How one Denver Nuggets play destroyed the Lakers
When the game was on the line, the Nuggets went to the same set five times and put the Lakers down for a nap
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When I used to play EA Sports’ NCAA Football video games, one of my favorite maneuvers was holding triangle (on PS2) after a successful play to trigger the hurry up offense. This would rush your team to the line of scrimmage ready to run the same play again as the defense lined up the same formation. In earlier versions of the game, the defense wouldn’t change anything and you could simply run the play exactly the same as before. As the game engine improved, the defense could audible or hot route but couldn’t substitute. So you’d sometimes see a linebacker lined up as cornerback and the offense maintained huge advantage. The hurry up offense in the game was less about pace of play and more about running the same play until you broke the defense.
Based on the fourth quarter of Denver’s opening night win, Mike Malone would have excelled at NCAA Football using the hurry up offense. The Nuggets accepted their rings for the 2023 championship and promptly dispatched their sons the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107. The champs led throughout the game and seemed like they would cruise to a relatively easy win. But Lebron’s team fought back in the 4th quarter. With 5:17 left, James hit a three to pull within 7 points of Denver and Malone called for a timeout.
Over the next two minutes, the Nuggets would run the same play five consecutive times. The set, which is illustrated below, produced a 7-0 run and two LA fouls that essentially put the game away. While I love the coaching aspect of running a play until the defense stops you, the most impressive aspect of the run was how the Nuggets made reads and adjusted the play on the fly. This ability to adjust fluidly is what separates Denver from other talented teams and what makes them so much fun to watch. Let’s go through each play and try to figure out why it turned out how it did.
Play design
The play is simple and has three elements. First, Nikola Jokic sets a down screen for a guard to pop to the wing (Down). Then, Jokic pops to the elbow for an entry pass from Jamal Murray (Elbow). Finally, the guards set screens for each other to get open for a pass or handoff from Jokic, which is called a Split Cut. That’s pretty much the entire play.
Split cut actions are ubiquitous in the NBA. The Warriors basically spammed split cuts en route to their championships, so much so that I made a TikTok about the play using only their tape. Coach Pyper of Half Court Hoops posted a bunch of variations on his newsletter. The magic of the play comes from the passing skills of the big and the reads that the guards make. If the big and guards have the right chemistry, split cuts can be unstoppable.
1: Jamal Murray three
The first time Denver ran this set was the most straight-forward and, frankly, easiest to convert. With DeAngelo Russell covering Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Taurean Prince on Jamal Murray, the Lakers don’t want to switch assignments because of DLo’s defensive deficiencies. Murray sets a well-angled screen and gets enough of Russell to put him behind the play. With DLo trailing, the Nuggets turn their attention Prince, who is completely locked on Murray. He may have thought a hand-off for KCP was coming, in which case DLo would stay with KCP. But KCP sees Prince with his back to the ball and cuts the basket to force the switch because of the threat of an open cutter. Either Prince made a late switch call or DLo didn’t react fast enough as Murray pops to the wing for a three.
2: KCP jumper
Oh here’s the handoff. KCP screens for Murray this time and the Lakers are willing to switch this time. The Nuggets’ processing speed makes this basket happen. Prince jumps at Murray’s pass to Jokic and, before he can hit the ground, Denver’s guards see an opportunity. KCP dashes into the screen for Murray and Prince is in bad position. After the handoff, Jokic turns into a butt screen and cuts off Prince’s angle for a rearview contest—where the defender challenges the shot from behind. Anthony Davis dropped into the lane to cut off a drive, but drops too far to get a hand up. The Lakers may be okay with giving up a mid-range shot generally, but this was a wide open look from a hot shooter.
3: Aaron Gordon dunk
Austin Reaves tags in for DLo and the Lakers managed to stop the initial action. Notice the one-second pause after the split cut because it’s make the play work. In that second, KCP reads the defense and decides whether to cut to the basket or re-screen as Murray lulls Reaves to sleep by not moving at all. KCP cuts to the basket and that triggers the Murray hand-off. With Reaves trailing, Murray has a world of options including driving to the basket, stepping back for a jumper, and passing back to Jokic. He drives and draws help from Lebron James. Then it’s an easy dump off for Aaron Gordon and Davis is in no position to help.
4: MPJ three
So I kind of lied when I said the Nuggets ran the same exact play five times. The Nuggets run a more streamlined set with the split cut replaced with an on-ball screen. Going directly to the ball screen takes advantage of the Davis’s hesitancy to leave Jokic we saw in the last two possessions. Here, Davis will be forced to pick between helping on Murray’s drive or sticking with Jokic. Given the last two possessions, the Lakers likely were not switching any screens involving Jokic. But Davis also just watched KCP and Murray burn him as he stayed close to Jokic. He hedges the screen, which leaves Jokic open. Reaves helps and Jokic dishes to MPJ for the three. I’m not sure if foregoing the split cut was a read on the spot or a pre-determined adjustment, but it was a stroke of genius to punish Davis.
5: Murray fouled
At this point, it kind of seemed like the Nuggets were just messing with the Lakers. On the first of these two plays, KCP and Murray run the split cut as they did on the first time running it. But instead of cutting to the basket, KCP turns and re-screens for Murray. The Lakers are eager to switch Prince back on Murray to cut off his driving lanes. KCP leaks out to the top of the key for what would’ve been a wide open three if DLo didn’t grab Murray.