'It's A Failure, Not Fatal': Nuggets' Malone Optimistic After Wolves' Historic Comeback
Michael Malone reflected on a challenging end to the season after the Minnesota Timberwolves executed a historic comeback to defeat the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets squandered a 20-point lead in the third quarter at home, ultimately losing 98-90 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. This loss denied them a chance at a second consecutive league title.
Minnesota trailed 53-38 at half-time, marking the largest deficit a Game 7 winner has overcome in NBA post-season history. When asked about the second half, Malone struggled to pinpoint specific issues. "That's what's hard," Malone said. "Being up 20. Season's over. It's hard. This is just a momentary delay. It's a failure, it's not fatal. We'll be back."
He continued, "The better team won, so I'm taking nothing away from Minnesota... but mentally, emotionally, physically, I think guys are gassed. They're dead tired. They gave me everything I could ever ask for, and that's why as much as this hurts, I'll walk out of this building tonight with my head held very high."
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 20, 2024
Denver dropped the first two games of the series at home but managed to win the next three, getting themselves back on track. Jamal Murray scored 35 points for the Nuggets, while Nikola Jokic added 34. However, Murray believes the team lacked an edge towards the end of the game.
"Just mentally and physically, conjuring up the energy to fight like you're being hunted," Murray said. "I think that's the emotion. When you're the hunter, you have so much more motivation and you grasp on to anything to prove everybody wrong and you have a constant chip on your shoulder."
He added, "I don't know. I feel like we should have won tonight. That's the tough part. They beat us, but we had so many great opportunities, including myself, so it's just tough, man."
Sign in with Google