The good vibes are all gone for the Denver Nuggets. After a run of winning eight out of nine games, the Nuggets have yet to win a single game on their current five game road trip. They’ll get perhaps their best chance at a victory tonight against an injured Philadelphia 76ers team. The Sixers will be without star Joel Embiid who is dealing with lingering knee issues, and they’ll also be missing their key (or at least what was thought to be key) offseason addition in Paul George. Injuries leading to losses has more or less been the story of Philadelphia’s season which has turned out to be one of the most disappointing in the NBA.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (28-19) at Philadelphia 76ers (19-27)
When: 5:30 PM MST
Where: Where banking and terrible customer service intersect Center. Philadelphia, PA.
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy…unless its the romanticized 17th century type. Altitude TV, Altitude+, ESPN, Altitude Radio 92.5FM.
Rival blog: Liberty Ballers
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Sixers | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Tyrese Maxey | Sixers |
| SG | Russell Westbrook | Eric Gordon | Nuggets |
| SF | Michael Porter Jr. | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Nuggets |
| PF | Aaron Gordon | Justin Edwards | Nuggets |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Guerschon Yabusele | Nuggets |
| Bench | Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, DeAndre Jordan, Peyton Watson | Kyle Lowry, Reggie Jackson, Ricky Council IV, Adem Bona | Even |
Injury report: Vlatko Cancar – out (knee), DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles), Trey Alexander – out (G-League), Spencer Jones – out (G-League); Joel Embiid – out (knee), Paul George – out (finger), Andre Drummond – out (toe), Caleb Martin – out (hip), KJ Martin – out (foot), Jared McCain – out (knee).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Nikola Jokic vs Geurschon Yabusele
When the Nuggets and Sixers met a week and a half ago Philadelphia had Andre Drummond available and he got the start. However, Yabusele actually ended playing more minutes and performed pretty well (22 points on 13 shots). Tonight I’d expect he gets a 30+ minute workload. He’s had a career renaissance this past year. First, he showed out at the Olympics as one of the best players on the French National Team that won the silver medal, and then translated that into his first NBA contract in half a decade. By and large that move has worked out for Philadelphia as Guerschon is one of the better bench bigs in the league this year. I anticipate he’ll be up for this matchup tonight against Joker and if Nikola doesn’t match his energy it could be another frustrating night for Denver.
The thing to remember: Philly is rolling
Yes the Sixers are missing several players, including two of their stars as well as their promising rookie Jared McCain, but that doesn’t mean they are a push over. They still have all-star snub Tyrese Maxey and some quality veterans. Something has been clicking in Philly lately despite the injuries and that’s led to a four game winning streak against some pretty decent teams (including the team with the best record in the league, the Cleveland Cavaliers). You don’t have to look any further than this past Monday either to see that the Nuggets are fully capable of putting up a dud and losing to a team with a poor record. After dropping three in a row, Denver needs a get right game but if they’re going to get right tonight they’re going to have to come out with 48 minutes of focus and intensity.
The thing to bet: Aaron Gordon over 5.5 rebounds (+110)
Gordon returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday and logged his first 30 minute game in over a month. He grabbed six rebounds. AG has played thirty or more minutes in eleven games this season, he’s had six or more rebounds in nine of those games (the two he didn’t he had five). The Sixers sans Embiid and Drummond are forced to trot out a starting lineup up that has no players taller than 6’8″ while also playing second round pick Adem Bona off the bench as their only other big. I like our chances of hitting plus money on Gordon boards tonight.
