By Daniel Paiz

Nuggets falter in Game 6, losing 110-98 and exit the playoffs. Nikola Jokic nearly had a triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, while Cam Johnson had a fantastic night with 27 points and eight rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench. Jamal Murray had a tough night, going 4 of 17 from the field. The first-time All-Star had 12 points, six boards, and four assists.

Denver was again without Aaron Gordon, and Peyton Watson also did not play in Game 6, as he missed the entire postseason.

Tough series for the Nuggets. There were not enough adjustments made, the ball movement wasn’t good enough, and injuries led to too much reliance on old behaviors. The offseason will be very interesting to see who stays and who goes.

Here’s what worked and what did not.

What Went Well

Nuggets first defensive stand results in a 24-second clock violation. That was the best defensive sequence they probably had in the first half, if not the game.

Denver used different lineups in the first half, even using Jonas Valanciunas and Zeke Nnaji for a spell. The ball movement in the first half is why Denver led after the first quarter and were within striking distance in the second.

Only a few names come to mind for who played well for Denver all night. It was the usual suspects, a couple of starters and one bench guy. Although to be fair, another bench guy turned starter for Game 6 did alright as well.

Cam Johnson was lighting it up for the Nuggets with 27 points and eight rebounds. Yes, Cam missed some threes for sure; however, he kept attacking, kept shooting, kept playing like it was an elimination game. With the difficult start to the season he had, the self-doubt he worked through, and the consistent shooting to close out the regular season, it seems unfair to place much blame here. Johnson had some bad shooting to start the season, but he was good in these playoffs.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had his moments in Game 6 as well, getting a quick 10 points early. A veteran who knew the importance of tonight’s game, THJ did what he could on offense. Not a lot more he could’ve done to help Denver.

Nikola Jokic had a very Jokic-like performance, nearly having another triple-double. There were times where the big fella needed to not shoot threes, but in an elimination game, you go for broke. Playing the entire fourth quarter didn’t help but again, it was an elimination game.

Things to Improve

There are two ways to tackle this section: one would be about offseason changes, while the other would be about Game 6. The latter will be the one focused on, as there’s not enough time to get into this trepidatious offseason that’s approaching. There’s plenty to go over for this game.

The first half could have used more spacing on the offensive end. The other team picked up the ball handler at half-court more and more as the half rolled on, and Denver didn’t use this as an opportunity to find guys in open spots around the paint. Denver also proceeded to move towards the two-man game far too early in the first half. It is understandable that highly talented players go to a move that has paid off in previous playoffs. It isn’t working anymore, because defenses do not give the same spacing they used to; part of that is because Jokic and Murray hesitate more now.

The supporting cast also had a rough go of it, although more players were used in the first half.

As the third quarter is wound down, Denver’s ball movement has slowed down. There is too much reliance on Jokic to make things happen. The other guys have to move, have to cut, have to set picks, and they need to have the ball in their hands. Denver needs to rotate players as well, because they’ve gotten into this idea of only playing a couple of different lineups. In the first half, Denver stuck around because of using different personnel. In the third, they are not doing so enough.

Pacing is also something that was not good in the second half. Denver didn’t insert themselves until far too late into the fourth quarter. Minnesota had blocking calls on Denver repeatedly. The physical effort was there at times, but not around the bucket enough. Drives were awkward because this weird aversion to Gobert. Because of this overthinking and defensive effort that wasn’t picking up the ball handler before the free throw line, the momentum swung far away from the Nuggets.

Jamal Murray is a really good player, but there has to be some offseason tasks that he works on. It’s tough being guarded by bigger players and foul calls often are not made. But there’s some role switching that can change come next postseason.

Final Word

There are a few things that have to change. If Adelman is still the head coach next season, he needs to consistently use different lineups. Too often old habits resurfaced in the playoffs, and adjustments didn’t happen. Game 5 gave fans some hope, but it was as if what worked in that game was forgotten for Game 6.

Something unlikely to be delved into during the offseason, but there has to be something changed about the training staff. Consistent injuries like this will scare away free agents, and begins to make Denver look like New Orleans or Utah. Injuries are absolutely a part of the game, but this many and this frequently makes it seem like certain practices aren’t being done to heal guys up. Perhaps it’s just the roll of the dice, but it seems too frequent.

Lastly, there has to be some role changes on this team. The offense has to change, the defense needs to be a focal point, and there has to be better usage of the bench. Relying on starters this much leads to stagnation and wasting prime years.

Bonus info

Check out our audio companion piece for some last-minute opinions on the Nuggets.