The Nuggets edged out the Lakers 131-126 in the NBA regular season. After the game, Nuggets coach Malone walked into the media room, as soon as the technical statistics sheet crumpled up, without hesitation into the garbage can. When asked by a reporter if the move meant throwing the game in the trash, Malone replied emphatically: “Sometimes, you have to do that.”
Malone was extremely dissatisfied with the Nuggets’ defensive performance in the first quarter of the game, he said bluntly: “Our defence in the first quarter is one of the worst teams in the NBA. We can’t start like this and have to approach every game with a sense of urgency.”
“We emphasized all day that the outcome of this game had nothing to do with their personnel,” Malone said of the team’s lax attitude against the injury-riddled Lakers. We can’t relax just because our opponents have injuries, that’s not allowed, “he said.
After the game, the Nuggets are firmly in second place in the Western Conference with a 43-24 record. Malone and his team will continue to work hard, fully prepared for the next game, and strive to achieve better results.
