The Denver Nuggets fell to the Atlanta Hawks 110-87 Friday night. It was Denver’s first game back in Ball Arena after a grueling seven game road trip, and the Nuggets just ran out of gas despite having a one-point lead after three quarters. With both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic out of the game (along with several other Nuggets) Denver just didn’t have the offensive organization to keep pace, and their varied lineups of reserves had no defensive familiarity despite Atlanta being without the newly-trade Trae Young.
Peyton Watson had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Denver, but also 5 turnovers. Nobody else for Denver had more than 14, and the 87 points were a season-low for Denver as well as just 12 points in the fourth quarter. Hunter Tyson deserves a shoutout with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in his start. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta’s do-everything young star, had 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 22, but Atlanta played much more of a team game than the Nuggets and took control of the game and the victory because of it.
Game Flow
DaRon Holmes and Jalen Johnson traded threes to open the game, with Holmes answering back with a second made three. Pickett hit a nice 18-foot pullup, but Christian Braun and Peyton Watson had a couple of bad turnovers while Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu both made buckets. Pickett hit a three, Dyson Daniels finished at the rim, and Nickeil-Alexander-Walker buried a three of his own to give Atlanta a 13-11 lead early. Christian Braun couldn’t finish at the rim, then got blocked on a corner three, and Watson had Denver’s fifth turnover of the quarter as Denver struggled to figure out Atlanta’s defensive effort. Both teams swapped missed for a couple of minutes, until Dyson Daniels hit a floater and Aaron Gordon came off the bench to hit a step-back three. Johnson made a pullup with a lucky roll, Tim Hardaway Jr. buried a three and got fouled. Keaton Wallace hit a three for Atlanta, but Watson had a pair of buckets and Hardaway hit a nice turnaround to get Denver the lead back at 24-22. Watson banked in a shot to force a timeout, but Luke Kennard answered back with an open 3. Bruce Brown got blocked but Atlanta couldn’t capitalize, and Zeke Nnaji had a nice dunk off the bench. NAW finished a traditional three-point play for Atlanta, though, and with a driving finish in the closing seconds the Hawks led after one, 30-28.
Nnaji started the quarter with a turnover that turned into a layup for the Hawks. AG hit a nice jumper, Atlanta answered with an Asa Newell dunk, and Gordon got to the line where he made one of two. Newell blocked THJ’s layup attempt, and Wallace hit a floater for Atlanta that was answered by an AG pullup for 10 early points from Gordon. Strawther missed a floater and Okongwu’s three and Newell’s rim finish put Atlanta up 41-33 and forced a Denver timeout. Nnaji made a pair of free throws, Jalen Johnson responded with a pullup, and Julian’s missed layup turned into a Newell three the other way. Bruce made one free throw after being fouled on a drive, Watson made two, and Pickett finished a floater finally to pull Denver back within 6. Nnaji had another turnover, but Atlanta couldn’t made a shot and Watson’s floater made it 46-42. Watson had a terrible turnover for Denver’s 10th of the half, but got back in the play for a block. Daniels hit a layup, then Johnson hit a pair of threes sandwiched around a reverse layup from Watson to get Atlanta’s lead back to 10. Gordon hit free throws, Watson made another shot off the glass, but NAW dunked in the closing seconds off yet another turnover and Atlanta led at halftime 58-50.
Peyton Watson missed three straight attempts on one possession to start the third quarter, and Denver’s turnovers continued to be an issue. DaRon Holmes crashed the boards and got a block on Jalen Johnson to get Tyson a dunk the other way, but then NAW hit another three. Watson made a free throw for Denver, then each team had some misses until Walker made a paint shot to put them back up 63-53. Tyson finished under the basket and Watson made a crucial deep three. Tyson had steal and Watson got out in transition but Denver missed some open shots and Daniels got the Atlanta lead back to 7. Kennard made a layup, Tyson was called for a screening foul for another turnover, but them makes up for it with a three for Hunter the next time down. Johnson hit an Atlanta pullup, then Gueye for Atlanta shoved AG on a drive and Gordon shoved back, then exchanged words with Dyson Daniels as the play was reviewed and Atlanta up 69-61. After all that, Hardaway made a technical free throw, then Bruce got to the line for a pair. Watson missed a jumper but Atlanta couldn’t capitalize, and Gordon’s paint finish forced Atlanta into a timeout with Denver down 3. NAW hit a difficult finish for Atlanta, but then Watson took the ball from Walker and turned it onto a THJ three. Tyson added another three to put Denver back in front, Watson finished a traditional three point play in the final seconds for a 14-2 run since the AG shove but an Okongwu three pointer at the buzzer ended that and Denver went into the 4th quarter up 75-74.
Atlanta started the fourth quarter with 7 straight points on buckets from Daniels, Newell and Okongwu. Zeke had a three-point play, but Wallace and Kennard each hit threes to make it 87-78 Atlanta three minutes into the quarter. Denver still couldn’t buy a shot though, and even more turnovers as Johnson made another Atlanta three. Watson missed a floater, Okongwu hit a jumper and AG missed a three for Denver with no offense to speak of. Johnson’s jumper put Atlanta up 94-78 as Atlanta outscored Denver 20-3 to start the fourth quarter. Nnaji finally dunked for Denver’s second bucket of the quarter 5 minutes in, Watson made a free throw, but Atlanta answered back with a dunk and a three as Denver couldn’t stop paint penetration or open perimeter shots. Watson hit a three, but Atlanta pushed their lead to 19 as Denver couldn’t get good possessions on either end. The Nuggets lost the fourth quarter 36-12 and the game 110-87.
Final Thoughts
-Jamal Murray’s absence was definitely felt. Dyson Daniels was a terror as Atlanta attacked every on-ball action. The Nuggets had 19 turnovers in the game with 12 in the first half – its most in the first half this season – with five from Watson and three from Nnaji. Pickett only had one first-half assist while Tyson, Watson and Gordon all had multiple. Watson had the second double-double of his career, but he couldn’t carry the offense and several of his attempts only led to more Atlanta scores. There was no one to gather the offense after some poor possessions, no one to get hot and carry them late. Denver spent its final energy at the end of the third and without Spencer Jones to provide defensive energy the Nuggets couldn’t get stops or interrupt what Atlanta wanted to do. Denver had 22 assists against 19 turnovers, while the Hawks put up a 31-to-6 ratio. There was too much iso offense for the Nuggets while Atlanta played a team game, and Denver paid for all the unusual rotations and missing players tonight, Jamal especially.
