As the Denver Nuggets look to right the ship on their three-game losing streak, they will have to do it against Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers, who have won four in a row.
The Sixers, if you remember, lost to the Nuggets by 35 points in Denver. That was Philly’s seventh loss in a row, and after that loss, I sat in the media room and listened to screaming in the Sixers locker room next door.
Since then, the Sixers haven’t lost. Things have clearly flipped for both teams in the last week. Can the Nuggets flip it back?
Let’s delve back into the Philadelphia 76ers matchup:
Denver Nuggets @ Philadelphia 76ers
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Philadelphia: Tyrese Maxey, Eric Gordon, Justin Edwards, Kelly Oubre, Guerschon Yabusele
Key Bench Players
Denver: Julian Strawther, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, DeAndre Jordan
Philadelphia: Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry, Ricky Council IV, Adem Bona
Notable Injuries
Denver: Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Philadelphia: Joel Embiid – OUT, Paul George – OUT, Jared McCain – OUT, Caleb Martin – OUT, Andre Drummond – OUT, KJ Martin – OUT
Key for the Nuggets – Make Tyrese Maxey work
With Joel Embiid, Paul George, and several other rotation players sidelined, there’s a ton of pressure on Tyrese Maxey to carry the burden for this Sixers team to keep their season alive. In the last four games, Maxey has averaged an absurd 33.3 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting over 52% from the field and nearly 37% from three on 9.5 threes per game. He’s been awesome, and the Sixers are extremely lucky to have him.
The Nuggets will have to find ways to slow him down. Denver’s going to struggle to stop him in the pick and roll though. With Guerschon Yabusele starting at small ball center, the Sixers are running five-out spacing to open up the floor for Maxey as much as possible. It’s worked lately, and the Nuggets aren’t the team to slow down 5-out spacing because they can’t stay in front of shifty guards in space.
Russell Westbrook likely gets the first crack at Maxey since Christian Braun was moved to the bench. Westbrook will have to be diligent, and the Nuggets have to provide help where they can. Denver also has to attack Maxey on the other end. Whether he’s guarding Westbrook or Jamal Murray, the Nuggets should put Maxey in every action defensively and force him to guard. The young star rarely gets tired, but Denver should make him work as hard as possible if they can.
Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Guerschon Yabusele
Last game against the New York Knicks, Nikola Jokic didn’t get into the paint very often. Perhaps that was the game plan. Perhaps he was simply trying to give Jamal Murray some room to operate. Whatever the case, it can’t happen in this matchup. Both Embiid and Andre Drummond are out for this matchup, meaning Jokic will be defended by Yabusele, Adem Bona, and others who can’t handle his combination of size, strength, and touch around the rim.
If the Nuggets decide to feed Jokic early and often, he could go for 50 points.
On the other end, Yabusele scored on Jokic several times in Denver. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he finds some open three-pointers and drives to the rim tonight with Jokic having to cover so much space in help against Maxey.
Number of the Day – 3
That’s the number of games the Nuggets have lost in a row. Three. It’s quite simple: this road trip has been a disaster for the Nuggets so far. They have potential to climb out of the hole and win tonight, and they need to. Denver hadn’t lost three games in a row until this current losing streak this season. Losing a fourth game places them in a very difficult spot. Other teams in the Western Conference are making up ground. The Nuggets need to get back to their winning ways if they want homecourt in the playoffs this year.
Nugget who should have a good game: Nikola Jokic
In moments like these, leaders step up to the plate. Will Jokic be the leader the Nuggets need tonight? I think so. More than just the numbers, I think his attention to detail will be a lot better tonight. He’s clearly frustrated about a variety of things right now, but the only two things he can control (as my old high school football coach used to say) are his attitude and effort.
Setting an example for the rest of his team in a tough moment would go a long, long way.