The Denver Nuggets bring a three-game win streak back to Ball Arena tonight, matching up with the San Antonio Spurs.
Though Denver has struggled with consistency for much of the first 32 games, they still find themselves at fourth in the Western Conference with a 19-13 record. The rest of the West continues their royal rumble match, and the Nuggets will have to fend off one the new challengers to the ring this season, the 17-16 Spurs.
Let’s delve into the San Antonio Spurs matchup, the first of two games in a row (home and away) against the Spurs:
Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic
San Antonio: Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Victor Wembanyama
Key Bench Players
Denver: Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett/Hunter Tyson, DeAndre Jordan
San Antonio: Tre Jones, Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Zach Collins, the gawd Sandro Mamukelashvili
Notable Injuries
Denver: Aaron Gordon – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
San Antonio: Jeremy Sochan – OUT
Key for the Nuggets – It’s time for some of that defense
Over the last two weeks, the Nuggets rank 27th in defensive rating on Cleaning the Glass, ahead of only the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Toronto Raptors. That’s bad company to keep, and it’s made head coach Michael Malone uncomfortable. This is from Wednesday’s postgame presser after the win over the Atlanta Hawks:
“If we are going to be a team that is serious about winning at a high level and trying to make the playoffs and win a playoff series, you can’t just give up 70+ points in a half.”
The Spurs will be a unique test for Denver on the less glamorous end. Victor Wembanyama is an obvious mismatch against anyone, and against the Nuggets without Aaron Gordon, it’s a glaring issue. Chris Paul sets the table for him well, assisting Wembanyama on 80 baskets this season, the second most in the entire NBA.
Can the Nuggets stop that pick and pop/roll threat? Unlikely, but it would be a pleasant surprise if they could disrupt Wembanyama in some way without compromising their defensive scheme.
Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Victor Wembanyama
I mean, how could it not be this?
Wembanyama has taken the superstar leap in the 2024-25 season, just his second in the NBA. He’s averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists while attempting NINE three-pointers per game and blocking FOUR shots per game. We’ve never seen anything like that before. Remember when Kristaps Porzingis entered the NBA and Kevin Durant called him a Unicorn? Well, that’s partially why Wemby got the Alien as a nickname.
And then there’s Jokic, who’s averaging over 30 points per game for the first time in his career. He’s also letting it fly from three-point range, hitting 49.2% of his threes which currently leads the NBA. Jokic’s combination of scoring, rebounding, and playmaking is unprecedented as well. Seeing Jokic and Wemby face off will always be a treat, but it’s important to truly value these matchups right now. It will be Wemby’s league in due time, but he has to go through the best player in the NBA who happens to play his position first.
On an aside, the NBA has put Jokic vs Wemby on national television exactly zero times this season. After not having Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo on national TV for the longest time, one would think the NBA has learned its lesson? Nope. The world gets Hawks vs Lakers on NBATV tomorrow. Joy.
Number of the Day – 145.6
That’s the Nuggets Offensive Rating with Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Russell Westbrook on the floor, according to Cleaning the Glass. 145.6 is insane. It’s in the 100th percentile on the CTG database for four-man combos.
When the offense is THAT powerful, having a strong defense is less important. The Nuggets will eventually need to get their defense in order, but not while the offense is cooking like that.
It also shows that Westbrook’s malleability was a truly underrated aspect of his game. He and the Nuggets have made it work. Rather, they’ve dominated offensively. It’s a great sign for when the team gets healthy, though someone will eventually have to go to the bench when Aaron Gordon returns to the lineup.
Nugget who should have a good game: Peyton Watson
The Nuggets’ third year forward has had a really good stretch defensively. He’s one of Denver’s only consistent defenders on the roster, and his production the last few games (10 “stocks” in his last five games) has gone mostly under the radar.
With the Spurs likely to go small without Jeremy Sochan out there, it will be interesting to see how often the Nuggets can get Jokic off of Wembanyama defensively. It wouldn’t surprise me if Denver ran some zone that allowed Watson to thrive in help side. It wouldn’t surprise me if they simply put Watson on Wemby and have Jokic guard someone like Harrison Barnes or *shutters* Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Whatever happens, expect Watson to get opportunities if Malone is serious about the defense continuing to improve.
