That was wild. It was a bad loss. At no point during the game against the Cavs did it feel as if the Nuggets would lose. At the final whistle, the faces of the fans who stuck around Ball Arena looked stunned and confused, as if they were asking, "What just happened?" The Nuggets led most of the game. Right up until there were 0.9 seconds left. And then they lost. This one hurts.
Jamal Murray "fouled" Donovan Mitchell as he was driving down (barreling into Murray) the court in the tied ballgame, and the Nuggets had no fouls left to give. He sank both of his free-throws and that was it. Just like that. Poof. Another home loss. There's been a lot of them this season.
Why did this happen? It didn't have to happen. Why wasn't Nikola Jokic inserted back into the game earlier? Why was he brought back in with only 3:24 left? Yes, he had played 30 minutes already, but what's the difference between 33 and 36 at this point? He played 45 against the Knicks!
Why did Adelman decide to leave Tim Hardaway Jr. in the game at the end over Julian Strawther? Veteran experience? Had he not seen how Strawther was playing?
This is the type of loss that comes back to bite you on the last day of the season. The kind that takes you down a seed (or two) in the playoff standings. It was a loss that didn't have to happen, and it's going to linger on even after the Nuggets' next game against the Grizzlies.
There were reasons to be hopeful even in defeat
It's hard to find a positive vibe after a loss like that, but one giant bright spot was the play of Strawther, who played a heck of a game. He continued his strong run, scoring 20 points on 50% shooting, but more importantly, he was attacking the rim with authority, something Denver needs to do more. Strawther added 6 rebounds and had some hustle plays in a well-rounded effort.
It was a balanced load, a total team effort, too. Seven Nuggets scored in double-digits, including three with 20 or more. Jokic led the way with 22. That's the type of distribution you want from a championship-contending team.
But too many little mistakes and odd decisions did the Nuggets in. The Cavs should never have been so close in the game anyway. But there were some easy dunks late, and you had James Harden being James Harden, nailing a clutch three with THJ's hand in his face.
This one stings. These bad losses linger. The Nuggets' job now is to put this behind them and do their best to pick up the pieces and move on to the Grizzlies game.