The Denver Nuggets have the opportunity to start a win streak should they win tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers. They’re coming off a big win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, and have had a lot of rest between the two games. Getting a win today would go a long way in easing some Nuggets fans’ nerves about the team. The Knicks game is still lingering in the air, and Jamal Murray has still not quite found his form.

December is here, and now maybe the holiday season will bring good tidings for Nikola Jokic and company. Jamal has historically been a slow starter, and starts to pick it up in December. Last year, he played 12 games in December and averaged 21.5 points per game, 5.4 assists per game, and 4.5 rebounds per game. He did it efficiently on 50/45/90 splits and 61% TS%. That sort of production would make a world of difference for the Nuggets right now, as they could use some efficiency.

In some good news for the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon might be getting back soon. Michael Malone said he was getting closer at practice recently, and he’s been upgraded to doubtful for tonight’s game after being out since getting injured on November 4th. It’s been close to a month, and the Nuggets could do with getting him back. Peyton Watson has stepped in admirably, but AG is arguably the team’s second best player at times.

The Essentials

Who: Denver Nuggets (10-7) at Los Angeles Clippers (12-9)

When: 8:00PM MST

Where: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, CA

How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy. Altitude TV where available. NBA League Pass for those not in the Nuggets market. Altitude 92.5 FM.

Injury report: Peyton Watson – probable (adductor), Aaron Gordon – doubtful (calf), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee), Daron Holmes II – out (achilles), Jalen Pickett – out (G-League), Spencer Jones – out (G-League), Trey Alexander – out (G-League); Kawhi Leonard – out (knee), PJ Tucker – out (personal reasons), Kevin Porter Jr. – out (ankle), Norman Powell – questionable (hamstring), Kobe Brown – questionable (back)

The Three Things

The Thing To Watch For: Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.’s form

Michael Porter Jr. has had some good games as of late, and Jamal has been a bit better since the start of the season. MPJ’s shooting has been a big help for the Nuggets and their spacing as of late, but Jamal has been lackluster despite a slight uptick in form. They’ll need both of their max players to step up to make Nikola Jokic’s job easier. He’s been playing great, obviously, but the Nuggets can’t keep playing Jokic the 37 minutes per game that he’s currently getting. If MPJ and Jamal step up – they can probably get that down to around 34 minutes per game.

The Thing To Remember: It Is December

It’s still early days in this season, and it’s important to keep that in mind, of course. However, we’re getting closer and closer to the midseason point. We’re nearly a quarter of the way through the season, and as mentioned prior – Jokic is still playing a metric crap ton of minutes. There’s still a lot of questions, but there are a few answers. Christian Braun’s shooting is still holding true, Peyton Watson seems to be coming into his own, and Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the world. So while you can still say that it’s early season as an excuse for some things, there’s not a lot of time remaining for those excuses.

The Thing To Listen To: Buy Us A Drink by The Irish Rovers

Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know the answer, but for some reason I have an affinity for Irish drinking tunes. Considering how up and down this season has been, the struggles of Jamal Murray, and the realization that the team isn’t as good as it once was in all likelihood, maybe a drink might help? So enjoy a drinking tune about getting a drink bought for you and here’s hoping for a good time tonight!