Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone wasn’t very pleased after a close call vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
Michael Malone does not like the Los Angeles Lakers; that much is clear. The Denver Nuggets head coach has proven particularly feisty in anticipation and in the aftermath of games vs. the Lakers, and Friday night’s Nuggets win was no exception.
After the Nuggets came back and defeated a depleted Lakers squad 131-126, Malone let his thoughts be known on his team’s performance against an underpowered team. Upon sitting down for his post-game press conference, Malone immediately balled up and threw the stat sheet that was on the table.
“You have to [throw this game away]. Washington’s coming here tomorrow night,” Malone said. “This isn’t a beauty pageant; we don’t get rated on our win, it’s just a win. Obviously, a lot of things we can be better at… Another game in the first quarter where we came in the game, showed up, and kind of tried to ease our way into it. And they jumped all over us. That’s a recipe for disaster, we can’t do that. We have to approach the game with urgency.”
Michael Malone yanked the statsheet before starting his postgame interview.
He then states “We need to approach the game with a sense of urgency.”
(via @MileHighRachel) pic.twitter.com/nSNvTRcNxS
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 15, 2025
Without an 8-0 run down the stretch, the Nuggets, currently the No. 2 team in the Western Conference, would have lost to a Lakers team playing without LeBron James and Luka Doncic, their two best players. Austin Reaves (37 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists) and rookie Dalton Knecht (32 points) proved to be the most important players for Los Angeles, which led 126-123 in the final minute of the game.
Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic tied it up at 126 apiece with a 3-pointer before Jamal Murray made a go-ahead three with 5.6 seconds to go, which helped Denver avoid its second straight loss — the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday — and its third loss in four games.
As it stands now, the Nuggets are 43-24 and a game ahead of the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, who are tied for third place in the Western Conference. The Lakers, who have lost four straight and will likely be without James for at least another week, are now 40-25 and have slid to fifth in the standings, although they still have a 2.5-game edge over the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.