What if the Nuggets, like Nikola Jokic, had started the meeting too strongly against the Thunder? After an inaugural 10-0 and a very good first quarter, the protégés of Mike Malone gradually lost control over the meeting. Admittedly, the release of Aaron Gordon did not help but overall, the nuggets had neither the wealth of workforce, nor the endurance to stand up to the leader of the NBA 48 minutes.
“When you face a team like this, the details count, and the little things too” Recalls the Denver coach. “They recovered 10 balloons lying around, against 3 for us. It can't happen like that … they can't dominate us on these balloons. In the 4th quarter, they capitalized on the least of our mistakes. To beat the best team in the West, you can't play three quarters. »»
The Holmgren-Hartenstein pair weighed
Better defense of the NBA, the Thunder causes nearly 18 losses of bullets per game. The Nuggets managed to limit them to 7, but alongside that, they were clumsy: 41% on shots, including 30% at 3-point. “We are very good usually in 4th quarter, but tonight, we failed to get out of it” regret Michael Porter Jr.
One of the keys to the success of the Thunder was the defense on Jokic with the Hartenstein-Holmgren doublet but also Lu sleeps on the “Switch”. It was the first time that Jokic had faced this interior duo, and clearly, he was in difficulty when Holmgren could afford to wait for him near the circle.
“I think I saw everything in my career … young, older, two, etc. For me, it's just one more match ” explains the Serbian. “But clearly, this is the best defense of the NBA, and they force you to work.”
Does he have regrets about this meeting where the Nuggets fell in the last five minutes? “I think we had opportunities, like the 10 open 3-point shots that I missed,” he concludes.
