The Nuggets took a step back in their first game since the All-Star break, giving up 70 points in the first half and losing to the Kings on retro night in Sacramento.
Despite a healthy roster outside of Jameer Nelson and Wilson Chandler, the Nuggets looked shorthanded and overmatched against DeMarcus Cousins’ Kings. Nikola Jokic started on him and picked up four fouls in less than four minutes. Jusuf Nurkic was next up and collected 5 fouls in just over 14 minutes. The Nuggets tried going small with Faried which turned out to be where Cousins did the most damage of all. The Kings’ All-Star center ended up with 37 points and 20 rebounds despite cooling off considerably in the second half.
Getting beat up by Cousins wasn’t the Nuggets’ only issue. Emmanuel Mudiay stumbled against the Kings’ ball pressure and couldn’t get his game under control, shooting just 4-14 from the field and tallying 5 turnovers to 4 assists. Gallo had his shot going early, but the Nuggets half-court offense was sloppy and they shot a poor percentage at the line and anywhere outside the paint.
Defensively, the Nuggets cleaned things up in the second half but couldn’t overcome a poor first half in which the Kings were allowed to score 70. There were too many times the Nuggets switched on Rondo despite having success going under and making him shoot. The failure to execute their concepts consistently was a big factor in Denver’s lopsided play from quarter to quarter.
One player who did have success was Joffrey Lauvergne, who stabilized the Nuggets’ inside and poured in 24 points in 22 minutes. He was the only big able to stay on the floor against Cousins and was solid finishing inside the paint, which was another issue dragging the Nuggets down most of the night.
All in all it was a poor night for the Nuggets, who failed to execute despite winning the second half and staying close thanks to 22 Kings turnovers. Mudiay did not show good command of the offense and players like Jokic, Nurkic, and Arthur all looked rusty of just flat-out not ready to play against Sacramento.
Of note was DJ Augustin having a solid outing despite hopping off a plane from OKC a few hours prior to tip off. He showed a solid ability to make plays out of the pick and roll which should make him a better fit than Randy Foye as a backup point. Augustin is a poor finisher and far from the missing piece but he brings complimentary skills to the Nuggets’ bench. Look for him to continue seeing minutes as the Nuggets head back to Denver for a two game homestand against Boston and Sacramento.
