The NBA announced its full schedule for the regular season games today, and the 82-game schedule for the Denver Nuggets came with it. The Nuggets will play Game 1 against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, October 18th at Vivant Smart Home Arena.
The home opener will take place next game against the Sacramento Kings on October 21st.
The Nuggets will play a total of nine nationally televised games this year.
- Thursday, November 9th vs Oklahoma City Thunder on TNT
- Friday, November 17th vs New Orleans Pelicans on ESPN
- Tuesday, November 28th @ Utah Jazz on ESPN
- Wednesday, January 17th @ Los Angeles Clippers on ESPN
- Thursday, February 1st vs Oklahoma City Thunder on ESPN
- Tuesday, February 13th vs San Antonio Spurs on TNT
- Tuesday, February 27th vs Los Angeles Clippers on TNT
- Wednesday, March 7th vs Cleveland Cavaliers on ESPN
- Thursday, April 5th vs Minnesota Timberwolves on TNT
The Nuggets played three nationally televised games on the network trio of TNT, ESPN, and ABC last season. Nine nationally televised games is a large step up, and it’s exciting that the Nuggets will be playing quality opponents in every game. Denver will also be playing seven of these games at home, which is surprising to me personally.
Other tidbits include the number of back-to-backs, the longest road trip, and some interesting reunion dates.
The NBA is prioritizing rest this season so that star players are able to suit up for more games overall. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Antonio Spurs made waves last year by resting stars on nationally televised games, and the NBA is looking to avoid that situation for those teams and every team with a marketable star, including the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap should remain fresh throughout the season this year.
Jusuf Nurkic and the Portland Trail Blazers will return to Pepsi Center on December 23rd on a Friday night, a game that will surely be a packed house to “welcome back” the Bosnian Beast.
Danilo Gallinari will return to Pepsi Center on February 27th, a surprisingly late return for the Rooster.
To wrap up the season, the Nuggets will play two of their last four games against the Timberwolves, including the final game of the season. Denver will also play the Clippers and the Blazers. All four games will have playoff ramifications in all likelihood, and the Nuggets will have to work for either making the playoffs or wrapping up playoff seeding.
The link for the full schedule can be found here. Let us know your thoughts on the schedule this season!
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