Nuggets fall to paint-pounding Pelicans in homestand finale

Coming into Sunday’s matinee with the visiting Pelicans, the Nuggets had the look of a contender again. Winners of eight of their last nine games and flying high, the Nuggets hit a all-but-literal roadblock in the chiseled forms of Steven Adams, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram as the Pelicans dominated on the boards and displayed an aggressiveness that Denver simply didn’t match in a 113-108 loss.

Though the last few minutes of the game was disrupted by a nearly comical sequence of New Orleans trips to the charity stripe — the Pelicans had 11 free-throw attempts in the last 3:29 of the game and made all 11 of them — Nuggets coach Michael Malone was adamant that it wasn’t a bad whistle that cost them the game.

“We lost this game in the second quarter; [we were outscored] 36-21. We lost this game because they flat-out kicked our [butt] on the glass (45-37),” Malone explained. “We knew going in they were the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the league, and if we weren’t going to be able to match that physicality, it would make for a long night — and that’s exactly what happened.”

Nikola Jokic, who almost single-handedly dragged the Nuggets back into the game in the second half as he notched his 11th triple-double of the season, didn’t disagree. “We had opportunities to win the game, but we needed a little bit better focus on the defensive end,” Jokic admitted. “They’re a driving team. We need to fill the gaps… We did a really bad job doing what we were told [to do] in the locker room.”

With the loss, the Nuggets finished their five-game homestead a disappointing 3-2, but thanks to a five-game road sweep prior to that, they’ve still won eight of their last 10, and they’ll have a chance for revenge soon enough; Denver will have an opportunity to return the favor in New Orleans on Friday.

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NEXT UP: Nuggets (25-17) at Magic (14-28), Tuesday, Mar. 23 at 5:00 pm

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TEAM NOTES:

• Though both teams finished with exactly 54 points in the paint on Sunday, the Pelicans were awarded 30 free-throw attempts to the Nuggets’ 10; something that didn’t sit well with Jamal Murray. “Let me just say something: 30 free throws to our 10. The last four minutes, they shot four minutes of straight free throws. That’s crazy,” Murray said after the game. “We can play defense all we want, but you can’t guard free throws.”

• Led by Steven Adams’ game-leading 13 rebounds, the Pelicans’ starting frontcourt dominated the Nuggets on the glass Sunday. Adams, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram combined for 25 of those — and 60 points. “I don’t think we had enough bodies in the paint to rebound,” lamented Jamal Murray. “One or two guys [are] not going to stop Steven Adams. He’s been doing that for years… It’s almost like a different game; we’ve got to play where we’re not leaking out. We’re [can’t be] lingering around and ball-watching. It’s got to be a constant effort to rebound.”

• Reports around the league have the Nuggets interested in acquiring athletic forward Aaron Gordon from the Magic, but they’re hardly the only suitor. There’s also some question of whether he’s the best fit for the Nuggets, given that Michael Porter Jr. is a better fit at the power forward position and has blossomed since playing major minutes there.

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PLAYER NOTES:

• Paul Millsap played 30 ineffective minutes on Sunday but collected only three rebounds and scored six points, looking nearly helpless for most of the game in the face of the Pelicans’ physical play.

• Nikola Jokic finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 11th triple-double of the season. He was brilliant in the second half, but took a while to get going on Sunday — he had only four points at halftime.

• Facundo Campazzo, the Nuggets’ only other ball-handling guard besides Jamal Murray since Monte Morris is still out with injury, had a Sunday to forget. Campazzo attempted four shots in the game — all three-point attempts — and missed them all. In 20 minutes on the floor, he added only two assists and one turnover, leading to a game-worst minus-11 on the afternoon.

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THE FINAL WORD: “You’re gonna tell me Joker’s going to play a 48-minute game and not get to the line once? I’m telling you that’s ridiculous.” — Jamal Murray, on Sunday’s notable free-throw disparity. Teammate Nikola Jokic took 19 shots on the game without a single free-throw attempt.

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INJURY WATCH:

• G Gary Harris (left adductor strain) sat out the Feb. 21 game and is expected to miss more time. On Mar. 17, coach Michael Malone said that Harris was out for the “foreseeable future.”

• G Monte Morris (quadriceps) missed the Mar. 13 game and is considered day-to-day.

• G R.J. Hampton (COVID-19 protocol) missed the Mar. 1 game and is expected to return sometime before the month ends.

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ROTATION (MINUTES):

Starters:

G Jamal Murray (35)

F-G Will Barton (36)

F Michael Porter Jr. (35)

F Paul Millsap (30)

C Nikola Jokic (35)

Bench:

G-F P.J. Dozier (22)

G Facundo Campazzo (20)

F JaMychal Green (17)

C-F Isaiah Hartenstein (11)

C-F Bol Bol (DNP-CD)

F Vlatko Cancar (DNP-CD)

G R.J. Hampton (DNP-CD)

G Markus Howard (DNP-CD)

F Zeke Nnaji (DNP-CD)