Literally moments before the news broke that the Denver Nuggets had traded Joffrey Lauvergne to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nuggets announced their schedule for the 2016 NBA preseason. As always, preseason should be taken with a grain of salt but if you’re looking for some NBA level basketball on the cheap, this is a good place to get it. The problem is, you won’t have too many opportunities to do it here in Denver and you’re not likely to catch them on Altitude either as the preseason was not included in the broadcast schedule they announced yesterday. The schedule breaks down as follows:
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 3 | @ Toronto Raptors | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | 7:00 PM |
| Oct. 7 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles, CA | 8:30 PM |
| Oct. 9 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | Ontario, CA | 7:30 PM |
| Oct. 12 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | Lincoln, NE | 6:00 PM |
| Oct. 14 | Golden State Warriors | Denver, CO | 7:00 PM |
| Oct. 16 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | Portland, OR | 7:00 PM |
| Oct. 18 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | Oklahoma City, OK | 6:00 PM |
| Oct. 21 | Dallas Mavericks | Denver, CO | 7:00 PM |
Via NBA.com
Perhaps the most peculiar part of the whole schedule could be the fact that there are just two home games and six road games, the majority of which will be played on the West Coast. On the upside, the Nuggets will spend a large portion of the beginning of the regular season on the road so this preseason travel schedule could help to prepare them for that. The entire schedule has a preparing for the upcoming season feel to it in fact. Only one game is against an Eastern Conference opponent and three games are against teams within Denver's division.
Unlike in years past, the Nuggets will forego any home games at smaller arenas such as the First Bank Center or the Coors Event Center and will play just twice in Denver. Both home games will be played at the Pepsi Center with the October 14th match up with the Warriors as the highlight of the exhibition season. Five days after they wrap up the preseason at home against the Mavericks, the Nuggets head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans in the regular season opener.
