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    • Nuggets finally have a win
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    Nuggets finally have a win

    Kathleen William Posted on

    Even though the Timberwolves rested all key players tonight and Donte DiVencenzo, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were all inactive, the Nuggets gave it their best shot. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun all played around 23 to 28 minutes with varying results depending on the player.

    Game review

    Michael Porter Jr. continued his hot start to the preseason with 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Most of his work also came from inside, with just one three-pointer on his only attempt. That means he had 6 of 8 shots from inside the arc. Add in the 8 rebounds and it's a really solid night for just 23 minutes. Jamal Murray also had his best game since Game 7 of Round 2 last season – he scored 25 points and 5 assists. He finished 6 of 13 from the field but hit 5 of his 6 three-point attempts. While it was simply a good performance from the field, it was electrifying from downtown.

    It was nice to see the two-man game take shape as well, with Jokic assisting Murray a few times. He hardly took part in the scoring and only scored 4 points on 5 shots – but he had 7 rebounds and assists as well as 3 steals. However, the entrees were absolutely cooked by Luka Garza. My friend I was watching with thought it was a visual error on the NBA's website, but no, Luka Garza absolutely destroyed the Nuggets' defense.

    Inside, outside – it doesn't matter, Luka Garza was with the dog on the Nuggets. He had 29 points and 9 rebounds on 11 of 17 from the field. He was also a shooter from outside, scoring 3 out of 6 balls from three points as well. Rob Dillingham also looked solid with 15 points on 14 shots.

    However, the first quarter was pretty close between the two teams and ended with Denver leading 25-22. Murray did most of the damage in the first quarter with 9 points in the quarter. Then the real star of the evening came on – Julian Strawther. He scored his first points in the first quarter on an assist from Russell Westbrook on a 3-pointer, and that was just the beginning.

    The second quarter saw an offensive explosion on both sides. The Nuggets scored a whopping 43 points, only for the Timberwolves to nearly match that performance with 37 points. Strawther opened the scoring with a layup after another assist from Russ. Then the teams began blow by blow. MPJ 3-pointer on one end, Josh Minott layup on the other, Julian Strawther 3-pointer – you get the idea.

    Russ had four turnovers in the first part of the game, but it was probably his best game of the season. He has given the bench unit an identity and is starting to find some really good chemistry with Julian Strawther. These two seem to be the main forces behind the Nuggets bench, so it's great to see them working together so often on buckets so far. At the end of the half the score was 68-59 Nuggets.

    The third quarter was a little less pretty for the Nuggets, they lost the quarter by three points and failed to score in the first minute and a half, but Christian Braun was able to steady the ship with a pair of free throws and an alley- Oops by Jamal Murray. That stopped an early 6-0 run by the Wolves, and then Luka Garza kept the Wolves on their toes for a while – he scored 14 points in the quarter. It was also the last action the starters saw. However, the Nuggets had their answer for Luka Garza in the fourth period.

    Julian Strawther was the answer for the Nuggets. You just started letting him cook, and guess what? It worked. He had 15 points in the fourth period alone, a large portion of which came from the foul line and drives. He shot well from beyond the arc, but it was great to see him come into his own. It seems that he is not Only a shooter, but someone who will be able to provide some offense when the Nuggets are in a tough spot for some.

    He finished the game with 33 points on 8 of 13 shooting and 12 of 13 free throws (also 5 of 8 from three). He was a revelation for the Nuggets, or at least the biggest one can be in the preseason, and appears to be gearing up for a bigger role early in the season than some may have predicted.

    Dario Saric and Vlatko Cancar also looked pretty solid, posting efficient stats with 13 and 9 points respectively. Dario also added five rebounds while Vlatko scored three dimes. Zeke Nnaji couldn't continue his hot game from the last few games, but he didn't look bad either. Jalen Pickett received a DNP coaching decision, and that was the only one received by anyone on a full-time contract outside of DeAndre Jordan. Do whatever you want with this information.

    The Nuggets finished the game with a W over the Wolves – 132 to 126.

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    Kathleen William
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