Merry Christmas to all!
It’s always fun to get some Christmas basketball in the NBA, and the Nuggets have been lucky enough to be on Christmas a fair amount in the last few years. Early on, their Christmas performances weren’t great, but the last two have been awesome. In the 2022-23 season, we got an epic matchup with the Phoenix Suns that saw an Aaron Gordon dunk for the ages. In the 2023-24 season, we got a matchup between Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry that went Jokic’s way decisively by shooting 18-of-18 from the free throw line, much to the chagrin of Steve Kerr.
Now, the Nuggets face the Suns again. They just saw them Monday in a game that went Denver’s way in blowout fashion. Can the Nuggets do it again on the road and on national TV?
Let’s delve into the Phoenix Suns matchup:
Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Phoenix: Tyus Jones, Bradley Beal, Royce O’Neale, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkic
Key Bench Players
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Hunter Tyson, DeAndre Jordan
Phoenix: Monte Morris, Josh Okogie, Ryan Dunn, Mason Plumlee
Notable Injuries
Denver: Jamal Murray – QUESTIONABLE, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Phoenix: Devin Booker – OUT, Grayson Allen – OUT, Bol Bol – OUT
Key for the Nuggets – Jamal Murray’s status
Without Jamal Murray in Monday’s matchup, the Nuggets rolled the Suns on the second night of a back-to-back. Russell Westbrook stepped in and filled the facilitator role, while Michael Porter Jr. stepped up as the second scorer behind Nikola Jokic. Jalen Pickett even stepped up as the backup point guard and had eight assists in 23 minutes, playing his role well.
It’s unfortunate for the matchup that Devin Booker will miss this game. It would be unfortunate if Murray missed a Christmas game as well. I expect he’s likely to play if he has any opportunity to suit up, but it’s the Nuggets responsibility to be responsible with his health if Murray is feeling any discomfort.
If Murray does play, how does that affect the offensive and defensive matchups? Will the Nuggets still go to Porter as consistently? It’s fair to wonder how Murray shifts the dynamics after a 27-point blowout.
Important Matchup – Kevin Durant vs Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson
It was important on Monday and it’s important tonight. Kevin Durant was merely good in Monday’s matchup with 23 points on 15 shots, but he had just two assists compared to three turnovers despite running the offense a fair amount without Booker. If Durant replicates that exact performance, it will be a major win for Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, who spent the most time on the superstar forward.
Furthermore, any offense that Gordon and Watson can provide to counter Durant on the other end is a big plus. Gordon hit back-to-back threes in the third quarter on Monday, and if he and Watson can hit outside jumpers again, it makes Durant’s weak side rim protection a little less impactful.
Number of the Day – 7
That’s the number of total assists Nikola Jokic currently sits behind triple-double pace on the season. He’s likely not going to reach it, especially with Murray and Westbrook continuing to be strong facilitators and Jokic averaging nearly 31 points per game. Still, if Jokic accumulates 17 assists on Christmas, that would get him back to averaging a triple-double straight up.
How impressive of a feat would that be? Incomprehensible.
Nugget who should have a good game: Christian Braun
It’s been a little bit for Christian Braun. After maintaining sterling shooting percentages through October and November, Braun is shooting just 3-of-20 from three-point range in December and just scored a season low four points on 2-of-9 from the field on Monday.
Braun prides himself on his consistency, bringing intensity every single day and playing with poise. It’s his first Christmas game as a starter for the Nuggets, and he will likely spend significant time chasing around Bradley Beal again with Devin Booker out. He must stay attached to Beal off of screens, and I have a feeling that will be a significant coaching point after Beal had success on Monday.
Expect Braun to bring it tonight.
