throw the veteran guard under the bus, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes.
With Denver holding a one-point lead and just 15 seconds left to play, Westbrook grabbed an errant Anthony Edwards pass and led a 2-on-1 fast break up the court (Twitter video link via NBA on TNT). However, his layup attempt was no good, resulting in the Wolves grabbing the rebound and getting off a last-second three-point attempt for the win.
Minnesota guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed the shot, but Westbrook was called for a foul, which led to Alexander-Walker making the game-winning free throws with a tenth of a second left on the game clock.
“(Westbrook is) a guy that hates to lose. … He’s a perfectionist and he’s a competitor,” head coach Michael Malone told reporters, including Durando, during his post-game press conference. “And knowing Russ the way I do, he’s probably gonna put a lot of this on him. But we lost tonight. The Denver Nuggets. We, as a collective group, lost that game tonight. Not one player.
“He’s a pro. He’s a warrior. He’s a tough kid,” Malone continued. “And I think he knows that everybody in that locker room has got his back.”
Malone’s assertion that Westbrook’s teammates have his back was reinforced by comments made by star center Nikola Jokic – who had an incredible 61-point triple-double – and Christian Braun.
“Why?” Jokic replied when asked if he would say something to Westbrook about the last two plays of the game (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). “What happened, it’s basketball. I’m pretty sure that he didn’t want to make a foul or whatever. It happens. He had the best (intentions). It happens.”
“We trust (Westbrook) to take that shot 100 out of 100 times,” Braun added. “So that’s not what lost us the game.”
Still, Troy Renck of The Denver Post contends that Tuesday’s costly 15-second sequence is the latest piece of evidence in favor of the Nuggets using Westbrook as nothing more than a spark-plug off the bench when their roster is fully healthy. According to Renck, Westbrook’s lack of “situational awareness” – exhibited by his decision to go for a layup after the steal instead of looking to kill more time on the clock – makes him a potential liability in late-game situations.
After primarily coming off the bench and averaging a career-low 22.5 minutes per night last season for the Clippers, Westbrook has started 35 of 69 games for Denver this season, with his playing time bumped back up to 28.1 MPG. The Nuggets have a -0.5 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a +9.1 mark when he’s not, prompting Renck to argue that the team shouldn’t be leaning on the former MVP so heavily.
Westbrook is in the first season of a two-year, minimum-salary contract that includes a $3.47MM player option for next season. If he turns down that option, he’d become an unrestricted free agent and the Nuggets would hold his Non-Bird rights.