PHOENIX — The Nuggets topped the Suns 123-113 Saturday night in a game that left a lot to be desired defensively but still snapped Denver’s seven-game road losing skid.
Here are six observations from the contest:
1. Wait…this was about a podcast? Will Barton and the Suns’ Troy Daniels got into a scuffle in the game’s opening minutes that resulted in a double technical. The apparent reason Daniels instigated the extracurricular activity? Barton poked fun at the Suns after they got throttled by the Spurs earlier this week on teammate Richard Jefferson’s “Road Trippin’” podcast. Let Barton explain:
“After Phoenix lost by 50 to the Spurs, we were making jokes,” Barton said. “I said, ‘After that game, they should throw the whole team to the G League.’ It was nothing personal to Phoenix. I would have said that about us if that happened to us. I was just being funny on a podcast.
“I didn’t know during the game that’s what it was about. I didn’t find out until I came (into the locker room) … I was like ‘They listened to that?’ Alright. OK. Whatever. I’m coming to the game and I didn’t remember I even said that. I’m not thinking about that. So when we came back in (the locker room), they told me that’s what it’s about, and then it’s like, ‘It all makes sense.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s why he came out like that,’ which I respect. You’re supposed to take that personal and I respect that. I would have took it personal, too.”
As if we needed any more evidence that podcasts are taking over the media world.
2. Chandler’s “throwback.” It’s been a strange few weeks for Wilson Chandler. He was temporarily benched, then moved back into the starting lineup when Mason Plumlee went down with a calf injury. He’s battled various illnesses, noting he finally started feeling better Thursday before the Nuggets left for Houston. He was in trade rumors. But he put together his best performance of the season against the Suns, compiling 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting — including a slew of timely buckets — to go with three rebounds and three assists. Chandler said that’s the best his jumper has felt since last season.
“It felt like throwback,” Chandler said.
3. Harris’ debut. Newly acquired point guard Devin Harris’ first action as a Nugget was solid, as he led the team with a plus-17 plus/minus and totaled nine points, two rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. Malone already felt comfortable turning to Harris on an off night for starter Jamal Murray, who finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and added one rebound, two assists and three turnovers. Harris was on the floor as Denver made its third-quarter charge to seize the lead for good.
“That’s why it’s great at the trade deadline to get a guy like Devin Harris who’s been in big games, who knows what a playoff push is all about,” Malone said. “I thought he (went) out there and didn’t do anything spectacular, but he ran his team, played good defense and made the right play.”
Added Harris: “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was needed tonight … (Malone) put me in to sort of get things settled down. I try to do the best I can with that — just read the situation and try to make plays when I could.”
4. Nikola’s night. Malone did not think Nikola Jokic had a particularly good performance against the Suns — and yet, he nearly notched a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He had a tough defensive matchup against Dragan Bender, who is a long pick-and-pop 3-point shooter. But Denver’s plan was to force Bender to guard in the post, particularly during a second quarter in which Jokic scored 10 points (six on free throws). That effort came one night after Malone said he felt Jokic was too passive when the Rockets switched a smaller defender like James Harden onto him.
“Nikola was aggressive when he got the ball in the post tonight, and he needs to be,” Malone said. “We need to play through him. He needs to generate baskets, free throws or plays for his teammates.”
5. Coming home. This was my first time covering an NBA game in my hometown arena, which was pretty rad career milestone. It’s also one of the few arenas in the country that still has courtside media seating behind the bench, which allows one to better observe interactions between coaches and players during the game and overhear some colorful language. But my favorite moment of the night happened before the game itself. In the media room named after legendary radio voice Al McCoy, I ran into…Al McCoy. I interviewed him for my high school newspaper when I was 17 and wanted to thank him for giving that kid his valuable time years ago. When I reintroduced myself, McCoy said he had read some of my work while preparing for tonight’s game and that “now when I read The Denver Post, I’ll know who Gina is.” It was a surreal, full-circle moment.
6. Quotable. Barton on why it’s challenging to win on the road: “We ain’t got nobody rooting for us. When we score, the crowd ain’t going crazy. When they score, they’re going bananas. We’ve just got to block all that out and focus.”
