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The Nuggets had a great chance, at a minimum, to send their game Thursday against the Wizards in overtime. When the rule was last possession, they had numbers and room for a wide open, game-binding layup.
Instead, Denver settled for a 3-point transition try by Facundo Campazzo for the much-missed victory. Denver lost 112-110.
AFTER: All-Star starters, reserves for the East, the West
The Nuggets took a 3 because:
– Jamal Murray resumed his dribbling at the start of a 3-1 break, then had to choose from one of three Nuggets who had drifted towards the 3-point line. (Monte Morris was a trailer.)
– One of those Nuggets behind the bow, an unguarded Michael Porter Jr., could have cut the basket, but didn’t.
Murray first tweeted that the coin was on him and said he should have shot:
My fault to the nation of the Nuggets … on the next one … STAY WITH US !!
– Jamal Murray (@ BeMore27) February 26, 2021
And then he followed up with another angle of the setup for the end game.
But Denver coach Mike Malone put it on Murray and Porter:
Michael Malone at the end of the game:
“We had a lay-up. It’s a three-on-one break. All Michael Porter has to do is cut the basket. All Jamal Murray has to do is push the ball and go. attack. But we didn’t get that … missed opportunity there. “# Nuggets #MileHighBasketball– Michael Spencer (@ MichaelCBS4) February 26, 2021
The Twitter coaches were also responsible for both:
if they were true analytical nerds, they wouldn’t take a 3 on a layup. MPJ is just crazy about a stupid game. Nothing to do with the analysis.
– sam? (@sambrazy) February 26, 2021
After watching this a few times I blame MPJ here, Campazzo and Morris properly filled the lanes as escape guards, mpj should have made themselves available as an inside target while everyone stayed clear.
– LTPicks (@LT_Picks) February 26, 2021
If the Nuggets were only playing for the win in this case, they at least had an open look for Campazzo. But Washington’s defense was severely beaten and a wide open 2 was there for the taking. But Denver turned that down, and so now he’s taking L’s in the leaderboards, on social media and from Charles Barkley:
We just spent five NBA minutes on the TNT squad talking about that quick Nuggets break.
It ended with Barkley saying, “They were all dumber than rocks.”
– Matt Schubert (@MattDSchubert) February 26, 2021
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