DENVER _ Ten days prior to Sunday night's game, the Nuggets blew out the Knicks by 37 points. It was the breaking point for the tenure of David Fizdale, who was fired after the next practice.
The Knicks were non-competitive in that game. So the 111-105 loss against Denver could certainly be cast as progress. The Knicks, riding their first two-game winning streak of the season, trailed big early Sunday but didn't quit.
Instead, they turned a 20-point deficit in the second quarter to a five-point lead in the fourth. Then New York ran out of gas down the stretch, not coincidentally as Denver ramped up its defensive intensity.
"We had some fun in the second half. We played to the identity we talked about," interim coach Mike Miller told reporters in Denver. "We battled. That was a hard-fought game and we put ourselves in a good position."
Leading 100-98, the Knicks went over five minutes without scoring while missing 11 consecutive shots. Nikola Jokic (25 points), the All-Star big man, responded brilliantly on the other end and closed out the victory.
"The (Nuggets have) the No. 2 defense in the NBA and when it got to that point, they really stepped it up," Miller said. "We also burned a lot of energy getting back into the game."
Marcus Morris again led New York with 22 points. Frank Ntilikina had a strong first half before finishing with 13 points, but Elfrid Payton was again the point guard in crunch time and had 11 assists. Julius Randle added 20 points and nine boards.
The Knicks fell to 6-21 and finished their encouraging Western Conference road trip at 2-2. The improvements are obvious under Miller, who, if nothing else, has upgraded the in-game management. In five games, Miller has three defeats but only one non-competitive blowout. Those became a staple under Fizdale, and it appeared Sunday night would fall the same way.
The Knicks came out disjointed and outmatched in the Pepsi Center, putting up as much defensive resistance as practice cones. The deficit was double-digits for most of the first half.
"You can't give a team like that many easy ones," Miller said.
Morris told reporters the high altitude in Denver was a factor.
"Early on I think it shocked us," he said.
The Knicks' push arrived in the third quarter, when they outscored the Nuggets, 33-20. They didn't finish but overall there was a sense of improvement.
"The biggest thing (this showed) is we can compete with anybody," Morris said. "I think we showed that. I feel like guys in locker room thought we took a step."
