Matt Moore here, the host of the daily Locked On Nuggets podcast, with your daily Locked On Nuggets newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Nuggets and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Denver’s In Danger, Not Doomed
Oct 24, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Aaron Wiggins (21) and guard Ajay Mitchell (25) defend on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images|Ron Chenoy/Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Nuggets 10-piece is the 10 things you need to know from every Denver Nuggets game from Locked On Nuggets. Here are the 10 things you need to know from the Nuggets’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-87 on opening night.
Open And Shut: It was bad. There’s no way around it. The Nuggets looked old, tired, slow, and low on firepower. The Thunder looked young, hungry, and overflowing with offensive options. Denver was outclassed in Game 1 vs. OKC.
Long-Term Plan: But the goal for Denver is to be the team they need to be by April. That’s clear. This is going to be a work in progress, and a lot of the problems are going to cause pain to fix by April. There’s time, but it’s going to be a challenge. This game should serve as a sign of how far Denver is off from the bar OKC is setting in the West. But the good news is they have six months to get there.
Math Win! The defense was good... ish. The Thunder had a 103.1 offensive rating, which is great defense. But OKC also shot 8-of-36 from 3. Denver was worse (7-of-38) but for OKC who was 2nd in 3-point percentage last season, that’s a real off night. However, Denver having more attempts from 3 than OKC is a good thing. Russell Westbrook and Payton Watson having 10 of them? Not so much.
Failure To Launch: The offense was miserable. Forget the numbers. It wasn’t just the bricked threes of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray combining for 9-of-30 from the field. Aaron Gordon had 12 points on 12 shots against an undersized Thunder team without Isaiah Hartenstein. Denver was 49% on 2-point shots. That cannot happen. Nikola Jokic said after the game “We are not a good shooting team, outside of Mike and Jamal. The rest of us are streaky shooters.” So there’s that.
Surprisingly Chill: Michael Malone was surprisingly not filled with rage post-game. Malone credited the defense and praised Christian Braun. He said he felt they were mostly good looks. In general, Malone was encouraged by the work on the 3-point defense and wasn’t upset about effort. One, Malone is always more willing to lose on offense because he trust the offense to be great, and two, he tends to respond to dark moments with positivity. Take that for what it’s worth.
The Bright Spot: Christian Braun was excellent in his first start finishing with 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He was so much more in control on drives to the basket than he was last year which was a big concern of mine. CB said postgame that playing with Jokic sets him up for easy layups and you get confidence after you see a few go down. Braun also helped hold SGA to 11-of-24 shooting with tremendous defense and added seven rebounds.
Predictably Poor: Peyton Watson missed all of preseason with injury, the same way Christian Braun did last year. CB struggled for most of last season because he didn’t get into an early rhythm which impacted his minutes. Now Watson is facing the same problem. He was uncomfortable, unsteady, and shot 1-of-7. It’s a tough matchup for Watson with all the wings, but you need to be patient with him for a while.
BURN THE BENCH WITH FIRE: Ryan Blackburn said before the game he thought the bench would be better but not great, kind of mid, between 0 and -4 in plus-minus. I yelled at him in the press room (jokingly). Russell Westbrook was -24 and 2-of-10 from the field with five boards and five assists. Russ had moments, but the spacing in the second unit was without a true big (Dario Saric had a rough night, too; you’ll hear more from Swipa on him on Friday’s show). Malone said he believes in the Murray-Westbrook combo and he needs to help them. He might be the only one.
SO LONG, SUCKERS: Jamal Murray left the arena without speaking to media.
DIKEMBE FOREVER: The Nuggets held a 55-second moment of applause in honor of Dikembe Mutombo at the first break in the first quarter. It was a really nice moment and a great way to celebrate a Nuggets legend and maybe the league’s greatest humanitarian.
Oct 13, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives to the net against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Chase Center.|Neville E. Guard/Imagn Images
I set out with this idea thinking I’d pick one player, and that would be challenging enough. When I started to dig into draft classes, impact and overall vibe, the veritable youth movement of the NBA had other plans.
The qualifications here aren’t just for an athlete primed to make a leap. Given the pace of the league, roster recalibration, and the league’s old guard beginning to phase out (it’s weird to see Chris Paul not bossily in charge, I’m not ready to talk about it) developmental jobs are a prerequisite to stay in the NBA. This is about determining who seems primed to take on leadership duties, in optics and on the floor, about who is set to become undeniable.
After one season of injury and two of front office inflicted purgatory, Cade Cunningham is very much ready to take the giant jump he frankly feels owed. Even under the shifting focus of Monty Williams, Cunningham put up career-best numbers last season. In Cleveland, J.B. Bickerstaff turned a team of young outliers into playoff contenders, utilizing the strengths and play-style of a unique group of athletes instead of trying to force them into a mold of best-fit to his coaching style. Cunningham’s foundational skills of stutter-stepping ball handling and eerily stealthy offensive rushes make the in-game growth assured, it’s the way he’s going to thrive through Bickerstaff’s direction and encouragement that makes the jump even more exciting.
Though he didn’t get as many minutes as he should have last season, with the Warriors current roster construction a big leap from Jonathan Kuminga would be as timely as it’s going to be necessary. To some degree, I think it’s always been the assumption in Golden State, given their feints at development for James Wiseman and Moses Moody, in tandem with Kuminga, didn’t take.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Analysis
Former head coach George Karl had 10 words on X about the Nuggets opening night loss. And they were not kind. (Sports Illustrated)
Roster
Fans can expect to see a lot of different looks this season with the lineup, and then can thank Nikola Jokic. Joker said he prefers switching things up, adding “I like it, just to play with someone else.” (The Denver Post)
Arena
James Herbert at CBS Sports reveals all of the NBA Cup courts. They’re gorgeous, in my opinion, with (a little) less garishness and a little more personality than last year’s runway versions. And hey, if you hate them, they won’t be around much!
Prediction
John Hollinger of the Athletic discusses 11 players ready to take advantage of new opportunities and roles, from the big names in the headline to role players like Norm Powell.
Analysis
Morten Stig Jensen of Yahoo! Sports draws upon admittedly small sample sizes to look at some interesting trends after opening night, from the Magic bombing away to Jalen Duren’s improved defense.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
NBA Fantasy Basketball Recap From Thursday Night
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) pulls in a rebound in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
|Photo by Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards
The Boston Celtics dominated the Washington Wizards with a 122-102 victory. Jalen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points and four steals, while Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 11 rebounds. Despite Al Horford’s scoreless night, the Celtics’ depth shone through. On the Wizards’ side, Jordan Poole delivered an impressive performance, scoring 26 points with six threes and four steals. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Poole’s potential for high-scoring games, though his defensive stats may not be sustainable.
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs
The Dallas Mavericks secured a 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs, with Luka Dončić leading the charge with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Victor Wembanyama struggled for the Spurs, shooting just 28% from the field. However, Julian Champagnie stood out with 18 points and four threes, making him a potential fantasy pickup, especially in deeper leagues.
Click the button below to see a potential steal in Sacramento, and why fantasy managers should be wary of Russell Westbrook.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Nuggets podcasts.
No Jinx: Award Picks and a Surprise Title Prediction Matt Moore and Ryan Blackburn break down the Aaron Gordon contract extension and what it means for Denver’s present and future. The NBA season is officially here! Matt and Ryan go over their 2024-25 NBA predictions, from award races like MVP to picking the next NBA champions. Where do Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets factor in? Then, they give an early preview for the Nuggets season opener vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Core Four is LOCKED | Aaron Gordon Signs His Extension | The NBA Season Begins Aaron Gordon signs an extension with the Denver Nuggets for 4YR/$133,000,000. This extension not only secures the Nuggets core but it also gives them financial flexibility for the future! For your next listen, check out the Locked On NBA podcast, where the season never ends providing national expertise with a local perspective.
Swipe Vs. Gripe: The Nuggets Are DISRESPECTED Swipa gives a full-chested defense of the Nuggets and talks about how they are being disrespected before the start of this season. Matt shrugs.
