Braun calls for toughness after frustrating fourth-quarter collapse. Nuggets let another win slip, revealing recurring late-game struggles.
The Denver Nuggets had a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon, and it looked like they were going to cruise to a comfortable win at Chase Center.
Instead, the Golden State Warriors flipped the script and outscored Denver 33-16 in the final frame, handing the Nuggets a frustrating 128-117 defeat.
After the game, guard Christian Braun did not hold back when asked about what went wrong down the stretch.
"We've got to get tougher, we've got to play better," Braun said, summing up the feeling inside a Denver locker room that has seen this movie too many times this season.
A Familiar Script for Denver
The loss dropped the Nuggets to 36-22 on the season, good enough for third in the Western Conference, but their 14-15 record in clutch situations tells a very different story than their overall mark suggests.
Denver has made a habit of letting winnable games slip away in the final minutes, and Sunday's collapse was one of the most frustrating examples yet.
Turnovers from Braun and Jamal Murray on Denver's first two possessions of clutch time helped the Warriors turn a five-point lead into a double-digit advantage in less than a minute.
Brandin Podziemski scored 12 of his 18 points in the final five minutes while the Nuggets went cold from the field.
It did not help that Golden State was missing Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Draymond Green, making the loss sting even more.
Nikola Jokic still put together a monster performance with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season, but even his brilliance was not enough to save Denver from another fourth-quarter meltdown.
Braun's Rocky Road Back
Braun finished the Warriors game with 18 points, which was by far his best scoring output since returning from a left ankle sprain that has derailed much of his fourth NBA season.
The 24-year-old originally suffered the injury on November 12 against the Clippers and missed 23 straight games before briefly returning in early January.
He played just three games before the ankle flared up again and he sat out another 12 contests, missing a total of 35 games before coming back just ahead of the All-Star break.
Through 14 games this season, Braun is averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field.
The most alarming number is his three-point shooting, which has dipped all the way down to 21.2 percent after he connected on nearly 40 percent of his attempts from deep a season ago.
The ankle issues have clearly taken a toll on his explosiveness and comfort level on the court, even if the 18-point outing against the Warriors showed some signs of progress.
What Comes Next
Braun signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in October and the Nuggets need him to look like the player who earned that deal.
His defense, transition scoring, and toughness have always been a big part of what makes Denver tick, and without those things firing on all cylinders, the Nuggets are a different team in the closing minutes of tight games.
Denver does not get much time to regroup either, with the Boston Celtics coming to Ball Arena on Wednesday followed by a Friday trip to Oklahoma City.
Braun was simple and direct, and if the Nuggets want to be serious contenders come playoff time, they are going to have to figure out how to close games before it is too late.