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.
10-Piece: Nuggets Dragged Down By Cavaliers
Dec 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks to rebound between Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) and center Jarrett Allen (31) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard/David Richard-Imagn Images
The 10-piece gives you ten things you need to know from the Nuggets’ 82-game season. Original writing by Matt Moore and Ryan Blackburn.
1. I Was Told There Would Be No Math: Denver was 6-of-24 from 3-point range. The Cavs were 22-of-48. The Nuggets could have won this game if they’d hit 20 threes. They could have won this game if they’d held the Cavs to 26 attempts. There is no chance for Denver when they have six made threes and the opponent has 22. None.
2. Joker Was Amazing...: Jokic finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists to go with three steals. He was 50% from the field. I remember a time when a player having 20 boards would have stopped sports cold. Just another night at the office for Joker.
3. Except In The Third: Jokic was just 2-of-7 in the third quarter, missing several bunnies. He had five boards and four assists with one turnover, and the Nuggets lost his minutes in the third by 11 points. Jokic should get to have a bad quarter every now and again. But he can’t for this team, and it’s OK to say it was bad. That quarter was mostly the difference. Jokic finished with 27 points on 26 shots.
4. Small Steps: Jamal Murray had 19 points on 16 shots with six assists. He made some pull-up jumpers and looked more like himself. It wasn’t a breakout but it was one of his better games this season.
5. Steady Mike: MPJ with 24 points, seven boards and four steals. He continues to develop offensively and is having the second-best offensive season of his career.
6. Lack Of Backup: Denver had 16 points off the bench combined. Caris LeVert had 21 by himself. 43-16 was the final bench margin. Notably, in this one, it wasn’t the non-Joker minutes; Denver was only -4 in those minutes. But the Joker-plus-bench minutes are getting worse, not better. Shooting is a major problem.
7. Inexplicable: Christian Braun was +2 despite going 0-3 from three point range and struggling on both ends. CB this season is basically fail-proof.
8. No Five: Denver has basically given up on trying to have a backup center. Zeke Nnaji played less than three minutes. Aaron Gordon played the rest of the five minutes. This isn’t tenable for Jokic or anyone else.
9. Quality Opponent: Denver’s problems were showcased by how good the Cavs are, but it should be noted this is a great team in Cleveland. They’re deep, they play together, they move the ball, defend at a high level, and rebound.
10. Up Next: Denver plays the Wizards next on Saturday and the Wizards are good for what ails you. Expect a monster Jokic game and a comfortable win. If they lose, there will have to be big conversations about this team.
Dec 1, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick calls a play against the Utah Jazz during the first half at the Delta Center. | Christopher Creveling/Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images
If JJ Redick had approached the season signalling a measure of outward self-awareness that he, a former player with no head coaching experience and cohost of a podcast with LeBron James, was now head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, things might be different. If Redick had acknowledged that very obvious, and unique to our contemporary basketball moment of athlete-driven media elephant in the room, things might be different. If Redick had at any point, when asked about his new role in scrums wherein he knows the clips and audio of his answers will be immediately and robustly aggregated, balanced out his self-aggrandizing basketball sicko-hood, or answers where he likened head coaching to nothing short of personal destiny, with something like, It’s a learning curve, really anything a hair more measured, things might be different.
Things would not look different. The Lakers made no real structural changes to their roster in the offseason, so the team playing bad basketball now is the same team that was playing bad basketball last season under Darvin Ham (Redick is one game off the 13-9 pace set by Ham last season), but things might be interpreted, or reasoned with, differently. That kind of grace, for a struggling franchise with major conflicting timelines and high-stakes notions like legacy on the line, goes a long way.
There is such a fine line in coaching between collaborative and domineering, confident and arrogant, and many first-time head NBA coaches have learned the hard way what it is to lose a team, and lose them quickly. Nate Bjorkgren went into the Pacers organization not just hot but by many accounts scorching, and was expeditiously fired at the end of his lone year in Indiana. Jason Kidd may have traded in his string of short-lived head coaching appointments (Nets, Bucks — and surprise! — Lakers) for his current and seemingly steady job with the Mavs, but there is no doubt a type afforded the leniency of multiple failures in the NBA, and it tends to be white, male and abidingly faultless.
To Redick’s credit, he has vocally shouldered the blame of the Lakers recent, bad losses. When the team fell to the Timberwolves 109-80 to start the month, Redick noted their lacklustre effort was “looking more and more like it’s not an aberration”, correcting himself from a late-November blown effort against the Nuggets he said was. This week’s impressive loss to the Heat resulted in a two minute explanation from Redick that skimmed the existential and was anchored in the heavy weight of realization.
What’s difficult from here — beyond how the Lakers improve when their offensive energy is sporadic at best and their approach to defence has been to literally stand back and watch — is how to move forward into the long season still ahead, with the base level of competency and pride necessary for a cohesive team to function.
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
Biz The NBA will return to China in 2025; The first time since team executive Daryl Morey’s 2019 tweet signalled support for Hong Kong independence. (ESPN)
Feel Good Four Raptors rookies make history by playing in two games in one day. (SportsNet)
Analysis Michael Malone delivered a blunt assessment of the Nuggets’ performance against the Cavaliers, emphasizing defensive lapses and the need for improvement. (Sports Illustrated)
Milestone Nikola Jokic made NBA history despite the Nuggets’ loss to the Cavaliers, becoming the first player to record multiple triple-doubles in a season with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. Jokic’s historic achievement adds to his impressive career milestones. (Sports Illustrated)
Recap The Denver Nuggets struggled defensively, particularly in guarding the three-point line, leading to a significant 126-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Defensive issues plagued the Nuggets throughout the game. Full game recap details the challenges faced. (Denver Stiffs)
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Nuggets @ Wizards
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Nuggets @ Hawks
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Clippers @ Nuggets
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Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Ayo Dosunmu’s Big Fantasy Basketball Night
Dec 5, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) looks to pass the ball while defended by San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) and forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter/Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks dominated the Washington Wizards, with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the charge. Doncic’s 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, alongside Irving’s 25 points, highlighted their commanding performance. Despite a lackluster showing from P.J. Washington, Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie delivered solid contributions. The Wizards’ decision to start Marvin Bagley over Jonas Valančiūnas was puzzling, given Bagley’s inconsistent play. Bilal Coulibaly’s struggles continue, and Jordan Poole’s shooting woes persist, though his minutes remain encouraging.
In another matchup, the Cleveland Cavaliers secured a significant win over the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic’s 27 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists underscored his dominance, despite heavy minutes. Michael Porter Jr.'s defensive contributions were notable, with four steals and two blocks. On the Cavaliers’ side, Caris LeVert’s 21 points and Donovan Mitchell’s 28 points, six assists, and six triples were key to their victory.
The Oklahoma City Thunder overwhelmed the Toronto Raptors, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge with 30 points, five assists, and two steals. Cason Wallace’s defensive prowess was on display, contributing two steals and four blocks. The Raptors struggled without Jakob Poeltl, highlighting their lack of depth at the center position.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Nuggets podcasts.
Epic Swipa Rant Swipa and Ryan go over Jamal Murray’s slow start, the non-Jokic minutes, and why the burden Nikola Jokic is facing is unacceptable. Swipa gives an epic rant on the significance of this moment in Nuggets history. Then, they preview Denver Nuggets vs Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.
Nuggets CLUTCH win over Warriors behind MONSTER Jokic game Matt and Ryan go over Nikola Jokic’s takeover, Denver’s defense on Stephen Curry, and more from the Nuggets win over Golden State.
Locked On Nuggets POSTCAST: Nuggets able to get the job done vs. Warriors Aniello Piro breaks down the Nuggets win over the Warriors on the Locked On Nuggets POSTCAST.
