The Denver Nuggets (31-15) are in action tonight with the Philadelphia 76ers (29-14) coming to town. Both teams are in similar positions. They find themselves right around the top of the conference while being 6-4 over their last 10 games and sustaining a loss entering today’s game.
The Nuggets wrapped up a five-game road trip to the East coast against four playoff teams and the Washington Wizards. Now, they’re rewarded with a two-game homestand against the 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. Enjoy! The Nuggets’ battles with the 76ers have been must-see TV over the last few seasons, and tonight figures to be no different.
For Philly, the star of the show has been Joel Embiid, but he’s not been the entire story. Young guard Tyrese Maxey has been one of the league’s breakout stars this season, and they’ve gotten strong contributions out of several veteran players. This team took down the Nuggets a couple weeks ago, but it’s unclear if they’ll be able to complete the sweep tonight.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (31-15, 17-4 home) vs Philadelphia 76ers (29-14, 12-8 away)
When: 3:30 p.m. MST
Where: Ball Arena
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy..unless it’s the romanticized 18th-century type. AltitudeTV where available. League Pass for non-Denver market viewers. Show up in Denver. 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio
Expected Starting Lineups:
PHI: PG Tyrese Maxey, SG Kelly Oubre Jr., SF Tobias Harris, PF Nicolas Batum, C Joel Embiid
DEN: PG Jamal Murray, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Michael Porter Jr., PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic
Injuries: Julian Strawther (knee) OUT, Mo Bamba (knee) QUESTIONABLE, Robert Covington (knee) OUT, Tobias Harris (illness) QUESTIONABLE, Tyrese Maxey (ankle) QUESTIONABLE, De’Anthony Melton (back) OUT, Marcus Morris (foot) QUESTIONABLE
Things to Watch
Free Throw Margins
It’s no secret to anyone that has read this column that I’m not a big fan of the way that Embiid generates his offensive production. He averages 36 points per game, and 10.7 of that comes at the free-throw line. In the previous meeting, the Nuggets lost the free throw attempt margin 34 to 25 and makes 25 to 19. The final score of the game? 126-101. Denver is unlikely to win the free throw battle, but they have to keep it close in that category.
Don’t Let Shooters Get Hot
The 76ers aren’t loaded with a ton of 3-point gunners, but they still were able to put up a ton of points from downtown in the previous meeting. They shot 48.4 percent from 3-point range on 31 attempts. While they may not put up the volume of other teams, when they’re shooting well from outside, that opens up room inside the arc for Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to go to work. Running shooters off the line will be key in this one.
