Kofi Inkoom
Following the unexpected defeat of the Denver Nuggets at the hands of the Houston Rockets, their head coach, Michael Malone, urged his players to elevate their performance.
The Denver Nuggets, who had been excelling in the early NBA season, couldn’t maintain their success during the game against the Houston Rockets, resulting in a 107-104 loss.
Nikola Jokic, the Serbian center, delivered an outstanding final stat line, achieving yet another triple-double with 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Despite Jokic’s remarkable performance, it wasn’t sufficient to secure a victory for the Nuggets.
One of the major challenges for the team that night was the lackluster performance of their bench players.
The Denver bench contributed a mere eight points, while the Rockets’ bench outperformed with 31 points. Michael Malone expressed his postgame frustration and openly criticized the subpar showing of the reserves.
Malone emphasized the players’ responsibility to improve, stating, “Guys gotta help themselves,” Malone told reporters. “It’s not my responsibility to get guys going. You’re an NBA player.”
While he praised Colin Gillespie for his exceptional effort, he also stressed that other players need to step up individually.
“I can help Christian [Braun], Julian [Strawther], Peyton [Watson], figure out how they can be better out there, but I can’t get them going. That’s something that each individual has to do,” Malone added.
Michael Malone: “It’s not my responsibility to get guys going. Collin Gillespie I thought went out there and played his heart out. I can help Christian, Julian, Peyton figure out how they can be better out there, but I can’t get them going.”pic.twitter.com/vVBBUPP6oE
— NBArepublic.com (@nba_republic) November 13, 2023
Michael Malone remains confident in his players’ abilities and is dedicated to facilitating their development.
He expressed, “I know they have more potential than what they’re showing right now. My main concern is how I can guide them to become better players and have a greater impact on the game.”
The Denver Nuggets are set to face the Los Angeles Clippers in Denver for their second game of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Tuesday.