Denver Nuggets: Backcourt a key factor in Game 6

The Denver Nuggets face a desperate San Antonio Spurs team in Game 6, creating a high-pressure matchup for both squads. The backcourt will be key on the road.

What a difference 120 hours can make for the Denver Nuggets.

By the end of Game 3, a melancholy silence had taken the Nuggets by storm, creating an unusually gloomy outlook for a fanbase atop the throne of a higher seed.

The Nuggs trailed in the series 2-1, but the San Antonio Spurs had outplayed them in all three games to that point.

More pummeling appeared to be in store for the Mile High faithful, a group that has experienced far too much of it in recent years. After all, nothing ruins a storybook season like a flopping into a first round upset as the 2-seed.

Yet, as 2018-19 has proven to be magical, such was the case with Denver’s response to this adversity. The Nuggets deemed this path an unfit end to their story, so they changed it, thwacking the Spurs in two straight games to seize a sudden 3-2 series lead.

The most notable difference in Games 4 and 5 was the play of both squads’ backcourts.

In the first three games, San Antonio’s guards outplayed Denver’s. The peak moment came in an embarrassing Game 3, in which Derrick White outscored Jamal Murray 36-6.

Suffice it to say Murray got mad. Gary Harris apparently did the same, because since Game 3’s thrashing, Denver’s backcourt has dominated San Antonio’s in a major way.

In Game 4, (one game after his career performance), White was held to just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting. Hounded by defensive stopper Gary Harris, White suddenly found himself smack-dab in the Nuggets’ high beams. The harassment carried over into Game 5, as White was limited to just three points entering a meaningless fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Murray roared back after his putrid Game 3, lifting the Nuggets with 24 points and six assists on 8-of-14 shooting. He followed with a similar Game 5, dropping 23 points and seven dimes on 9-of-16 shooting. In those games, he nailed a combined 7-of-13 from deep.

Harris, on the other hand, struggled offensively in Game 4. Yet, his throttling defense on White completely changed the game for Denver. Then in Game 5, he scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting while continuing to lock up White.

San Antonio’s other guard, Bryn Forbes, scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in Game 1. He’s been less of an issue the past two games, chalking up 10 and four points, respectively.

Adding gritty defender Torrey Craig to the starting lineup helped balance the defensive matchups. Craig’s ability to bother star DeMar DeRozan allows Harris to check White, while Murray chases Forbes. Clearly everybody is where they should be defensively now.

Murray and Harris have stepped up majorly on both ends these past two games. Without their brilliance, Denver wouldn’t be leading the series. So what does this mean going forward?

Game 6 will not be an easy affair for either squad, actually. The Spurs find themselves suddenly desperate. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will struggle to close out the defiant opposition in San Antonio, one of the tougher places to play in the NBA.

For the Nuggs to win Game 6, both Murray and Harris must provide excellent two-way performances. Murray’s goal should be a third consecutive offensive outburst, while continuing to limit Forbes. Harris will look to clamp down on White first and foremost, while spacing the floor and attacking offensively.

All the momentum favors Denver at this point. Murray and Harris’ job for Game 6? Keep winning the backcourt matchup.