Zeke Nnaji’s rebounding a silver lining as Denver Nuggets win streak snapped

There was an added element to Zeke Nnaji’s game Sunday.

The third-year Nugget posted the first double-double of his career, 12 points and 10 rebounds, in the Denver’s 101-99 loss to the Thunder. Nnaji scored his points in typical fashion. He showcased the jumper that made him a 40% or better shooter from 3 in each of his first two seasons, making 2 of 3 from deep against Oklahoma City. On the other end, Nnaji showed his ability to switch onto guards, picking up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at times, and blocked a pair of shots inside.

The new part was the rebounding, especially on the defensive glass. Nnaji grabbed seven of his rebounds on the defense.

“I’ve been offensive rebounding pretty well. I think I just needed to step up my defensive rebounding, especially with (Jokic) out. He gets a lot of our rebounds,” Nnaji said after he started in place of Nikola Jokic, who missed a second straight game with hamstring tightness.

“I had to kind of step up and take on that responsibility. My mindset was just to go after every defensive rebound.”

Three of those defensive boards came in the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets’ comeback came up just short.

“Great activity,” acting head coach David Adelman said. “I thought he really shored up our defensive rebounding issues we had early in the game.”

Adelman added that those defensive rebounds were especially important Sunday because it allowed the Nuggets to get out in transition on a night where Denver finished 43.9% from the field, 35.7% from 3 and 51.5% from the line. Free throws were the biggest issue, and Nnaji was part of that, going 4 of 8, part of Denver’s 17-for-33 night at the line. But he stepped up and hit the most clutch free throws of the night. With Oklahoma City up two with 30 seconds left, Nnaji sunk both to tie the game despite an 0-for-2 trip a few minutes earlier.

“Nothing was in my mind,” Nnaji said. “Kept it empty like it was practice.”

That trip to the line came after his third and final offensive rebound of the night. He credited his offseason in the weight room with allowing him to better fight for position inside. On the defensive glass, Nnaji has had nights where he’s regularly boxed out his man, allowing a teammate to grab the rebound. As long as it’s good for the Nuggets, Nnaji’s not too concerned with the numbers.

“As long as we get the rebound, I’m OK,” Nnaji said. “At the end of the day, I’m just here to help my team win and do whatever it takes. If I got to box out and someone else gets the rebound and I feel like that’s going to help us win, then I’m going to keep doing that. Today, I had to rebound more.”

Malone on the mend

Adelman coached his fourth game since Michael Malone entered the league’s health and safety protocols. The two talked earlier Sunday.

“He’s getting a lot better but still not feeling, you know, the way he wants to feel to come back,” Adelman said.

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Until Malone returns, Adelman will have one foot in each role.

“You’re prepping like two different people at once in a way,” Adelman said. “I’m doing what I do when coach is here, and in the back of my mind, I’m thinking ‘Man, if he’s not here, I need to get myself prepared.’”

Adelman added the team is planning for Malone to make the trip to New Orleans for the first game of Denver’s upcoming road trip.

THUNDER 101, NUGGETS 99

What happened: The shorthanded Nuggets didn’t shoot it well enough to stretch their win streak to 10 games.

Without Nikola Jokic (hamstring tightness) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons) the Nuggets finished 17 of 33 at the free throw line.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10) and Josh Giddey (8) combined for 18 of Oklahoma City’s 27 first-quarter points, and the Thunder led by nine to start the second quarter. The Nuggets closed the gap to 52-47 by halftime.

A 3-pointer from Zeke Nnaji and a mid-range bucket from Jamal Murray gave the Nuggets the lead in the first five minutes of the third quarter, but the Thunder bounced back and led by seven to start the fourth.

The Nuggets closed within four with four minutes to play and tied the game on Zeke Nnaji’s free throws with 30.2 seconds left.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with a game-high 34 points, put the Thunder ahead in the final 10 seconds. Murray’s tying shot came up short, ending Denver’s win streak.

What went right: A couple of bench players made the most of their expanded roles. Rookie Christian Braun made 4 of 7 shots and finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Jeff Green, playing his second game after missing a month with hand injuries, added 12 points and two assists in 20 minutes, making 5 of his 7 shots.

What went wrong: Nikola Jokic missed a second consecutive game with a hamstring strain. Zeke Nnaji got the start, and the Nuggets went small with second unit, playing Green and Aaron Gordon together in the frontcourt. Bones Hyland also left the court in the third quarter and did not return to the court.

Highlight of the night: Braun cut baseline and caught a body. With the Nuggets down seven early in the fourth quarter, Braun snuck down the baseline. Bruce Brown had the ball in the middle of the lane and threaded a bounce pass to the Nuggets’ rookie. Brown elevated and dunked over Kenrich Williams, drawing a foul in the process. He made the free throw to bring the Nuggets within four points.

Up next: The Nuggets start a tough back-to-back Tuesday in New Orleans before heading to Milwaukee for Wednesday’s game.