Nuggets coach Michael Malone downplayed Denver’s biggest game of the season hours before Wednesday’s tipoff against the Timberwolves.
Minnesota and Denver started the night with matching 55-24 records atop the Western Conference with three games to go, making for a much-hyped matchup. A Denver loss Wednesday would leave little room for error in the race for the one seed, while a win would put Denver atop the conference with games against the Spurs and Grizzlies remaining. A 3-0 finish would have Denver finish the regular season with the conference’s best record. That didn’t appear to impact Malone’s stance.
“I probably don’t look at it the same as anybody in this room. I know this is a huge game for your perspective, and I understand that, but (with) three games to go, (we’re) obviously trying to close out the season playing well,” Malone said pregame.
“The one seed would be great. I’ve said it for the last month and a half, we’d gladly take the one seed, but much more important for me is making sure our players are healthy and available come playoff time.”
Malone looked at last year, when the Lakers made the Western Conference Finals as the seven seed and the Heat made the Finals as the Eastern Conference’s eight seed, to make his point. Denver’s coach said the Western Conference is even deeper and stronger this season, which diminishes the importance of seeding.
“There is no easy out in the West. This is going to be an unbelievable playoffs,” Malone said. “
“There’s so many teams that could come out of the west this year. That speaks to the quality of depth and the parity in the Western Conference.”
Minnesota coach Chris Finch similarly prioritized his team’s performance down the stretch over the number next to his team’s name at the start of the playoffs.
“It’s great for the league at this point in the season to have two teams tied, being able to play a game like this. The bulk of their roster is available. It’s kind of fun. For our guys, the focus down the stretch has been continuing to play the best basketball we can, and we’ve been doing that for the most part,” Finch said.
Starting strong
The Nuggets got their starting five back together for the first time since March 21.
Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic started against the Timberwolves after going 6-3 in the nine games Denver was without one or more of the typical starters. Murray missed seven of those games with knee, shin and ankle injuries, while Gordon missed the last two with what the team called a foot sprain.
Murray was active for the second night of a back-to-back after playing 27 minutes Tuesday in Utah.
Minnesota missed Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s nearing a return after suffering a torn meniscus.
Silver talks Jontay Porter situation
Michael Porter Jr. enjoyed having his younger brother back in the NBA this season, but that may not be the case for long.
Speaking Wednesday afternoon, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed Jontay Porter’s ongoing suspension following irregularities involving his prop bets.
“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said in an ESPN report after the league’s annual board of governors meetings. “But it’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game.”
Michael Porter Jr. previously expressed doubt his brother would do anything to jeopardize his second shot at an NBA career.
“I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is, and I know he’s excited to play basketball and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy,” the Nuggets forward said after the March 27 game against Phoenix.
Former Nugget needs a kidney
Nate Robinson’s search for a kidney is getting dire.
“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,” Robinson said in an interview with Mail Sport. “I know I’m not going to have long to live. So I just want to make the best of it as much as I can.”
Robinson started his 11-year career with the Knicks and spent parts of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons with the Nuggets before his NBA career ended in 2016. In 2022, Robinson announced he was dealing with renal kidney failure.