Michael Malone's Brutally Honest Statement After Denver Nuggets Lose Game 2

Michael Malone met with the media after Game 2.

Mar 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone speaks to the media / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday evening, the Denver Nuggets hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves in Colorado for Game 2 of their second-round playoff series.

The Nuggets were outplayed the entire night and lost by a score of 106-80.

They now trail 2-0 in the series, as they were unable to protect their home floor.

After the tough loss, head coach Michael Malone met with the media and shared an honest statement (h/t NBA TV).

Malone: "We got out coached. We got out played. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can do whatever you can to try to be better come Game 3. That's my focus. Is rallying these guys to continue to fight. No one said it was going to be easy, and right now we understand that."

"We got out coached; we got out played. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can do whatever you can to try to be better come Game 3."

Nuggets HC Michael Malone on the focus of Denver heading into Game 3 Friday pic.twitter.com/UKWRPzJHr0

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 7, 2024

The Nuggets are the second seed in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record.

They beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (in five games).

However, the Timberwolves have looked like the much better team to start the series.

In Monday's loss, the Nuggets shot just 34.9% from the field and 30.0% from the three-point range.

Apr 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gestures in the third / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 of the series will be on Friday evening when the teams travel to Minnesota to face off at the Target Center.

Whoever wins the series will advance to the Western Conference Finals and face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Dallas Mavericks.

Last season, the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves in the first round (in five games), and then went on to win the title.