Michael Malone laments Warriors “death lineup” as it buries Nuggets again

The Denver Nuggets couldn’t stop the “death lineup” of the Golden State Warriors in Game 1.

They couldn’t do it in Game 2, either.

The Nuggets were leading the Warriors 43-31 with 7:25 to go in the first half on Monday night when everything seemingly fell apart. Golden State’s scary good group of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green closed the second quarter on a 26-8 run to earn a 57-51 lead at halftime. It was over from there as the Nuggets eventually lost 126-106.

“It’s a lineup that can all put up 30 points,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. He added that Steph Curry is “the best sixth man in the history of the playoffs.” Curry has been coming off the bench for the Warriors, but has been on the floor in all the crucial runs so far in this series.

It felt like Deja Vu for Denver, as the same Warriors unit closed on an 18-4 run in Game 1, also putting that contest out of reach. The Nuggets are going to have to figure out how to stop it moving forward to have any chance in a series they now trail 2-0.

Deja Vu. pic.twitter.com/giJg1XmvwA

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) April 19, 2022

When asked how the Nuggets can avoid the big runs from the Warriors, Malone mentioned the team needs to play a more complete game.

“That’s my challenge. It’s somehow, some way, find a group that’s willing to compete for 48 minutes,” Malone said.

It got out of hand on Monday night in a matter of moments.

“Two games in a row now where we were in the game and at a snap of a finger, we are not anymore,” Malone added.

The Nuggets and Malone need to fix things and fast. They’ve now lost six playoff games in a row dating back to last postseason. Their next chance to somehow get it back on track is Thursday night in Game 3 at Ball Arena.

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