Michael Malone, head coach of the Denver Nuggets, is not here to hear critics say that he recently sat Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to simply rest them. The Nuggets opted to sit the star duo in a road matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Nikola Jokić is dealing with a contusion to his shooting elbow along with an ankle impingement. As for Murray, he rolled his ankle in the recent home loss to the Washington Wizards. As a result, Malone is looking at the bigger picture and sat the duo to allow them to recover. ESPN analyst, Tim Bontemps, was not a fan of this and called out the Nuggets for this “look.”
“This is why the NBA put in the Player Participation Policy,” Bontemps said. “Your stars are supposed to play. Nikola Jokić plays all the time…he’s been banged up with a bunch of stuff. You could look ahead at the schedule if you’re the Nuggets. They play the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the league, at home on Saturday. Sit these guys in that game, have them ready to go for today’s game and Wednesday’s game against the Lakers.”
Michael Malone caught wind of this sentiment and vehemently disagreed.
“I think that’s just a bunch of bulls—,” Malone said. “I mean, in the last 10 years, Nikola Jokić has played the second most games in the NBA. Ten years. And the guys in that top 10, none of them are superstars.
“So if Nikola is not playing, it’s not because he’s sitting. It’s not because he needs rest. It’s because he’s hurt and he’s trying to play through things that most wouldn’t. We’re at a point right now where we have to do what’s best for not just Nikola, but for all our guys, as we move forward and try to close out this season.”
The Denver Nuggets are currently jockeying for position among the upper echelon of the Western Conference standings.
Michael Malone Defends Decision to Sit Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray
An Odd Season for the Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have had an up-and-down year for their standards. They are still among the elite of the Western Conference. However, their defense is porous (19th in team defensive rating at 114.7 as of March 19th, 2025) and injuries have prevented them from establishing a rhythm this season. Aaron Gordon has been in and out of the lineup all season. Not to mention, Jokić and Murray have also had to bear their fair share of responsibility in terms to carrying the load this year. Considering all of this, Michael Malone should not be faulted for trying to get his team to 100 percent health before the postseason.