The Denver Nuggets have returned to the state and after a break following their international trip, they are ready to get going again with another exhibition competition. The Phoenix Suns are on the program. Phoenix was hailed as one of the Western Conference contenders when they acquired Kevin Durant at the 2023 trade deadline. They doubled down on their star prospect by moving for Bradley Beal later in the summer. So far the strategy has not shown any results. Phoenix did not return to the finals after making it there in 2021 despite the new additions. Still, they remain a talented and dangerous team that will compete well against Denver tonight.

The basics

WHO: Denver Nuggets (0-2) vs. Phoenix Suns (2-1)

When: 6:30 PM MDT

Where: The tin. Denver, CO

How to watch/listen: ESPN. 92.5 FM altitude radio. Show up at the Ball Arena, pretend to be an Altitude+ technician, and tell security that you just forgot to plug in some cables. Sail on the high seas.

Rivals Blog: Bright side of the sun

The three things

What you should pay attention to: Deep rotation

Where will Jalen Pickett and Trey Alexander end up tonight? Is Vlatko Cancar still the right man in the reserve team? Will Zeke Nnaji get burned? The bottom of Denver's rotation appears to be the only thing left to figure out, even though the preseason isn't even halfway over yet. I hope there are more opportunities for Alexander in particular, as he has built on a great Summer League with two solid performances in Abu Dhabi.

Here's what you should remember: Starter minutes

Coach Malone hinted during training this week that the starting group could have a longer load than what we saw in Abu Dhabi. Preseason basketball is a little different than preseason football in that there isn't one game that represents a clear dress rehearsal, but tonight's game may be the closest thing to that. If you're looking for an idea of ​​what the rotation will look like on opening night, you'll want to take a close look at this game.

What to bet on: Nuggets over 50.5 wins

As I said in the last preview (and in every preseason game), preseason betting is a fool's errand. Let's use this space to talk about my favorite long bet of the season, which is hammering the over for Nuggets wins, which is currently at 50.5. Denver won 57 last season. I don't know about you, but I don't think Kentavious Caldwell-Pope alone was worth seven wins.