Idle Nuggets hold light practice as they wait for NBA Finals foe

DENVER (AP) —Denver Nuggets guardBruce Brownhas beenusing the long layoff before the start of the NBA Finals to work onhis game — his golf game.

“First day ofgolf I played pretty well,” Brown recounted. “The second day wasterrible.”

On Friday, itwas back to the business of Brown hitting the shots he hits thebest — jumpers — as the Nuggets returned to the court for a lightpractice. Game 1 of thefranchise’s first appearance inan NBA Finalsis still nearly a week away and theiropponent has yet to be determined, with Boston and Miami headinginto Game 6 of its Eastern Conference finals series.

The rest hascertainly been welcome. The rust, though, does become aconcern.

“It’simpossible to keep your rhythm if you’re not playing games,”Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You can do whatever you want inpractice, but there’s no way you can replicate playing in an NBAplayoff game.”

The Nuggetscelebrated sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers on the plane ride home.It bought them a day off Tuesday and an optional day Wednesday(although, quite a few players showed up). On Thursday, there wereconditioning drills and individual drills before reassembling onthe practice floor Friday. The intensity will pick up closer to thestart of the series Thursday — and once they know who they’refacing (the Heat lead 3-2 with the series shifting to Miami onSaturday).

“Right now,as I told our players, this is about us,” Malone said. “We have toshore up who we are and address the areas that we have not beenmaybe good enough or areas that we can clean up.”

Before thebreak, Nikola Jokic, guard Jamal Murray and the Nuggets werecruising along, too, turning in a 12-3 mark in the postseason.Murray’s biggest piece of advice — keep practicing like they expectto play.

“Don’t pickup bad habits throughout this week,” Murray said. “Just being ableto stay locked in. You don’t want to get relaxed. I think that’sthe biggest — we don’t want to relax and just wait. We want to staysharp.”

Murray tookthe opportunity Thursday night to tune into the Stanley Cupplayoffs. He watched the green team (his description of the DallasStars) knock off the white team (his description of the VegasGolden Knights) in overtime during Game 4 of the Western Conferencefinals. He said the contest drove home an important lesson — toplay with an intensity all game especially on defense.

“Our defenseis being played with intent,” Murray said. “We’ve all been on astring. When we need a stop, we all lock in, even if we don’t getit, we lock in and try and get it possession-by-possession. I thinkthat’s crucial at this stage.”

Same withmaintaining a balance between hoops and home life. Malone said hisfamily has helped keep him grounded.

“I can’t gohome and be in like Game 7 mindset, because my wife and kids wouldleave me,” Malone said. “I have to force myself to take a deepbreath and remind myself that I am a husband, I am a father and tobe a part of my family.”

This weekend,Malone may even play some pickleball — just to take his mind off agrinding series that lies ahead. It could be Jayson Tatum and theCeltics. Or Jimmy Butler and the Heat, the eight seed that made itinto the playoffs through the play-in tournament.

For Brown, nomatter who it is, the game will be a reunion of sorts. He’s fromBoston and went to college at the University of Miami.

“But if wedid go to Boston, it would be a lot of tickets,” Brown joked. “Soit would be really expensive.”