The Denver Nuggets split a tough back-to-back on the road over the weekend. On Saturday, Denver fell to the Detroit Pistons 103-87. On Sunday, the Nuggets blew out the banged-up Boston Celtics 123-107.
Denver is playing very competitive basketball and currently sits at 3-3 on the young season. Here is a look at the good, the bad and the questionable from Denver’s two games over the weekend.
The Good: Emmanuel Mudiay‘s First Quarter
Emmanuel Mudiay went off against the Celtics. Mudiay matched a career high in points with 30, including 24 in the first quarter. Wilson Chandler added 22 points off the bench in just 25 minutes. As a team, the Nuggets shot 52 percent from the floor, including 48 percent from the three point line. Both are season bests for Denver.
The Bad: Shooting Against The Pistons
As good as Denver’s shooting was against the Celtics, it was equally as bad against Detroit. The Nuggets shot just 33 percent for the game. Denver managed to score only 12 first quarter points and never recovered. The Nuggets really need to come up with a new plan of attack when they face very good defensive teams like the Pistons.
The Questionable: How Long Does The Twin Tower Lineup Last?
Is Michael Malone going to keep starting Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic together? This lineup hasn’t worked well together so far this season. If Malone makes an adjustment to his starting rotation, it can open up different and better ways that the Nuggets can attack opponents in different stages of the game. Hypothetically, Denver could go small in the beginning of games, with Chandler starting for Nurkic. The combination of Danilo Gallinari and Chandler has worked well so far this year. This move would open up the floor for Jokic and give the Nuggets a weapon off the bench in Nurkic.
Next up: Denver concludes their five game road trip at the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis is just 3-4 on the season, including a 2-3 record on their home court.
