The Nuggets lost another ugly game on Sunday afternoon that they should have won, and that, in past years, they almost certainly would have won. Facing a very depleted Warriors team, Denver opened up a 5-point lead almost midway through the 4th quarter and appeared to finally be in control of the game.
We’ve seen this countless times over the careers of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. They almost play possum for three and a half quarters, then turn it on, win convincingly, and make us wonder why we possibly ever would have doubted the outcome in the first place.
But this season, things have been different, and that was again the case on Sunday. Led by Brandin Podziemski, Al Horford, and others, Golden State closed the game on a 24-8 run while the Nuggets watched another game slip through their fingers.
They’re now 14-15 in clutch games this season; what used to be a reliable driver of winning during the entire Jokic era has become a weakness. It seems unfathomable, and after the loss, Jokic was asked about the clutch struggles and admitted he’s concerned:
“I mean, I’m definitely concerned because we are losing the games. We are losing the games, and we are not creating open looks. That’s something that we need to change. Hopefully, we need to get better. I don’t know what it is, but we need to figure it out.”
Jokic and Nuggets need to turn clutch play around ASAP
It’s one thing for fans to get frustrated and concerned, but Jokic is usually the calm, stoic face of calmness and confidence. The only times he has appeared almost hopeless in interviews were in past years when the roster around him simply wasn’t good enough, and his concerns proved to be scarily warranted.
This time around, it’s even more concerning because there shouldn’t be roster issues. On paper, this is the best team Jokic has ever had, and while they’re obviously missing some firepower, especially on the defensive end, there’s no excuse for what has been happening with their late-game offense this season, and especially over the past few weeks.
Is it Adelman’s system? Is it the players and the inconsistency around Jokic and Murray? Is Jokic rusty after his 16-game absence with a knee injury? Is it his wrist injury? Is Murray getting fatigued from his heavy burden this season? These are all fair questions, and there’s no clear answer.
But what’s clear is that there’s a real issue, and it does need to be changed. It’s clear to anyone watching, and it’s clear enough that Jokic is addressing it and acknowledging there’s concern and something has to change. Hopefully, they can do it, but they’re quickly running out of time.