Cavaliers torch Nuggets from 3-point range as Denver starts road trip with loss

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Dec 5, 2024

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CLEVELAND — The NBA’s leader in 3-point efficiency lit up the perimeter, and the NBA’s bottom-feeder in 3-point volume couldn’t keep up.

The Nuggets were stuck playing behind most of the game Thursday night in a 126-114 loss to the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Cleveland shot 45.8% from 3-point range, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 5-for-9 night and Caris LeVert’s 5-for-6 contribution. Mitchell finished with 28 points.

Nikola Jokic had 27 points, with 20 rebounds and 11 assists. After falling behind by 18 in the second half, the Nuggets (11-9) briefly got back within nine late in the fourth quarter with a chance to inch closer, but Michael Porter Jr. (24 points) turned it over under the basket. He, Aaron Gordon (18) and Jamal Murray (19) each scored 18 or more points in the loss, but the team’s finishing encountered a critical lapse in the third quarter. Its perimeter defense was too inconsistent all night.

Cleveland made 14 shots from the field to Denver’s 12 in the first quarter. The problem was math. The Cavs were 9 for 15 from beyond the arc. The Nuggets were 0 for 3. And so it didn’t matter that they outscored the hosts 24-10 in the paint, or that Jokic had 12 points and eight rebounds. As he seated himself, his team trailed by 10.

That was enough of an omen to predict what was about to happen to Denver’s bench. Michael Malone called a timeout 13 seconds into the second quarter after a 10th allowed 3-pointer, courtesy of a wide open Sam Merrill. By the time Malone replaced Zeke Nnaji with Gordon at the backup five, the Cavaliers led by 16.

Gordon’s bully-ball and Murray’s shot-making steadied the ship before Jokic returned. Then he did, and Denver carved up the hosts with superior physicality for the rest of the half. Defensive rotations to Cleveland’s shooters improved dramatically. The Nuggets flew around. Jokic vacuumed up rebounds. It was 66-62 at halftime, back to a study in opposing styles. Denver attempted 76% of its shots in the paint for a 48-22 lead in the lane. Cleveland attempted 56% of its shots from the perimeter from a 42-3 lead there.

In what’s becoming a trend this season, Malone shortened his rotation in the second half, with Gordon playing center again during Jokic’s rest. But those minutes didn’t end up costing the Nuggets the game this time. The starting lineup dug double-digit holes even with Jokic on the floor, and the three-time MVP had a 2-for-7 third quarter while everyone else had gone cold.

Malone gives update after Cancar’s surgery

After Vlatko Cancar’s arthroscopic surgery in his left knee Wednesday, the door remains open for him to possibly play again in 2024-25, according to Malone.

“The decision that was made, one he felt most comfortable choosing, is one that would hopefully allow him to come back this season,” he said. “We’ll have to see how the recovery goes. It’s tough to put a definitive timetable on that return.”

Cancar, 27, will be reevaluated in eight weeks, according to a news release from the team. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL in the same knee.