For the opening few possessions, the Nuggets’ follow-up to a statement win hinted at an unexpected level of intrigue.
During his pregame news conference on Saturday, coach Michael Malone pushed his squad to maintain focus and effort against a less “sexy” opponent than the Boston Celtics, saying of the visiting Utah Jazz, “Without Lauri Markkanen, they have no All-Stars. They’re playing a lot of folks who our players may not be aware of. They have no idea how Brice Sensabaugh is.
That words echoed briefly in an apprehensive Ball Arena before the cdefeated the Jazz 142-121. Sensabaugh (who was a late first-round pick from Ohio State last summer, for what it’s worth) scored Utah’s first.”We’ve stopped playing. “That was embarrassing,” Malone said. “I could hear my father, who is up in heaven — I hope he is — but every time we get a big lead, he says, ‘You guys are the same old Nuggets.'” For the past nine years, whenever you acquire a significant lead, you stop playing. Stop doing what made you the leader. And you allow the teams back in. Almost every single night. So my father was there here tonight, telling me, ‘I told you so.'”
The Nuggets (44-20) ultimately woke up in the fourth quarter and kept Utah from coming any closer, with second-unit minutes led by a flawless Christian Braun. He scored 13 points without missing a shot before fouling out, bringing his season 3-point
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