The Denver Nuggets finished a successful but stressful road trip 3-1 and are now back in the comfortable confines of Ball Arena to take on the New York Knicks. The Knicks are missing several key players but are still on a four-game winning streak and are taking an aggressive approach on both ends to try to slow down Denver’s offense and find their weaknesses. Denver was hosted by the Knicks in New York tonight, but this game is more about the future than the past. The fact that the Knicks are shorthanded may work in their favor considering how Denver has let up for several quarters against teams lacking starters recently, so the Nuggets need to buckle down and focus for four quarters to defend the court and keep the pressure on the Oklahoma City Thunder as both teams seek the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
The essentials
WHO: Denver Nuggets (48-21) vs. New York Knicks (41-27)
When: 7 p.m. MDT
Or: Home of the World Champions, Ball Arena, Denver CO
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy…unless it’s a fictionalized 18th century hack. Altitude TV where available (Altitude TV is on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV). NBA League pass for those not in the Nuggets market. Altitude Radio 92.5. Bring a wheelbarrow full of ice and say it’s for the knees of the Knicks players who are still going to play 40+ minutes.
Rival blog: Publication and roasting
Injury Report: Zeke Nnaji – doubtful (back), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee); OG Anunoby – out (elbow), Mitchell Robinson – out (ankle), Julius Randle – out (shoulder)
The three things
The thing to watch: Jalen Brunson vs. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Denver has excellent defensive guards and wings, led by Pope, but they can struggle with small, lightning-fast guards of which Brunson is one of the best. KCP will need to be quick and invade the ball because any opening is one that Brunson can and will exploit. When Jamal is replaced by him, the defense will have to be there, because especially without Anunoby and Randle, it will be on Brunson’s shoulders to make it happen. He’s scored 44, 42, and 34 points in the last 3 games, all of New York’s wins, and doing what they can to limit his efficiency is a major key to a Denver win — and it starts with Pope trying to add another link to his DPOG channel.
What you must remember : Bouncing the ball helps
Coach Michael Malone got raspy about rebounding on the road trip Denver just completed. They gave up a season-high in offensive rebounds in the loss to the Mavericks, and only outscored Minnesota by 1 despite the Timberwolves missing two 7-footers. The Knicks know how to rebound. They are 5th in the NBA in rebounds and first in offensive rebounds. Denver will have to remember how to box and their bench must especially break the glass and prevent second and third opportunities. Former Nugget Isaiah Hartenstein is 5th in the entire NBA in total offensive rebounds and he only plays 25 minutes per game. Michael Porter Jr. has been great on the boards and on the court recently, but it can’t be just him or Nikola Jokic attacking the glass. The Nuggets need to bounce back as a team, put a body on their man and make Scott Hastings proud tonight to avoid a disappointment in the first game back from a road trip.
The thing to bet on: Nikola Jokic over 7.5 assists (-120)
It’s not a great comeback, but Jokic only had 2 assists in his last match. He’s going to handle this like a boss, and 5 assists in the first quarter wouldn’t be surprising. Just assume he will be happy to facilitate and get back on the support horse and bet accordingly.
