Nuggets blown out by Knicks, OG Anunoby after another shoddy first half

The Nuggets are thwarting themselves in first halves.

At the best of times, it’s a mere inconvenience, like Saturday in Los Angeles. Before they blew the doors open in a 25-point rout of the Lakers, they trailed by six at halftime.

At the worst of times, it’s an overwhelming self-inflicted crutch, like Monday back in Denver. The Nuggets fell behind by 23 early in the second quarter of an eventual 145-118 loss to the Knicks, falling to 5-4 at Ball Arena this season after only losing 15 home games in the last two regular seasons combined.

Denver (9-7) entered the game with the best second-half net rating (13.3) in the NBA, a secret weapon that has enabled several double-digit comeback wins. But that same Nuggets team was ranked 27th in first-half net rating (minus-8.5), a number that is sure to worsen after Monday.

“We were down 10 I think in L.A., too. We were down 10 against Dallas,” Nikola Jokic said. “It seems like we’re always down.”

The Knicks shot 62% from the field to Denver’s 41% in the first half, torching the hosts in transition off misses. The margin on fast break points was 17-2 at halftime despite only five Nuggets turnovers.

“We’re a great transition offensive team, barring tonight. … But we never run back,” coach Michael Malone said. “We’re a one-way running team. And we’ve been that way all season long.”

Their half-court defense wasn’t much better. New York lit up the perimeter for a 53% clip, led by a career-high 40 points from OG Anunoby on 16-of-23 shooting.

The Knicks took turns cooking Denver. Jalen Brunson scored nine consecutive points in a pivotal 90-second stretch late in the first quarter while Jokic was still on the floor, establishing the double-digit lead the Nuggets couldn’t overcome. Karl-Anthony Towns took the baton while staggering with New York’s second unit, leading a run against Denver’s while Jokic was on the bench. Malone used DeAndre Jordan at backup center in both halves, but the results did not improve for the lineup.

In a game that Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. carried offensively, the Nuggets’ bench didn’t make a field goal until three minutes remained in the third quarter. The scorer was fittingly Russell Westbrook, who went on to amass 27 points in garbage time. While Malone waved the white flag, Tom Thibodeau kept his starters on the floor deep into the fourth.

“It’s not Xs and Os,” Murray said. “It wasn’t miss or make. I just think that they played harder.”