Michael Malone urges accountability: 'Gotta bring something to the party' / News - Basketnews.com

Michael Malone points the finger at the lack of bench productivity following a 1-4 road trip: "There's just a lot of empty minutes being played right now by too many guys."

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

Denver Nuggets find themselves in a challenging spot after yet another defeat, this time losing 105-86 to the Houston Rockets. The latter stumble capped off a 1-4 road trip.

Player of the Game EFF 27 Jabari Smith Points 16 Accuracy 6-9 Rebounds 15 Assists 1

Coach Michael Malone didn't mince words when addressing his team after the defeat.

"I think I've just gotta find some different guys to play that can give us something," Malone said. "Some kind of life, some kind of energy, some kind of productivity. There's just a lot of empty minutes being played right now by too many guys.

"I just told them. Minutes, I'm gonna start playing different people. You just can't go out there because you think you're gonna play, and go out there and do nothing. You've gotta bring something to the party."

Injury woes have plagued the team, with star guard Jamal Murray missing nine matches due to an injury suffered in the second game of a back-to-back.

But seems thatDenver's bench is a bigger issue at this moment. The second unit was outscored 16-0 by Houston's bench in the first half.

"We're going home. Very disappointing road trip. … That's the challenge when you have so many young, unproven players off the bench," Malone said. "But we also have games to win, and that delicate balance is a tightrope. But we need to win, and I'm gonna play the guys that are gonna help us get a win.

"I know it's easy to say because Jamal is not playing, but I think if Jamal Murray plays, I think we win the game the last time we played here, a three-point loss. I think we win the game in New Orleans. I think maybe we win the game in Orlando, where we have five turnovers for eight points in the fourth quarter. But he's not here. So we have to find a way," he went on to say.

"Reggie [Jackson], I think, has done a really good job in place of Jamal. But just like if Nikola goes down, we don't have another Nikola Jokic. We don't have another Jamal Murray."

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