Oct 14, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone reacts after he is called for a foul during the first half of the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Mike Malone was visibly frustrated after the Denver Nuggets’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Although Denver held the lead at halftime, Deni Avdija led the home team to an upset win with 36 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The loss added to their struggles without Nikola Jokic, who missed three straight games with an ankle injury.

The Portland Trail Blazers took control in the second half due to their advantage in second-chance points, 26-10. They went on to outscore the Nuggets 74-50 in stunning blowout victory. Afterward, Mike Malone didn’t mince words as they attempted to hold on to the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Michael Malone went off tonight. And he’s right:”That was embarrassing. That was just a joke….

We had 18 blow-bys….I don’t know what our guys are thinking with 11 games to go. If we continue to play the way we are playing, we will be in the play-in tournament. Very simple.…

— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) March 22, 2025

“That was embarrassing.,” Malone said. “That was just a joke. We had 18 blow-bys. I don’t know what our guys are thinking with 11 games to go. If we continue to play the way we are playing, we will be in the play-in tournament. Very simple. I don’t think we played with any pride tonight.”

Aaron Gordon chipped in 23 points as the most consistent scorer in Jokic’s absence. However, the Nuggets’ collapse in the third quarter left Malone with reasonable concerns into the next stretch of games.

With three weeks left in the regular season, the race to secure a top spot in the West is getting competitive. After two consecutive losses, the Memphis Grizzles are only one game behind the Nuggets in the fifth seed and the Golden State Warriors are two and a half in the sixth seed.

Meanwhile, Denver is still in contention for the third spot and home-court advantage as they’re currently tied with the Los Angeles Lakers.