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Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone opened the third quarter against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday with his usual starting lineup plus Russell Westbrook. He inserted the former MVP to rest Jamal Murray, who is reportedly dealing with a knee issue. Malone’s only move during the period was to relieve Christian Braun for Julian Strawther midway through the quarter.
Malone's decision was surprising against the Suns that had Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen on the sidelines. After the Nuggets 118-114 loss, the coach explained to reporters about his third-quarter lineup:
“Tonight, I ran those guys the entire third quarter. Obviously, Jamal [Murray] did not play in the second half, but I played the entire starting unit the whole third quarter, trying to push their envelope a little bit. That was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys."
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“In modern-day NBA, the league has gotten so soft. Everybody’s afraid to condition and run. Well, we have to.”
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The Denver Nuggets are tough to play in Mile High City, which is 5,280 feet above sea level. Malone’s players are usually some of the fittest in the NBA. While opposing players sometimes struggle in Denver’s thin air, the home team thrives under that challenge.
The Nuggets are 0-3 in the offseason but with room to grow. Incorporating Christian Braun in the starting lineup and Russell Westbrook into the roster will take time. Malone, though, wants the team’s conditioning to be a non-issue by adding that the Nuggets will run “up and down” more in practice.
Michael Malone’s Nuggets host the OKC Thunder on Tuesday
The Denver Nuggets’ next visitors will be the OKC Thunder. Oklahoma’s young team is led by MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Lu Dort. The Thunder will test Denver’s conditioning in Mile High City.
Malone wasn’t worried in the Nuggets’ two losses to the Boston Celtics in Abu Dhabi. He was more concerned with his team’s performance against the Phoenix Suns, their third preseason game.
Fans will be interested to see how he will rotate his players following the comments after the loss to Phoenix.
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