The battered Denver Nuggets meet the wearied Cleveland Cavaliers as both teams limp into the All-Star Break looking for some recovery time. Cleveland is at the end of a five-game trip through the Western Conference, having just snuck out a high-scoring victory over the Sacramento Kings. The Nuggets finally got Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun back off the injury list – and immediately lost Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones to it.
Can the Nuggets slow down the newly acquired James Harden and his pick-and-roll mastery and contain Donovan Mitchell’s gunning ways? Can Jarrett Allen stay out of foul trouble against Nikola Jokic with Allen’s front court teammate Evan Mobley out with injury? A lot of this game is going to come down to want-to; it’s not the sort of game I expect to be pretty or wall-to-wall action. These teams are tired and beaten up, and it will be the one who can overcome all that who will scratch out one more key win before the break later this week.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (34-19) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (32-21)
When: 7:00 PM MST
Where: Ball Arena, Denver
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV / League Pass
Rival Blog: Fear The Sword
Injury Report | Nuggets: Christian Braun—probable (foot); Nikola Jokic—probable (ankle); Jamal Murray—questionable (hip); Tamar Bates—out (foot); Aaron Gordon—out (hamstring); Spencer Jones—out (concussion); Peyton Watson—out hamstring)
Cleveland Cavaliers: Jaylon Tyson—questionable (ankle); Dean Wade—questionable (ankle); Evan Mobley—out (calf); Max Strus—out (foot);
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Can Denver defend the home court? Denver is back home after that 1-2 road trip where they finally got the pieces all working in the fourth quarter to defeat the Chicago Bulls. Can they recreate that victory at home? Denver has a better record on the road than at home this year, losing whatever advantages playing in Denver brings due to a combination of injuries and unfortunate play at the wrong times. The Cavs are on the final game of a West Coast road swing, and with the All-Star Break looming both teams are looking forward to some much-needed respite. Who has the desire to compete for this win, and who will let it go? Denver has to exceed the energy and effort of the Cavaliers, and it would be nice if they would start in the first quarter instead of the fourth this time.
The thing to remember: James Harden is on his second game with Cleveland, but his play is old news to Denver. The Nuggets will be without wing defenders Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, and will also have to account for both Donovan Mitchell and newly-acquired James Harden in their perimeter calculus. Christian Braun has been moving much better in his second attempt to come back from the ankle and foot issues that cost him must of the early season, and he’s going to need that mobility against the score-first guards of the Cavs.
Jamal Murray’s hip issue that flared up late against the Bulls may come into play here as well, because asking Julian Strawther or Jalen Pickett to slow down those two long-time All Stars is a tough ask. Denver knows how to play Harden – they have plenty of regular season and playoff competitions to get that right. They also have matched up many times with Mitchell in both circumstances. Whether Denver can take them both together with this limited roster is a different question entirely.
The thing to bet: Nuggets dub. The ship has to right itself at home at some point, this is as good a time as any, especially with Jokic back to put his entire handprint on the game and Mobley having to miss the contest.
