The Nuggets blew a chance to force overtime in the final seconds with a baffling decision on an easy fastbreak
- The Denver Nuggets missed an open three-pointer to lose 112-110 to the Wizards on Thursday.
- The Nuggets blew a 3-on-1 fastbreak opportunity in the final seconds when nobody went for a wide-open layup.
- The Nuggets instead hoisted a three as time expired and lost.
Basketball coaches around the world must have cringed at the Denver Nuggets' final possession in a loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
Trailing 112-110, the Nuggets secured a defensive rebound off a miss from the Wizards' Raul Neto with just under seven seconds to play.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray immediately pushed the ball down court and appeared to have a golden, 3-on-1 opportunity - Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. was behind Bradley Beal, the lone Wizards defender back, and guard Facundo Campazzo had flanked out to the right wing.
It's hard to imagine a scenario where this doesn't turn into the game-tying layup:
Alas! Things quickly went awry.
- Porter ran to the right corner, instead of to the basket.
- Murray got stuck somewhere between taking a pull-up three (which the Nuggets didn't need) and stopping himself from throwing a lob to Porter (the play that probably should have happened).
- Campazzo stopped running on the right wing.
- Monte Morris (the fourth Nuggets player to cross half-court) stopped at the three-point line above the break.
Murray got double-teamed by the Wizards, and amazingly, none of the Nuggets cut to the basket - which was wide open.
Instead, Murray passed it to Campazzo, who missed the open three as time expired.
The expression of Nuggets players said it all:
Here was the entire play: