The Denver Nuggets are now 0-2 on their five-game road trip. It’s not the start they were hoping for, and it doesn’t get any easier here. The New York Knicks are fresh off an absolute beatdown of the Memphis Grizzlies. The score of that game was 143-106. The Knicks are playing great basketball right now, and at 31-16, they have a team that has extreme firepower.
Can the Nuggets stem that tide? If their last two outings (133 points allowed to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 129 points allowed to the Chicago Bulls) are any indication, it seems unlikely.
Let’s delve into the New York Knicks matchup:
Denver Nuggets @ New York Knicks
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic
New York: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns
Key Bench Players
Denver: Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Aaron Gordon, maybe DeAndre Jordan
New York: Cameron Payne, Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, Precious Achiuwa
Notable Injuries
Denver: Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
New York: Josh Hart – QUESTIONABLE, Mitchell Robinson – OUT, Pacome Dadiet – OUT
Key for the Nuggets – Slowing down the Knicks offense
That was the exact caption I had in the previous matchup between these two teams earlier in the season.
They went on to score 145 points against the Nuggets at Ball Arena. it was an embarrassing defensive performance.
Brunson and Towns are of course the main options, but OG Anunoby had an absurd 40 points that game. Brunson had 17 assists, absolutely dicing up the Nuggets pick and roll coverage over and over again. Towns had 30 points and 15 rebounds in his first game at Ball Arena since Game 7 with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
The Nuggets are probably in trouble tonight. They can’t stop the Knicks offense. Few teams in the NBA can. If Denver can improve on the margins though, perhaps they can outscore the Knicks by juuuust enough to squeak by.
Important Matchup – Jalen Brunson vs the Nuggets pick and roll defense
This matchup is about Brunson and Towns going against likely Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic in pick and roll coverage. They’re simply an elite duo and have every counter in the book.
- Play drop coverage and Brunson can hit mid-range pull-ups or hit Towns on the pop for three.
- Play at the level and Brunson will string out Jokic just enough to free up Towns for the roll.
- Blitz Brunson and Towns is open on the short roll, forcing a rotation on the weak side that leads to a corner three.
- Switch the pick and roll, and Jokic is suddenly trying to guard Brunson on an island. Denver doubles to help, gives up an open three
Can the Nuggets do anything here? As mentioned above, the last time these two teams faced, Brunson had 17 assists compared to two turnovers. He was cooking. Can the Nuggets find a way to slow him and the Knicks at all?
Number of the Day – 1,460
That’s the number of minutes Christian Braun has played this season across the first 46 games of the season. Braun’s played in 45, missing just one due to a minor injury absence.
1,460 is very close to Braun’s career high of 1,655 he played last season. Elevating into Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s old starting role, Braun has been one of Denver’s most consistent players. He will rarely be their leading scorer given his role, but he’s been extremely stable and efficient. His 65.8 True Shooting % ranks sixth in the NBA among all players to play at least 1,000 minutes.
The full top 10? Center, center, center, center, center, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Nikola Jokic, Josh Hart, center.
Nugget who should have a good game: Not Brave Enough to Pick
Sorry folks. I don’t think this one’s going to go well for the Nuggets. Who knows? Maybe I’m wrong and we can all laugh at me later. That’s the optimal outcome.