The Denver Nuggets are getting back to a regular schedule. After having almost a week off due to NBA Cup week, things are starting to get back into their normal routine and thus the Nuggets find themselves playing just two days after their last contest. Tonight’s opponent is the Orlando Magic. Orlando is one of those teams sort of stuck in NBA purgatory, good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to be a serious title contender. They’re a young team, with exciting pieces like Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, but have yet to find the guy who is going to truly be their #1. They’ve also been dealing with some injuries to key pieces, just like the Nuggets.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (19-6) vs Orlando Magic (15-11)
When: 7PM MST
Where: The Can. Denver, CO.
How to watch/listen: KTVD My 20, Altitude TV, Altitude Radio 92.5FM
Rival blog: Orlando Magic Daily
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Magic | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Tyus Jones | Nuggets |
| SG | Cam Johnson | Desmond Bane | Even |
| SF | Peyton Watson | Anthony Black | Even |
| PF | Spencer Jones | Paolo Banchero | Magic |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Wendell Carter Jr. | Nuggets |
| Bench | Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr., Zeke Nnaji, Jalen Pickett | Jett Howard, Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bitadze, Tristan de Silva, Jase Richardson | Even |
Injury report: Tim Hardaway Jr – questionable (illness), Peyton Watson – questionable (trunk…?), Aaron Gordon – out (hamstring), Christian Braun – out (ankle), DaRon Holmes II – out (G-League), Tamar Bates – out (G-League), Curtis Jones – out (G-League); Tristan da Silva – questionable (shoulder), Jalen Suggs – out (hip), Franz Wagner – out (ankle), Mo Wagner – out (knee), Jamal Cain – out (G-League), Colin Castleton – out (G-League), Orlando Robinson – out (G-League).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Will Peyton Watson play?
Watson went down with an injury in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets and did not return. He stated yesterday that the injury was not structural, but extremely painful, to the point that it hurts to breathe. Anyone who has had a rib injury of any kind knows exactly what he’s talking about. I cannot imagine getting a rib, or trunk I guess, contusion and then playing NBA basketball three days later, but Watson is listed as questionable and so at the minimum he is going to give it a go in warmups and see how it feels. Given that Denver is already missing Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, not having Watson would leave them extremely thin on the wings. That would likely put Tim Hardaway Jr. in the starting lineup and get extra minutes for Jalen Pickett off the bench but THJ is also questionable tonight. David Adelman might have to get very creative with his rotations tonight, if Watson and THJ are both a no go then we may be staring significant Hunter Tyson minutes in the face.
The thing to remember: Tristan da Silva comes home…kind of
da Silva is also listed as questionable tonight with a shoulder contusion but its hard to imagine him not trying to give it a go. da Silva is former CU Buff and while he is not a Colorado born and raised product, he did spend four years playing in Boulder and should have several fans in the arena tonight. He made strides in his rookie year and is a regular rotation player for the Magic so as long as he can go he’ll get his chance to shine back in front of his CU friends. Not only do I expect him to play tonight, I expect him to be aggressive with the ball in his hands as he tries to show out.
The thing to bet: Nikola Jokic over 12.5 rebounds (+122)
Nikola Jokic’s primary matchup tonight will be Wendell Carter Jr. Over his last ten contests against Carter, Jokic has averaged 12.6 rebounds and in five of those ten matchups he had 14 rebounds or more. This is a coin flip bet with better than coin flip odds which always gets me giddy.
