Denver head coach Marlon Brandon talks about his bench players.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors 108-105 in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season on Monday (Nov. 9) at the Mile High City Ballpark in Denver. The win was their fourth straight. They remained in first place in the West with an 8-1 record.
Denver was without starting guard Jamal Murray (191 cm, G). Reggie Jackson (188 cm, G) started at point guard, leaving the bench thin.
Denver got off to a quick start with Nikola Jokic (211 cm, C). However, they were completely outplayed in the bench battle late in the first quarter and early in the second. In the first half, the bench had a negative turnover margin and the starters had a positive turnover margin, and Denver went into halftime with a 53-47 lead.
The second half was a similar story. Jokic scored 14 points in the third quarter alone. But there was no scoring support from other players. In particular, only two points came from the bench, resulting in a 76-78 third quarter.
Still, Denver’s starters were strong. Jackson led the way with 10 points. Michael Porter Jr. (206 cm, F) also played a crucial role on offense. Combined with Jokic’s performance, Denver won a close, hard-fought game. 보스토토 주소
Despite the victory, Denver head coach Michael Malone was not smiling. “Our bench was a mess tonight,” he told the Denver Post, expressing his disappointment in his bench players.
“I’ll be honest with you, our bench wasn’t ready to play. This is the first time I’ve seen that this season. But I know they will grow from this experience. We’re going to need our bench players to step up if we want to get to the next level.”
Denver lost key sixth man Bruce Brown (193 cm, G-F) this offseason. Jeff Green (203 cm, F), the team’s anchor in the middle, also moved on. To make matters worse, starting guard Murray was also out, forcing sixth man Jackson into the starting lineup. Denver’s bench players will have to hold out until Murray returns.