The Denver Nuggets haven't started this season off by playing bad, but they haven't started it off by playing at their best either. The Nuggets are currently 3-2 and they are tied for 4th in the west. Tonight the Nuggets will face off against division rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves. This will be the first meeting of the regular season however, the Nuggets lost a preseason game in overtime to the Wolves already. The Nuggets are coming off two tough losses and a blowout victory versus the Dallas Mavericks last night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are fresh off an impressive win against the Milwaukee Bucks, who they beat in the Bucks arena. In that game the Timberwolves held off a 40 point explosion from the reigning Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The T-Wolves big three of KAT, Anthony Edwards, and D-Lo all had 25 points or more. Beating the defending champs in their home arena is a huge morale booster so it is safe to say the Wolves are rolling right now.
The Essentials
Who: The Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves
When: 7:00 p.m. MST
Where: Target Center
How to Watch: AltitudeTV and NBA League Pass. Good Luck.
Rival Blog: Canis Hoopus
Three Things to Watch for
Will Coach Malone keep the bench unit the same as last night?
It’s no secret that the bench unit has been struggling offensively to start the season off. In our game against the Utah Jazz, we had 13 total bench points. In an effort to change things Coach Malone took out Will Barton early and put him in with the bench alongside Facu, PJ/MPJ, JaMychal Green, and Jeff Green. This worked out great as the bench finally had the scorer it needed and Will Barton ended up leading all scorers in this game with 17 points. Another new thing that Coach Malone tried was MPJ starting the 2nd quarter off, he would then come to the bench along with Will Barton when the rest of the starters checked in. This rotation allows for the Nuggets to keep at least one big scoring threat on the court at all times.
An MPJ scoring explosion
Michael Porter Jr. has not started the season off well, he hasn't scored more than 15 points or grabbed more than 10 boards. In his campaign versus the Jazz he shot 3-11 from three and last night against the Mavs he shot 1 for 6. I believe that MPJ plays at his best when he is upset so we should be due for a good MPJ game. The Timberwolves are not known for their defense either so it’s up to MPJ to make them pay whenever he can. Porter Jr. is still taking a high volume of shots so it’s just a matter of time before they start to fall.
How does this team play with no rest?
The Nuggets last back-to-back was a disaster, they lost to both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz. While I think the Nuggets would’ve beat the Jazz if Jokic played the rest of the game that doesn't matter, they still dropped 2 games in a row. The Nuggets just won easily against the Mavericks who struggled greatly and looked tired at times, they were on the second game of their own back-to-back. Every team struggles a little with no rest we just can't afford to let our struggles last very long. The Nuggets tend to come out looking tired on back-to-backs and we cannot do that tonight, the Timberwolves are on 2 days rest so they are going to come out playing aggressively. This game could heavily impact the end of the season with tie-breakers as the T-Wolves look like a playoff-caliber team. The Nuggets need to win this one.
