The 10-piece gives you the ten things you need to know from the Nuggets’ 82 games this season.
1. No Nikola Jokic = Problems: The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic for the second straight game yesterday. He’s the three-time MVP for a reason, and the Nuggets were never going to be elite without him. Unfortunately, the offense has cratered when he’s not out there. The Nuggets scored 94 points on Friday and 90 points on Sunday. Without their best player, the crown appears to be very, very heavy.
2. Jamal Murray’s scoring potency has diminished: Without Jokic, the Nuggets had to hope that Murray would up his scoring production. He did the opposite in both games with 16 points on 16 shots on Friday and 13 points on 15 shots on Sunday.
3. Michael Porter Jr.'s scoring streak: For a while, it looked like MPJ would have a double-digit scoring streak snapped before it reached 10 games. He got to 10 points but on 12 shot attempts, missing all four three-pointers attempted.
4. Aaron Gordon is missed: Always under the radar, Gordon’s absence is an even bigger deal when Jokic doesn’t play. The Nuggets probably win Friday’s game if Gordon plays. His versatility is integral, but the Nuggets will have to do without him for at least the next game too.
5. Dario Saric was good enough this weekend: After five horrible games to start his Nuggets tenure, Saric accumulated 19 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals across the last two starts in place of Jokic. His three-pointer is slowly coming back, and if he can maintain similar production after Jokic returns, that would help tremendously.
6. DeAndre Jordan over Zeke Nnaji: Michael Malone saw Denver allow 17 offensive rebounds on Friday and decided to bench Zeke Nnaji against Memphis. It was the right call, even if it didn’t work out.
7. Three-point shooting woes: The Nuggets shot 10-of-37 and 10-of-31 from three in the two road games. That’s 20-of-68 (29.4%). It’s hard to win games in the modern NBA that way, and Denver has too many shooters that are struggling.
8. Except for Julian Strawther: Sunday, Strawther had 19 points and shot 4-of-7 from three. That explosive scoring is one of Denver’s few avenues for high point totals. They better keep him engaged and ready to fire.
9. The Grizzlies won’t beat themselves: Despite not having Ja Morant or Marcus Smart, the Grizzlies were very disciplined. They forced Denver to beat them, and the Nuggets were unable. Physicality, toughness, and making just enough shots to apply pressure. That’s the Grindhouse method.
10. Let’s do it all again on Tuesday: The Nuggets play an NBA Cup game in the same building against the same Grizzlies on Tuesday. They sure could use Nikola Jokic. If they don’t have him, they probably won’t score enough to win.
