There are losses and then there are gut-punches.
What the Nuggets experienced Friday, amid a Jazz pummeling of epic proportions, was humiliating and bewildering. They’ve now lost their last two games by an average of 28 points and are staring at a season on the brink.
Perhaps the most salient expression on Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s face came late in the first quarter – the moment Malone said the game was over. He had a look of astonishment that suggested he didn’t recognize whatever form of basketball his team was playing, and more alarming, he didn’t have answers to address it.