The Denver Nuggets are coming off one of their more impressive games of the season so far, winning 119-115 over the Golden State Warriors in a comeback effort. It wasn’t necessarily impressive because of the way Denver played early on, but in how they responded and fought through adversity to earn a win.

Their reward? They get to face a 19-3 Cleveland Cavaliers squad. This team is really good. I’m not quite sure if they’re legitimately great, but they’re playing like it early on. The Cavaliers take care of business, and it will be interesting to see how the Nuggets respond to a team that has been locked in from Jump Street.

Let’s delve into the Cleveland Cavaliers matchup:

Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic

Cleveland: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Key Bench Players

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, maybe possibly somebody else

Cleveland: Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Georges Niang

Notable Injuries

Denver: Aaron Gordon – PROBABLE, Trey Alexander – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Cleveland: Max Strus – OUT, Ty Jerome – QUESTIONABLE

Key for the Nuggets – Can’t hold anything back tonight

To say the Cavaliers are a difficult matchup for Denver is an understatement. When fully healthy, they have two high level ball handlers in the backcourt that can lift up an offense. They have two elite rim rolling bigs that play with relentless effort. They have a surprisingly deep bench full of capable options, namely Ty Jerome, a Virginia guard with Jokic-level shooting percentages this season.

All this to say, they’re a tough matchup. There’s no easing into this game if Denver wants to compete. The Nuggets will also need to stay focused for 48 minutes, because the Cavaliers are great at putting up points in bunches and targeting weaknesses on both ends of the floor. The Nuggets will need to be diligent all evening.

Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley

As much as I wanted to say Donovan Mitchell vs Christian Braun, I think I know how that one’s going to go. Mitchell will cook because he’s a great player and Braun might be a bit too big and not quick enough around screens to stick with him consistently.

No, the bigger battle is with the bigs. Jokic will be guarded by one of Allen or Mobley (mostly Allen) for 40 or so minutes. In the past, Allen has given Jokic some troubles on both ends of the floor. Allen’s size and athleticism give him a buffer when banging with Jokic, and his screen setting and rim rolling make him an excellent rolling big on offense. Jokic will have his hands full.

Oh, and that doesn’t account for the other super talented big man that averages 17.8 points per game and a high true shooting number while playing elite roamer defense.

Good luck Joker (he will probably log a 30-point triple-double).

Number of the Day – 48.0%

That’s Denver’s corner three-point percentage as a team so far this year. An exorbitantly high number, the Nuggets are attempting just 6.7 corner threes per game (third fewest in the NBA) but are making the second highest percentage of those shots. Only the Milwaukee Bucks have shot better at 49.3%!

Here are the attempts and makes for each rotation player:

  • Peyton Watson: 12-of-25 (48.0%)
  • Russell Westbrook: 12-of-21 (57.1%)
  • Christian Braun: 8-of-18 (44.4%)
  • Jamal Murray: 4-of-14 (28.6%)
  • Aaron Gordon: 7-of-11 (63.6%)
  • Michael Porter Jr.: 5-of-10 (50.0%)
  • Julian Strawther: 5-of-8 (62.5%)
  • Nikola Jokic: 3-of-4 (75.0%)

My first takeaway: good lord. Those are insane numbers, except for Jamal Murray who doesn’t seem to be shooting well from anywhere right now.

My second takeaway: The Nuggets need to run an offense that generates more corner threes, because everyone’s shooting extremely well. The Nuggets can’t finish the three 28th in three-point attempts from the corner. That would be wasting a great opportunity to help out Jokic in the middle of the floor.

Nugget who should have a good game: Julian Strawther

There were some nice plays made on both ends of the floor by Strawther on Tuesday. There’s aren’t a ton of weaknesses for the Cavaliers, but if there’s one possibility, it’s the wings. Strawther needs to have a good game for the Nuggets to excel tonight. He can generate open shots for himself and others by being aggressive and drawing attention. After that, it’s about holding up defensively and running in transition.