Michael Malone calls out Nuggets' effort in blowout loss to Knicks - ESPN

After his Denver Nuggets «got embarrassed» in a 145-118 blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night, coach Michael Malone was adamant this is one game that he won't be «flushing.»

«F--- that man, no. No, we're not flushing,» Malone said in response to a reporter's question. «You don't flush when you get embarrassed, you don't flush when you gave up 145 points, you don't flush when you didn't play hard, didn't play with effort, physicality, I'm not flushing anything.»

The Knicks led by 12 points after the first quarter, 23 at halftime and by many as 30 on a night the team shot a sizzling 60.9% from the floor. Their 45 assists matched the single-game team record set against Cleveland on Nov. 24, 1979.

New York's 145 points marked the most scored by a visitor to Ball Arena since the Los Angeles Lakers scored 146 in an overtime win on April 10, 2022. It was the most points a visiting team had scored in a regulation game in Denver since the Phoenix Suns won 153-118 on April 16, 1991.

The loss dropped the Nuggets to a surprising 5-4 at home this season. The team tied for the second-best home mark last season at 33-8.

Jalen Brunson, who contributed 17 of New York's 45 assists, had a run in the first quarter where he scored nine straight points for the Knicks. He outscored the Nuggets by a 9-2 margin to break open the game.

Brunson finished with 23 points, while OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points for New York. Russell Westbrook had 27 points for the Nuggets off the bench and Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points along with a season-low seven rebounds.

Malone was asked what he expects from his team's leadership in such situations, and said he needs more from his starters in particular.

«Well yeah I mean like Russell