ALL Denver Nuggets Postgame Media vs. SAS🎙️

ALL Denver Nuggets Postgame Media vs. SAS🎙️

Yeah, they just uh moved the ball really well against us. The second quarter, I thought we sat down and guarded. I thought we were really physical in that quarter. Uh I thought the other three, we just played a pickup game with them. Uh so when you score 136 points and lose, uh that’s an issue. Uh so we’ve got to shore some things up. We got to compete better on that end. And I have to rotate guys through to find the the right five um that’ll compete defensively because I know we’re going to score and we score a ton all the time. Uh and then on top of that, what doesn’t help your defense is 17 turnovers for 30 points. So you couple that, you know, a struggling night on, you know, defensively and as of late, uh with terrible ball security and that leads to them coming back and beating us. You’ve called some of your wins this year professional wins. Was this an unprofessional loss? I would say that our focus was in and out throughout the night defensively. Uh when a team scores 85 points in two quarters and that’s not even what they score in 36 in the fourth, uh that’s an issue. Uh, so yeah, I just felt like we everything we had it seemed like was in the second quarter when we played basketball on both ends and then the rest of the game was just getting up and down and I know we had the lead, they came back, we took the lead again, looked like we were in control, but that’s not how you that’s how you win games. Uh, once you get the lead back, you have to button down and guard and we didn’t do that. They were able to gash you with some threes. Um, what’s kind of the balance just with shrinking against uh helping off of guys when when they’re hitting? Yeah, I thought actually it was their rollers. the rollers got behind and that led to, you know, kick out, spray threes with De’Aran getting downhill, uh guys trying to help on the roller on the rim. Uh so I just thought the point of attack defensively. We just lost the screening game. Uh they hit us over and over and over. Uh we have to understand that in this league you have to fight through that stuff. If that means you take some fouls, uh while they’re trying to get through middle pick and rolls or step-ups, you got to do that. Uh so I thought the zone was effective at certain points, especially in the second quarter. Uh we could have gone back to that more possibly. Uh but it seemed like we kept coming back. We we get two or three stops in a row and then our defense would disappear for minutes at a time. Uh that’s going to lose you games. You’re close with Tim Hardway instead of Spencer like you initially had Spencer and bring back in another offensive guy. Just what went into that decision is just just Tim getting hot at the right time. Yeah. And I just thought the way they guarded us with the cross match eventually they just flat out just didn’t leave Nola’s body. Um, and that led to Cam getting really good looks and Tim getting some looks, you know, with Cam getting 28 and then Tim being on that other corner. I just felt like, you know, between the two guys that made eight threes that makes the court feel very big with Jamal Murray with the ball. And again, like I I could have gone with Spence, but it was everybody tonight. They scored 139 points. So, whoever the hell I put out there, they were scoring baskets. So, we just got to be better defensively. Uh, that lineup at the end is a very good offensive lineup. Uh, but again, if you turn the ball over 17 times for 30 points, that’s 17 different times you didn’t shoot the ball to the rim. Uh, so that’s going to lose you games. David, I know offense wasn’t the issue, but is there any concern with Joker only getting 10 10 looks against the way they guard him? I mean, it’s if we win the game, I say we scored 136 points the way they guarded him. So, it’s uh, you know, I don’t think that was the issue. Uh, we’ve talked about how to attack that. Uh, he did a great job screen. He created twoon- ones, threeon twos, which led to a lot of the wide openen threes and Jamal Murray paint points. That’s why Jamal has 37 at the end of the game. Uh I thought we did a better job finding him in the pocket later uh in the game, which led to more, you know, ball movement because they stepped everybody up to his body. Uh so we’ll keep working on it, try to get him, you know, the ball at the nail where he can face up and shoot it. But when teams guard us like that, uh you have to win as a team. And if they’re going to put basically two people on him once you clear his pick, that creates four on threes and threeon twos. Uh, and other guys have to eat. Uh, so again, like I said, 136 and you lose. Very disappointing. It’s different from a team process perspective. What’s most frustrating for you in this loss? Um, repeat it again. Sorry. Sure. Just from a process perspective as a group, what’s most frustrating for you about this loss? Um, I mean just I mean we’re scoring well, playing well, moving the ball well. Um, guys coming in, playing hard, playing well. Uh, just, you know, the other team just making shots, making shots, and a lot of them are open. Where do you think the open shots are being generated the most right now? Corner wing. I don’t know. I don’t honestly I don’t know how they’re getting us open, but guys try to help each other and then we’re just late at the end of the shot clock and I mean Vazelle’s hitting shots. Um Champagne came hit some shots, you know, like those those hurt those hurt because we’re playing well. So, you know, comes down to defense, rebounding, extra possessions, one possession, one turnover, one steal. So, we got to figure it out. Jamal, coach was talking about the turnovers. Do you think that was more them causing the turnovers or was you guys just giving them up? It was 119 119 115. I think Yoke threw it down court to Tim. Turnover. They they score whatever. I think Zeke had a turnover. They score. I have a open floater. I turn over. They score. I mean, it’s just like, you know what I’m saying? We’re just kind of giving them opportunities where we have we don’t like we have chances to win the game. So, I think once we calm down and don’t turn over and throw the ball at the rim somehow, I think we win that game. So, you guys have been long been very good in these late game situations. has been one of your staples as a team. Just what do you think the is it new guys coming in? Is it different a mix? No, it’s not overthinking. We just lost. We just lost. I mean, we’ve been good for years. Can’t just be like, “Oh, we just we lost it.” Like, you know what I’m saying? We’re just we’re just giving up this the detail stuff that why we’re losing. And it comes down, like I said, one possession. Yoka’s contesting the rim. You can’t grab the rebound. Somebody else is going to crash whether it’s me or the guard or whoever it is. I can go down the line, but it’s like, you know, it’s it’s those small things that add up um to them having 139 and us having 136. Jamal, a couple days ago, you said the defensive success for you guys for as long as Christian and AG are out is going to come down to communication and having each other’s back, I guess. How would you rate how well you guys kind of controlled the controllables tonight defensively? Just I mean, it’s more one-on-one than is telling where I am on the I can say low man all that. Everybody can know where I am flow man. But you know we got to guard our guy. Um we got to give more help to we got to show more help to each other. Got to rotate a little better. But you know at the end of it’s not like we played a bad game. That’s the problem. If we played a bad game we lost and it’ be totally different conversation. Totally different mood. But we’re in the game. We’re playing well. We’re playing fast. We’re scoring. We’re efficient. But it’s just a couple possessions that turn the game. And that’s what happened tonight. And then real quick what on that that fall you had fourth quarter. What kind of happened there? Looked like you were tripped, but you feel no concern. You guys have also been very good on second night of back tobacks. What’s it going to take to kind of flush this one and and do well against Phoenix who’s been playing pretty well? Bring the energy. Put this one behind us and bring the energy. So many games the NBA can’t dwell on it, but it’s a way uh get some rest and then uh just bring the right energy tomorrow. You know, they’re going to bring energy. Done is going to bring energy. Colin’s going to bring energy. Um Book’s going to do what he does. So, you know, we we just got to we just got to bring the intensity and not let him uh come out the gate hot and and physical. You know, we got to be the ones that that want to get uh want to get the dub back. So, I think we will. You know, we’re in a good spot mentally. We’re a good spot physically, but like I said, today was a rough one because of how good we were playing, how many points we put up, and how together we were on offense. And then u we just gave up a little bit too much on defense. Appreciate it. When you reflect on this one and what went wrong, what’s most frustrating for you about this one? Just closing the game. Um being able to close games down the stretch, win them. Uh we just did a poor job today and um Yeah. Where do you think most of the defensive breakdowns happened tonight? just on the ball, let him get into the paint, kind of open up space, attacking off the pick and roll. Um, yeah, 139 points is way too many. You got going offensively tonight really well. Just uh you it’s been a process you’ve been continuing to build just feeling more and more comfortable in this in the system. Yeah, uh to an extent and you know got really good players on the court at all times that you know are able to find me in some easier spots. Um, but yeah, the comfort level is definitely improving. David Allen kind of mentioned the single side attack as being a problem tonight with being a little bit too too aggressive. That’s a common problem for NBA teams. What’s the kind of impulse or the instinct that defenders have in those situations that gets them caught? Protect the basket. You know, you see a big rolling sevenfooter rolling towards the rim. You don’t want to just leave them there. Um, and then obviously with a with a guard like Fox who’s able to kind of hold the defense is is kind of the main thing. You know, you try to put ball pressure on that guy so that he can’t see the or, you know, make them to make a quicker decision or or rush them. Um, but when you have good guards like that that are able to just be patient, can’t really speed them up, then they’re able to kind of pick you apart a little bit and that single side tag is just, you know, just trying to protect the basket a little bit. They’re both quick guards, too, right? Like they can really stretch the defense in that way. Um, like what type of challenges and how do you kind of counteract that, I guess, going forward? I mean, I think a big part of it is is just bothering the ballvious. Um, obviously I have to go back and watch this one over again, but a big part of it is is bothering the ball handler so that he doesn’t see those passing lanes. When you’re shooting, you’re seeing things better, feeling better. Overall, I’m shooting better. Yeah, I mean, everybody knows it’s a rhythm rhythm thing. I tell you guys all the time, sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. I told you when I was missing. I’ll tell you when I was making them. Um, but yeah, it does feel good to see them go down and kind of get the rhythm and the feel is getting better. So, anything special change or just this is it? No, just working. Yeah, just just working at it. 17 turnovers for the team tonight and I know a couple of those happened down the stretch too. Just where do you think the team needs to improve in terms of the process there? Yeah, I mean taking care I mean I had a horrible one where I just threw it away. Um then another one off of a handoff that just boneheaded and can’t have them. Um and you know those are kind of haunting me a little bit and you know me up a little bit tonight. Um 30 points off of him too is is a big big uh reason why we lost today. Is this one of those situations where you’re glad to have a game tomorrow to you know kind of forced to move past it and is there anything extra in it for you going back to the mix? I mean it’s always um it’s always fun playing there you know spent a lot of time there and uh still a lot of people that I know pretty well over in that building. Um, but again, another NBA game, one that we need, I’m more focused on what we’re doing as a team and bouncing back from this loss. You’ve been with for a couple months now about what kind of teammate and kind of leader he’s a great teammate, man. He’s always picking people up. Um, you know, he’s able to do so much on the floor. He’s so unselfish. Um, and I’m I’m, you know, learning how to maximize those those minutes when I’m on the floor with him. But, you know, just a guy that really at the at the end of the day doesn’t care about anything but winning these games. Appreciate it. Um, what was the difference in this game to to you? I think it was just the defensive side of the ball. We scored 136 points. We can’t give up 140 something points. It’s the name of the game. Oh, explain why um San Antonio is a very difficult team to to kind of corral offensively. Uh they’re good. Um and I think their coaches made some great adjustments. Um that that cross match to um come out and start the third presented problems for us. I feel like just kind of um tempered Nicole and Jamal’s aggression just a little bit. Um but they’re a good team. They got a lot of good players. They make shots. They’re professional. They go come out and play hard. Um, there’s a lot to like about their team. Defensively, where do you think this team has to kind of go to kind of shore it up? Just one-on-one individual containment. One, and then two, just extra efforts. I think that that’s the name of the game. You can’t contain everybody, but it’s those extra efforts to get out there and get late contests and um just bother the other team that that we really aren’t doing right now. And that’s just something that we got to um we got to work on. But it’s early in the season and like DA said, this game was worth the same as the next one. though. They shoot a lot of corner threes regularly. They were getting to that look, getting ball movement looks from three. It seems like when you guys have had rough defensive games, it’s been a lot of that. Um what’s kind of the balance on ter in terms of when you guys are shrinking, collapsing, and just trying to make sure that you’re not helping off of guys are getting out to shooters? Uh it’s really tough, especially with like how ball screen heavy the league is now. Um there’s always kind of a advantage that you can create the ball handler and then on the backside we’re playing 2v ones and with their team they they had a lot of good shooters and guys were making shots today. So when you’re playing in between those two guys on the wing and the corner it’s tough because you try to slice but there’s another good shooter on the wing as well. So that opens up the corner threes for him. Um but this is honestly good for us. You know we need this experience. We need to know the things that we aren’t good at to, you know, work on and continue to sharpen. Are are these games like it’s three straight home losses. Is there some illuminating stuff like in a good way at all? Like you kind of alluded to it, but um you guys start the season like second or third in the league defensively. It’s kind of regressed back a little bit now. Like like is it healthy to kind of start to see the warts and and see where you can fix that over the course of a season? Yeah, I mean we were also had a completely different team the first two, three games of the season. We had everybody. So, I think that that’s something uh we’re spread out a little bit thinner now. Um but at the end of the day, like I said the last game, we we got enough to win and there’s just things that we got to do better. Um and we didn’t come out and put our best foot forward tonight. I don’t feel like they took the game more serious and I think that that was the difference in the game. Um, but we were 4-0 to start the home our home stretch. You know what I’m saying? 4-0 and then we lose three. So, this game this game in this league is es and flows, but we’re not worried about it. We got a great team. Thank you. Thanks.

Hear what the Denver Nuggets had to say after the loss against the San Antonio Spurs

0:00 Coach Adelman
3:43 Jamal Murray
8:17 Cam Johnson
12:09 Peyton Watson

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