The third pedal on the left of older cars, sports cars, and most cars produced outside the United States is called the clutch. The NBA also uses the term "clutch," defined as a game within 5 points or less in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, for the Nuggets, just like the cars, they need a clutch replacement, a fix, or a band-aid, because the clutch is broken, and it has been.
The problem was on full display in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, where the Nuggets suffered another waning seconds loss, this time at the hands of a near buzzer-beater from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the one person Nuggets fans knew we couldn't allow to have a look at the end.
SGA still got it, and buried it, and sunk the Nuggets even closer to the dreaded and unfathomably close play-in game, seventh seed. The step-back three-pointer over Spencer Jones brought the final tally to 129-126. Another gut-punch loss, late, in another game the Nuggets probably should have won.
Clutch games are crushing the Nuggets
For whatever reason, the Nuggets stink in clutch games this year, especially since Nikola Jokic returned from injury 17 games ago. They're now only 3-7 since his return, and 16-17 for the season.
Even worse, two of the three wins in the clutch came against the tanking Grizzlies and Jazz, the other against the Lakers. That makes them 1-7 against teams that are fighting for a playoff spot or securely in. Not great. That doesn't bode well for playoff success.
And the Nuggets keep finding new ways to lose the clutch games. They got bailed out against the Thunder and had a four-point play down four. Jokic hit a three, and Jamal Murray clutchly hit his free throw to tie the game, only to see SGA bury the three off a screen to win. Shaking my head at that loss.
The Nuggets were once very clutch. Where'd it go?
After the Nuggets' clutch win over the Lakers, Murray issued a challenge to critics that showed the Nuggets still have a fire inside, and they still believe they're a clutch team. But they've now lost their next clutch chance, so it's hard to get behind that statement now. Still nice to know the fire is there, though.
Seasons past saw the Nuggets perform as one of the better clutch teams in the league. They have the pedigree, but they just seem to have lost the punch this year.
We know that they know they have to right the ship, and we know the Nuggets have no intention of falling to a seven-seed. But the uphill battle to solve the clutch problems are going to be fought in the face of playing the Spurs three more times, and facing 10 playoff-eligible or fighting for the last spot teams in their final 17 games. Uphill battle left, indeed.