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Fansided

Nuggets fall victim to trap game against Hawks

By Mathew Huff

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 10: Miles Plumlee #18 of the Atlanta Hawks rebounds the ball over Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on January 10, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JANUARY 10: Miles Plumlee #18 of the Atlanta Hawks rebounds the ball over Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on January 10, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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The Nuggets came out flat against the Hawks and paid the price.

Most fans were wary of this Nuggets game for a reason. This had the makings of a classic trap game all over it and sure enough, Denver fell victim to the Atlanta Hawks.

To say this was a frustrating loss would be the understatement of the year. As a matter of fact, this is probably the worst loss of the season for the Nuggets. They lost to potentially the worst team in the league on their home court and in ugly fashion.

I hate to say it, but the Hawks proved the Nuggets do not deserve to make the post season without Paul Millsap. It is becoming more and more clear he cannot get back soon enough. Denver is currently on a slow, but downhill spiral which could hurt their playoff chances drastically. They still have to get through the month of January without Millsap, we will touch more on that later, and they are not making a good case for being a solid team without the veteran power forward.

Luckily, Denver is still currently seventh in the Western Conference standing thanks to the Portland Trail Blazers losing to the Houston Rockets. However, they will slowly inch their way out of the top eight if they continue to play like this.

This was a game which was perfect for them to get back in the win column and they squandered it. Nikola Jokic had a terrible game where he only had nine points and shot a terrible 19.7% from the floor. It is clear this team needs the veteran leadership of Paul Millsap back in a bad way.

The only bright spot was Gary Harris who tossed in 25 points on 78.6% shooting to go along with two steals and a sweet dunk which gave the crowd one of the few things to cheer about on the night.

Next: Nuggets vs. Hawks: Keys to the game

This was just a flat out, embarrassment for the Denver Nuggets.

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