The Triple Team: The Nuggets are very lacking, and the Jazz are taking full advantage

After a 139 offensive rating in Game 2, the Jazz “alone” put up 135 points per 100 possessions in Game 3. What a disappointment.

But seriously, this Nuggets defense looks sonk. It seems like they have no idea what they’re doing to defend the Jazz, just by going through defensive strategies while being very scary.

Some of that is apparently because the Jazz pass the ball on whatever they do: the Jazz have created a seasonal identity as a ball movement team, and it’s very clear that they can read defenses and tear them apart.

‘No matter what defense they throw at us, they know and we know how to defeat that defense. Then (we) try to make the right decision, ”said Gobert.

They can do this especially against teams with limited speed and athletics on the perimeter. The Healthy Nuggets are not, but although they are Michael Porter Jr. and Paul Millsap start, they are very easy to exploit. Gobert is perhaps the primary beneficiary of poor perimeter defense.

Like, here the Jazz are actually in a bit of trouble, with Conley baseline and everything included. But because Millsap is so incapable of changing directions on the closeout, even slow man Joe Ingles can easily drive through him. The result? In Gobert-dunk.

Ditto here with Porter. Again, Royce O’Neale should not be a problematic defensive matchup, but he just drives by Porter with ease. I get it a closeout, but the Nuggets’ close-ups did not affect the shot or stop the drive. Millsap has to turn, and it’s another Gobert dunk.

Jordan Clarkson drives through Monte Morris. To Morris’ credit, it’s mostly contained, but Porter still comes over to help. Nikola Jokic must defend both Donovan Mitchell and Gobert. He can not. Gobert dunk.

The Nuggets have just lost all sense of perimeter containment, and that leads to shrinking, ugly, insane help situations. With a screen, as without, the Jazz quickly come downhill, and that again and again leads to messy defensive situations.

Sorry to focus so much on the shortcomings of the opposition team instead of on the successes of the Jazz, but the truth is that if a team loses a playoff game by 30+ points, one mistake from one side will be involved. And again on Friday night, the Nuggets turned the ball over in ways I honestly did not understand.

This possession begins with a standard postcard that Jokic somehow fumbles so badly that he almost loses it beyond bounds, eventually just shaking it behind him. Mitchell goes for the steal, but does not get it. It’s a 5-on-4 from here. That Torrey Craig … shakes it right to Ingles?

Jokic, one of the top five passersby in the NBA, just throws a pick six to Mitchell at this game.

Porter sees his teammate come to get the ball and for some reason chucks it hard above his head from like six feet away.

There are more examples. Even one of the lowest turnover guards of all time, Monte Morris, had two last night. It’s just weird for a no. 3-sied.

I think if the Jazz stay at home on the Nuggets cuts, and force them to play a two-man game, they will not be able to make plays that they are used to making. Some of these conversions are passages that the Nuggets are accustomed to having open, but do not find this series because the Jazz can only defend the paint by Gobert.

To some extent, they just need their stars to play better. Both Murray and Jokic were very average on Friday. If they are average and the Jazz defend the role players well, the Nuggets are in big trouble.

I think after such a bad Game 2 win, people were worried that Conley’s return would throw a wrench in things. The Jazz would lose a little big in the starting lineup, and the ball would probably be in Mitchell’s hands a little less.

Then Conley came back, and the reality was just phenomenal: suddenly the Jazz had another big-time shot maker in the lineup, one who could create as well. The result: 27 points on 9-13 shots from the field and 7-8 from 3-point distance, adding four assists without cover.

It is impressive that after a few days away from game action, Conley got into the bubble and was immediately ready to shoot, which brought significant doubts to the audience to get into the rhythm. Will he shoot 7-8 from deep again? Probably not. But that’s okay, because the threat of his shot opens up a lot for the rest of the crime.

Conley’s return also means that Emmanuel Mudiay was sent off, which is a good thing. The Jazz extended their lead in those bench units with Conley at the helm. It’s a good fit for him, as he gets the show against bench setups, looking to score and pass on shooters around him like Clarkson, Niang, and Morgan.

The depth of the Jazz is a real problem, but adding another player who can play 35 a night makes things a lot easier.

And of course, his Jazz teammates love Conley. Gobert, Mitchell, and even Ingles talked about Conley’s leadership on the floor, his ability to see things in real time and pass them on to his teammates. It’s hard to give him too much credit for the crime in Game 3, seeing how good it was in Game 2, but his ethos contributes to the team, and it’s good to have it back.