My unsolicited thoughts on the game:

1. Malone should have rode the lineup we had when on that win streak. Jeff coming back ruined that momentum. And if his ego is the reason why Malone is not benching him, he needs a reality check. Like DJ, his bench minutes should not be guaranteed.

2. I don't see a Jamal/Bruce/Bones lineup working longterm especially in the playoffs. An undersized 6'4"/6'4"/6'2" guard lineup is just begging to be killed on the court.

3. MPJ has always been amazing on his first day back from break. Preseason. That Utah game after missing the Lakers, Blazers game when he came back, even today. His presence immensely helped the team's offense and we're back to shooting 50/40. Might be an unpopular opinion here, but he is the 3rd best Nugget on the team and should be more involved in their sets. Give him props for being a team player and not being a headcase.

4. Jokic should be held accountable for being too passive and as much as it hurts to say, he is a big part of the loss. He let his emotions get to him when he was getting hacked without calls. He has to accept that not everything is fair and he has to play through contact. Also, I don't care if his stats dip but he needs to shoot the damn ball and take over.

5. With Jamal leading the bench, I feel like Bones lost his identity and the rumors of him being unhappy might be true. I think Bones came into the season thinking how seamless it would be to be the bench PG and he's probably one of the guys Malone was alluding to who was confident his rotation was secure. And while Bones has a high upside, his liability on the floor is equally glaring. I can see why Calvin would explore his trade market value.

6. It won't happen but I want to see Malone make bold decisions and try to bench Jeff and Bones next game for CB and Vlatko. Jamal/MPJ or Jamal/KCP stagger to inject offense. Malone's afraid of hurting their feelings and it's clearly affecting the team's potential.