The Denver Nuggets stumbled out of the gate against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their opener, with Denver taking a loss on its home floor, but the Nuggets have a chance to get healthy quickly against the banged-up Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers were much more competitive in their opener but still lost in overtime to the Phoenix Suns by 3. The Clippers are trying to see how far James Harden can take them with a rag-tag cast, while the Nuggets are looking for their mojo as a championship contender. Both teams are looking to get right, but only one can correct course today.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (0-1) vs Los Angeles Clippers (0-1)
When: 3:00 PM MDT
Where: The Can. Denver, CO.
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy…unless it’s the romanticized 17th century type. Fubo, Altitude. 92.5 FM Altitude Radio.
Rival blog: Clipperholics
Injury Report: DaRon Holmes II – out (Achilles); Kawhi Leonard – out (knee), Mo Bamba – out (knee), P.J. Tucker -out (personal/trade request).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: The James Harden Experience
Vibes are down in Clipper Land. After losing Paul George in the offseason, they are without Kawhi Leonard again to start the season, and now there is a lawsuit by Kawhi’s personal trainer alleging tampering and poor injury management by Los Angeles. This is not the team they were hoping to unleash on their new $2 billion arena, but James Harden is always dangerous and has had some incredible games against Denver. Harden had a game-high 29 against the Suns, but his main running mates are center Ivica Zubac and potentially Norman Powell as scorers. Without Harden as the engine there’s not a ton of scoring available to the Clippers right now, so it’s up to Denver to throw some sugar in Harden’s gas tank.
The thing to remember: A poor opener doesn’t set the tone for the season
Denver lost its season opener to the Utah Jazz to begin the 22-23 season badly with an incredibly poor and sloppy effort. That season turned out all right for Denver as they hung the first championship banner in franchise history. The Nuggets have several new bench pieces who have only played a handful of minutes together, as well as Christian Braun finding his groove with the starters. Braun came out of the gate well in the starting rotation, but that whole “most people play well next to Jokic” thing makes that easier that building instant bench chemistry.
Russell Westbrook needs to get familiar running a pick and roll with Dario Saric at altitude, Julian Strawther needs to discover how to make himself available for the drive-and-kick game, Vlatko Cancar needs to just get on the floor. This should be a game where they can work out the kinks against a team they should beat, unlike the Thunder game where the pressure was non-stop. It’s up to Denver to bring a much better team effort than they did against the Thunder though, to take care of the ball and play their brand of Nuggets basketball. Quality of the opponent matters less than the quality of effort and execution from Denver itself as Denver looks to make the last game look like a one-time aberration and not a harbinger for the season.
The thing to bet: Under combined point total of 221
Denver will have a lower pace than most squads again this year, and limiting possessions should lead to a lower point total especially early in the season. The Nuggets have plenty of long defenders to throw at Harden with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther all available for duty on the future Hall Of Famer. If Denver can care enough to defend the three point line, which this Clippers team is not likely to bomb away from anyway, then their pace and inside effectiveness should lead to a win without breaking the combined points. Look for a get-right game for the Mile High crew.
**********************************************
The return of the Nuggets season also means the return of the Stiffs Night Out at Number 38 in Rino! Come join us on November 8th to watch the Nuggets take on the Miami Heat. There will be live podcasts, prize giveaways, drink specials, great food, and the best Nuggets fans in town! Number 38 boasts a robust beer selection with plenty of other drink options as well. Tip off is at 7PM and there’s plenty of space for everyone but make sure to come early to get the best seats out on the patio (weather permitting). Can’t wait to see everyone there at 3560 Chestnut Pl.
