Nuggets find normalcy is ‘best medicine' in preparing for Clippers after tumultuous week

New York Times

18-04-2025

DENVER — As practice concluded on Thursday morning at Ball Arena, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. stuck around to get a full workout in, shooting the ball with assistant coaches. Rookie forward DaRon Holmes II, Denver's 2024 first-round pick and recovering from a torn Achilles, did some agility drills. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić had long disappeared to their post-practice recovery session. Interim head coach David Adelman milled about, checking on various players and coaches.
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It seemed standard, maybe even a bit tedious. And it was a normal day for the Nuggets, which are ramping up for their first-round NBA playoff series against the LA Clippers with Game 1 on Saturday (3;30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Denver. To pay homage to Stringer Bell from 'The Wire,' Thursday was a 40-degree Denver day.
'That's exactly what we've said to the guys,' Adelman said. 'Sometimes, you just have to go and play and clear your mind of things and enjoy what you love doing. Sometimes in this world, you get so much media and money that moments become convoluted.
'But this is basketball, this is fun. We get to play a kids' game, and I thought getting the guys back into that headspace was important. We had some big things happen, but just getting out and being able to go and play was the best medicine for what we have been going through.'
After last week, the Nuggets will never take normal for granted again. A week ago, Denver fired head coach Michael Malone, general manager Calvin Booth and inherited a nationwide level of scrutiny.
However, things have cooled remarkably in those seven days as the Nuggets responded to the housecleaning. Staring at a possible Play-In berth, Denver won the final three games of its regular season. More than that, it was the way the Nuggets secured home court in the first round. They defended well. They looked joyous and energetic on the floor. They looked more like a connected team than a team falling apart at the seams.
Making the playoffs allowed for a week to prepare. The Nuggets did a lot of walk-through work in practice on Wednesday. They scrimmaged and got after it a lot more on Thursday. This week, they have been able to focus on basketball as the task ahead against the Clippers promises to be a difficult one.
That the Nuggets averted disaster and kept home-court advantage helped the overall mood this week. The last few days have been about re-establishing rhythm and timing. Some things are different. Malone's practices were timed down to the minute. Adelman's approach is a bit different in that there are no clocks, and the work is finished when the work is finished. Neither approach is right or wrong, but it shows some of the changes.
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But the mood around the Nuggets has been energetic and joyous. Even before last week, this team had to be resilient after weathering injuries to key players. They have overcome a spotty defense, two losses to the Washington Wizards, general malaise through the rotation and dysfunction off the court. That they won 50 games and maintained the fourth seed in the Western Conference is a miracle. Because of this, the mood has been positive this week. Thursday marked Christian Braun's 24th birthday. After practice, cupcakes were served along with some verbal jostling.
What makes this week important is what the Nuggets are heading into against the Clippers. LA is perhaps the hottest team in the league, riding an eight-game winning streak. They have won 18 of their last 21 games. Most importantly, Kawhi Leonard is playing some of his best basketball in years. For Denver, the return to normalcy is a great thing because this is a truly dynamic Clippers team that will be difficult to prepare for and tough to beat.
'Kawhi is moving really well,' Porter Jr. said. 'That is what is standing out for us, the fluidity. He's a great player offensively. But he's an amazing on-ball defender. It's going to be fun for me, just because he's one of the best defenders in the NBA. I think that they will mix it up. They will probably put Kris (Dunn) and Kawhi back and forth on me and Jamal (Murray).'
We know going into Game 1 that the series headliners will be difficult to stop. Everyone knows Jokić is going to have a terrific series. It's reasonable to expect Murray to do the same. Leonard and James Harden will be tough to deal with for the Nuggets.
It means that this series could very well come down to the players outside of the headliners. For the Clippers, players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, and one could argue that those two have been close to being headliners this season. Players such as Denver's Aaron Gordon will be tasked with being Leonard's primary defender.
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There are many questions about this series that need to be answered: How difficult can Gordon make life for Leonard? What level is Murray going to be able to play? (He's one of the best postseason risers in NBA history.) Can he play on the star level that the Nuggets will need to advance? How hard can Zubac make Jokić work? Does Powell have one or two games in him where he explodes for 20 or more points?
Denver's return to normalcy coincides with one of the toughest first-round matchups the Nuggets have had in the Jokić and Murray era. But the Nuggets are a better team now than they were a week ago. And that's what matters the most.
'We've found out the last few years that the schedule matters,' Adelman said. 'Those first two games feel like a marathon, and then we are going to have two days to adjust and assess.
'The good thing is, I see a lot of confidence in the players that we are going to have coming off our bench this week. We are going to need everyone. This is going to be a physical and competitive series.'
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(Photo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)