The 10-piece breaks down 10 things to know from each of the Nuggets’ 82 regular season games. Today’s edition discusses the Nuggets’ 118-106 loss to the Boston Celtics.
1. No Joke: Jokic popped up as probable on a mid-afternoon injury report with illness, which quickly turned to questionable, which then turned to out. He left the arena before tipoff.
2. Surprise: And yet the Nuggets were competitive, tied at half and in the game until about midway fourth quarter when the wheels came off and the Celtics made enough shots to pull away.
3. Jules: Julian Strawther had another good offensive night with 19 points and continues to look like he’s able to create his own offense which Denver needs.
4. Too Hard On Himself: Jamal Murray was frustrated postgame, again putting the game on himself but really, he was 8-of-17 from the field for 19 points and a -3. He was more than good enough for them to compete. Denver’s problem was on defense.
5. Russ Overload: Russell Westbrook poured in the stats with 26 points, nine rebounds, and six assists and shot 9-of-18 from the field. His late turnovers were rough but ultimately, Westbrook did what he could to help make Denver competitive.
6. Disaster Crew: Dario Saric: 16 minutes, zero points, -7. Zeke Nnaji, four minutes, zero points, zero rebounds, -8. It’s nothing new, but the problem remains. DeAndre Jordan was a +1, though so for once his on/off splits were good.
7. Not A Math Problem: Denver somehow took and made more threes than the Celtics, which takes a lot of work. On the one hand, they lost. On the other, shortening that gap gave them a chance but the difference was in all the details that were the cost of the gameplan.
8. Everyone Deserves A Second Chance (Against Denver): The Celtics had 22 second-chance points to just 11 for Boston. The rebounding issue continues to be awful. Denver also gave up 25 points off turnovers compared to 13 for Boston.
9. Block Party: Peyton Watson had tough assignments all night but finished with four blocks and competed on every possession. He’s going to be an elite defender in a few years.
10. Up Next: The Nuggets are on a back to back vs. the Clippers Wednesday. We won’t have an injury report with Jokic’s status until 1 p.m..
