Coach Michael Malone ejected in Nuggets’ humbling loss to 76ers – The Denver Post

Michael Malone had intervened on Nikola Jokic’s behalf numerous times before.

It was only right the MVP return the favor.

Jokic held up Malone as Denver’s fiery coach charged toward an official Thursday evening, his frustration boiling over and getting the best of him.

The image might as well have summed up the entire Nuggets squad as they got dropped by an undermanned and reeling 76ers team, 103-89. The humbling loss snapped Philadelphia’s five-game losing streak and came with the Sixers missing Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Danny Green and Matisse Thybulle.

It also came on the front-end of a back-to-back, with the surging Chicago Bulls visiting Denver on Friday night. The Nuggets fell to 9-6 on the season.

The debacle spoiled what could’ve been a special Jokic performance. He poured in 27 points in the first half, but was limited to just three in the second half. He added 10 rebounds and seven assists before exiting with 4:23 left in the fourth.

The only help he got came from Will Barton, who returned Thursday after missing two games with low back pain. Barton added 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

No other Nuggets player had more than 11.

Malone’s third-quarter ejection may have been an attempt to jolt the malaise out of his team. It didn’t work, as six Sixers finished with double-digits led by 22 from Tyrese Maxey and 20 from Seth Curry.

Philadelphia finished with 52 points in the paint compared to Denver’s 38.

Frustrated by a non-call on a perceived offensive foul from Curry, Malone barked across the court before he picked up his first technical foul. With 6:04 left in the third quarter and the Nuggets down 70-61, Malone stalked onto the court and immediately earned his second.

The Sixers stretched the lead to 87-69 entering the fourth quarter under a barrage of 3-pointers.

Given Philadelphia’s lengthy injury report and the Sixers’ extended losing streak, Malone had his guard up. Asked before the game whether those types of games scared him the most, Malone cracked a smile.

“Yes, they do,” he said. “I actually said that to my coaches a little while ago. And I try to say the same thing to our team. You can never judge a team that’s lost five in a row that’s without a bunch of their star players because I said, ‘Fellas, put yourselves in their shoes. You’ve been there. When you get blown out in Utah and you’re undermanned, you find a way to come out and usually play with great energy and effort because you have pride.’

“On paper, everybody at home is going to think we should win this game by 30 points. I’ve been in the league a long time,” he said. “That’s not how it works.”

The Nuggets spent most of the first half getting punked on their home floor. A few of the seven turnovers were inexplicable, and the 76ers capitalized, converting them into nine points. Denver’s bench got pummeled 19-3, forcing the Nuggets’ starters back into the game earlier than normal. Philadelphia built a 17-point lead before a second-quarter run, led by Jokic and Barton, trimmed the deficit to just six at halftime.

Recognizing the urgency, Jokic was sensational. He scored 27 first-half points – good for 52% of Denver’s total. He and Barton combined for 42 of the Nuggets’ 52 over the first two quarters. Together, they were six of eight from the 3-point line.

Without their bullish playmaking, the Sixers would’ve run the Nuggets out of the gym.

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