The Denver Nuggets kicked off their season today against the defending champion Boston Celtics, meeting in Abu Dhabi for the first of two preseason exhibition games. Both teams played the majority of their starters (only Kristaps Porzinigis didn’t suit up today for Boston) and it was a nice look at both squads.

Ultimately, the Celtics took home the victory 107-103 that went down to the wire. There were some discrepancies with the scoreboard in the final seconds that went from Denver leading to Denver trailing that were never explained. It’s a preseason game, but that was weird.

Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. He was slow to begin things but got into the flow in the second quarter, using his size and deft touch to make shots around the basket. He led the way for Denver in generating shots in the paint, being matched up with Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and any guard/wing that switched onto him. It’s always nice to see Jokic setting the tone and taking advantage.

In addition, Jokic set up Russell Westbrook for his first Nuggets basket for one of his two assists today:

Denver led at halftime 63-56. The starters didn’t play in the second half for either side, and the Nuggets used a different frontcourt configuration off their bench. DeAndre Jordan entered the game for Vlatko Cancar, pushing Dario Saric to the power forward spot. The Nuggets were fine from a plus-minus standpoint, but the minutes were clunky with Westbrook at point guard.

Ultimately, the lead slipped away for Denver late, but there were still some things to be encouraged by for Nuggets fans:

Christian Braun guarding Jayson Tatum:

Yes, Tatum finished with a nice stat line in the first half with 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists; however, several of those possessions were off of transition, offensive rebounds, and times when Braun simply wasn’t guarding Tatum. The third-year wing from Kansas had some really impressive moments in the first half guarding the Celtics’ best player, forcing him into tough shots and logging the only blocked shot in the second unit.

In 13 minutes, Christian Braun had five points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block today. He didn’t take a bunch of shots and missed his only attempted three, but Braun looked had home with the Nuggets starters. He led the quintet in plus-minus at +7 and will probably have a lot of games when he leads the team in plus-minus this year. Overall, a solid starting lineup debut for Braun, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for him.

Russell Westbrook’s up-and-down debut

There are things to be happy about with Russell Westbrook today. In 19 minutes, he logged 12 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. He was asked to do a lot for Denver’s second unit in his minutes, and he was more than happy to carry the load. Westbrook took 10 shots, tying for the team lead in shot attempts with Aaron Gordon. That’s a common thing for Nuggets backup point guards the last two years with Bones Hyland and then Reggie Jackson carrying high usage rates for the second unit. Russell Westbrook will do the same, and it will be on him to stay as efficient as possible in those moments. Surprisingly, Westbrook was 3-of-6 from three and 0-of-4 from two to go with 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

The minutes looked better in the first half with more spacing than in the second half with two bigs out there. There were some nice drive-and-kick possessions, and both Hunter Tyson and Vlatko Cancar hit threes off Westbrook passes. If Julian Strawther can get a few more threes up with the second unit (only 1-of-3 in 23 minutes) that would benefit the bench and Russ specifically.

Michael Porter Jr. playing strong

It wasn’t MPJ’s best scoring game today, but it was noticeable how many shots at the rim he attempted. Of his five made baskets, he went 4-of-4 inside the restricted area and 1-of-4 everywhere else. He simply looked bigger and taller than almost everyone on the floor, and taking advantage of those cuts with his strong frame is a big deal.

There were three turnovers today by Porter, including two travels trying to relocate for a jumper. It’s still very early on, but driving north/south rather than east/west on those relocations might make more sense. He can create his own shot, and the jumpers are an emotional lift when they go down. We will see what it looks like throughout the rest of the preseason.

The Nuggets and Celtics will play again in a couple days at 8am MT. Whether the starters get extended minutes remains to be seen, but it was nice to see both teams back out there in what should be incredibly important seasons for both organizations.

Final Rotations