Perhaps. But, oddly, Denver's defense is awful under Coach Malone. Hopefully the Kings take advantage of that in their next matchup.
It's not bad defense mostly (IMHO) - it's a clever, calculated decision to play a high-paced system to fully leverage the mile-high advantage Denver has.
If we checked, I actually think we'd find out, that in the last 3 DECADES of NBA bball, the Nuggets NEVER had a winning season on the road!!! (Well, OK, they may have broken 50% once or twice, but stopped at 21 wins max.).
Yet, through many of those long years of a negative record on-the-road, they managed an unbelieveable home record of 70%, 80% or even 90%!!! (Check out most of Karl's years between 2004 and 2013).
How?
Mostly by taking advantage of the fatigue-factor associated with low-oxigen heights, that would affect any non-adapted athlete (and adaptation to heights takes a few days, which you can't have on the NBA schedule...
)
Naturally, the fatigue-factor advantage is more effective the faster you play (i.e. the faster you make the other team play).
That would explain how Karl's run&gun system was so effective there for years, and also why the slower pace failed there in the 3 years after Karl.
And miraculously, once they got back to a pace of about 110 points a game (this year), the Nuggets are back to winning home games again...