Despite the Timberwolves resting anyone important tonight with Donte DiVencenzo, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker all being inactive – the Nuggets went all out. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun all played around 23 to 28 minutes with differing results depending on which player.
Game Recap
Michael Porter Jr. continued his hot start to the preseason with 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Most of his work came from inside too, with only 1 three pointer on his lone attempt. Meaning that he had 6 of 8 shooting from within the arc. Add in the 8 rebounds, and that’s a really solid night for just 23 minutes. Jamal Murray also had his best game since game 7 of the 2nd round last season – posting 25 points and 5 assists. He did it on 6 of 13 from the field, but hit 5 of his 6 three point attempts. So while it was just a fine performance from the field, he was electric from downtown.
It was good to see the two man game start to take shape as well with Jokic assisting Murray a couple of times. He didn’t pitch in much in the scoring, only having 4 points on 5 shots – he did have 7 rebounds and assists, as well as 3 steals. The starters did, however, get absolutely cooked by Luka Garza. My friend I was watching with thought it was a visual glitch on the NBA’s website, but no, Luka Garza absolutely destroyed the Nuggets defense.
Inside, outside – it didn’t matter Luka Garza was dog walking the Nuggets. He had 29 points and 9 rebounds on 11 of 17 from the field. He also was a marksman from outside, putting up 3 of 6 from three point land as well. Rob Dillingham also looked solid for them as well, with 15 points on 14 shots.
The first quarter though was pretty tight between the two teams, and ended with Denver up 25-22. Murray did most of his damage in the first quarter with 9 points in the quarter. Then, the true star of the night subbed in – Julian Strawther. He got his first points in the first quarter off a Russell Westbrook assist on a 3 pointer, and that was only the start of it.
Come the second quarter, it was an offensive explosion from both sides. The Nuggets put up a whopping 43 points, only for the Timberwolves to nearly match that production with 37 themselves. Strawther kicked it off with a layup off of another Russ assist to him. Then the teams started going blow for blow. MPJ 3 pointer on one end, Josh Minott layup on the other, Julian Strawther 3 pointer – you get it.
Through the first bit of the game, Russ did have 4 turnovers, but it was probably his best game of the preseason. He provided an identity to the bench unit, and he’s starting to find some really good chemistry with Julian Strawther. Those two seem to be the main force behind the Nuggets bench, so it’s great to see them collaborate on buckets so often so far. At the end of the half the score was 68-59, Nuggets.
The third quarter was ever so slightly less pretty for the Nuggets, they lost the quarter by 3 points, and didn’t manage to score for the first minute and a half, but Christian Braun was able to steady the ship with a pair of free throws and an alley-oop from Jamal Murray. It put a stop to an early 6-0 run from the Wolves, and after that Luka Garza put the Wolves on his back for a little while – scoring 14 points in the quarter. It was also the last action that the starters saw. The Nuggets had their answer for Luka Garza in the fourth though.
Julian Strawther was the answer for the Nuggets. They just started letting him cook, and guess what? It worked. He had 15 points in the 4th alone, with a lot of it coming from the foul line and drives. He also shot well from beyond the arc, but it was great to see some self creation from him. It seems that he’s not just a shooter, but someone who will be able to generate some offense if the Nuggets are in a rough spot for some.
He ended the game with 33 points on 8 of 13 shots, and 12 of 13 free throws (also 5 of 8 from three). He’s been a revelation for the Nuggets, or at least as big of one as one can be in preseason, and seems to be teeing up for a larger role than some may have predicted coming into the season.
Dario Saric and Vlatko Cancar also looked solid enough, posting efficient statlines with 13 and 9 points respectively. Dario also added in 5 rebounds, with Vlatko getting 3 dimes. Zeke Nnaji didn’t keep up his hot play from the last few games, but didn’t look bad either. Jalen Pickett got a DNP – Coach’s Decision, and that was the only one given to someone on a full time contract outside of DeAndre Jordan. Do with that information what you will.
The Nuggets ending up closing the game with a W over the Wolves – 132 to 126.
