For the first time in his stint as Nuggets coach, the pressure is on Michael Malone. Here in Denver, we’re sick and tired of hearing the same old yada yada about player development and establishing a culture. This team needs to make the playoffs. Not next year. Now. In 2018.

So with the Denver offense gone stagnant, team energy on the wane and a berth in the Western Conference playoffs slip-sliding away, Malone needed to do something, anything to shake the Nuggets from their dead-of-winter doldrums.

So Malone made a strategic gamble Tuesday. He changed the starting lineup, opting for small ball, replacing 6-foot-11 Mason Plumlee with Will Barton, the electric guard who has been among the best sixth men in the league.

And it worked. Barely. Denver beat Dallas 105-102. “We survived,” Malone said. “I don’t ever want to be Debbie Downer and take away from a win …”

But this victory was a snapshot of what the Nuggets are now. They can be beautiful. They can be infuriating. And it’s impossible to tell what they might be, from one minute to the next. It’s exasperating.

Here’s why I hope Malone gives a good, hard look at this new-look staring five: The lineup allows Nikola Jokic to be the center of the pinwheel, with smaller shooters buzzing around him from the 3-point arc to the baseline, rewarded with easy shots from his exquisite passes. Even more important, when the Nuggets go small, it pushes Jokic below the free-throw line to establish offensive position.

On the perimeter, Jokic sometimes becomes disengaged, especially when his jumper isn’t falling. By asking him to set up closer to the low post, his vision for the passing lanes remains 20/20, while jostling by his defender seems to bring out more aggression in Jokic, who finished with 29 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists against the Mavericks.

With 10 dates in the Pepsi Center against only five road games in January, now is the time for Denver to firmly establish itself in the standings against challenges from Portland, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets, however, began the new year by dropping four of seven decisions, looking painfully similar to the same, sorry old team that has missed the postseason every year since 2013.

Yes, Denver is without its $30 million man, as Paul Millsap has been sidelined since a wrist injury required surgery in November. The absence of Millsap is an excuse for the Nuggets’ slipping into a win-one, lose-one funk.

In his third season on the Denver bench, now’s the time for Malone to prove he can put Jokic and guard Gary Harris in a position to overcome adversity. The Nuggets almost certainly will qualify for the playoffs with a 45-37 record, which doesn’t seem unreasonable to ask.

“We have some young guys that have to prove to me I can trust them,” Malone said.

No more merit badges for baby-sitting duty. To win over fans that pine for George Karl, only the playoffs will score points for Malone. Related Articles Kiszla: How should cute, little Nuggets fight back against big, haughty Lakers? One sharp elbow at a time.

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It can be a gut-wrenching experience to place heart-and-soul faith in the potential of Denver’s young talent. After playing beautiful basketball and racing to a 23-point lead in the third quarter, the Nuggets went in a shell and tried to squander it all, as a layup and a foul shot by Dallas guard Dennis Smith Jr. cut Denver’s lead to 103-102 with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Malone put an exclamation point on the unavoidable takeaway from this game: “I thought we looked like a poorly coached team in that fourth quarter.”

There’s no need for me to say it when Malone utters the words everyone in the arena was thinking.