The Nuggets notched a big win in Phoenix, 125-123, on Tuesday night over a team that is likely headed to the playoffs this season, and there were a ton of positive takeaways. It feels like the team is finally getting into a rhythm and really starting to click on the offensive end with Nikola Jokic nearly notching a triple-double before halftime, and players up and down the roster getting involved and making an impact.
It was also great to see them actually pull out a crunch-time win, as this game was a back-and-forth affair that Denver actually trailed in the fourth quarter before eventually pulling it out behind a game-winning floater in the waning seconds by the Joker; a much-needed clutch win over a good team on the road.
But despite all of that, it was still impossible to ignore the Nuggets’ disastrous defense that allowed Phoenix to do whatever they wanted for most of the night, even with an off-shooting night from Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks in street clothes.
The Suns have been a revelation this season, but that has been because of their tenacious defense, not their 18th-ranked offense. That offense was missing its second-leading scorer in Brooks, but it didn’t seem to matter at all.
Nuggets’ defense continues to be a disaster
The Nuggets weren’t forcing turnovers, they weren’t stopping penetration, they weren’t protecting the paint, they couldn't stop fouling, and they weren’t running the Suns’ shooters off the three-point line. Frankly, they’re lucky that Phoenix went cold for long stretches, or they would have coasted to 140+ points and an easy win.
Phoenix gave heavy minutes to Collin Gillespie, Oso Ighodaro, Jordan Goodwin, and rookies Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach. As a team, they shot just 44% from the floor with their best player going 5/14, and still, they exploded for 123 points with six different Suns reaching double figures and had a clean look for Booker to win it at the horn.
Denver didn’t have Peyton Watson in this one, but that can’t be their excuse. They had Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Bruce Brown, and plenty of proven winners who should be able to get stops.
Nuggets won’t win in the playoffs without defensive improvements
We know the Nuggets can win shootouts with their all-time offense, but that can’t be the only formula when the playoffs start, and they are facing elite competition every single night. Teams are going to ramp things up and find ways to limit the Nuggets, and Denver is going to have to respond in kind.
This has been an issue all season long, and while there have been plenty of injury excuses along the way, we’re now just a few weeks away from the playoffs, and the defense looks about as porous as ever.
There’s still time to clean things up, and maybe they can flip a switch once the chips are on the table, but that’s leaving a lot to faith. We’re 73 games into the season, and the Nuggets still have the 21st-ranked defense in the league. Even with the NBA’s best offense (maybe ever), that’s a hell of a lot to overcome, and the team hasn’t given fans a lot of reason to believe they’ll be able to make it happen.