The Battered Nuggets host the hungry Thunder

The Denver Nuggets, who have had one easy win and three nail-biters this season, host the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder, who blew out Denver at the Ball Arena to open the season. The hope was that Denver would be ready for an almost immediate rematch after they shook off the rust, but instead, Denver will be down two starters and hoping for reserves to fill the holes. Jamal Murray will miss the game in concussion protocol and Aaron Gordon strained his calf early in Denver’s last-second win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday, leaving the Nuggets looking for quick answers to big problems. Their starting unit has been one of the best in the league, but without 2/5 of it, the bench will have to show up in a big way to combat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and the surging Thunder that they look like to stay. undefeated.

The essential

WHO: Denver Nuggets (4-3) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (7-0)

When: 19:00 MST

Where: The can. Denver, CO

How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs don’t condone piracy … unless it’s the romanticized 17th century kind. Height TV where available, NBA League Pass if not in Nuggets market. Altitude radio 92.5 FM. Bring an ice pack and say it’s for a nugget – they’re so beat up no one will guess you.

Rival Blog: Thundering intentions

Damage report: Vlatko Cancar – questionable (ankle), DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles), Aaron Gordon – out (calf), Jamal Murray – out (concussion); Isaiah Hartenstein – Out (hand), Nikola Topic – Out (knee), Jaylin Williams – Out (hamstring), Kenrich Williams – Out (knee)

The (two) things

Things to watch out for: Who replaces Aaron Gordon?

The Nuggets already had a problem replacing Jamal Murray, who is in concussion protocol and still unavailable. Now they will have to replace Aaron Gordon, who will miss at least a few weeks with a calf strain, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Defensively, Gordon is Denver’s best overall defender, especially of big wings and frontcourt players, and that responsibility will likely fall to Peyton Watson. But he has also been a primary ball-handler with Murray out, bringing the ball up the pitch or organizing the attack with the bench, and now someone else has to do that too. Julian Strawther had been getting time with the ball in his hands and will likely see that increase even more, as will Christian Braun. It will be all hands on deck to replace Gordon’s contributions by committee, but AG has very big shoes to fill over the next several games — and especially this one against a Thunder team that handily throttled the Nuggets on opening night and can deliver ruthless ball -pressure to careless guards and wings.

Things to remember: It’s very early in a long season – look for progress not perfection.

The Thunder have come out of the gate sprinting, while Denver has mostly stumbled their way to a 7 game winning record. No, it wouldn’t be good to go down 0-2 to the Thunder in the season series, with both losses coming at Denver’s home court. That said, Denver doesn’t measure up against the Thunder now — it will come in the playoffs if they meet. The goal the Nuggets need to focus on is getting better, finding the right pieces for their rotation, figuring out how to deal with these kinds of injuries and missing players…all the details that get you to the playoffs with home court in the first round. Nikola Jokic is playing like an MVP again, but Denver absolutely needs to find a way to reduce the workload he has to put in for them to get those wins. As Nikola said after the recent Toronto game: “I want to win all my games for the rest of my life, like we’re winning against Utah.” He didn’t have to play the fourth quarter at all.

Most likely if he sits in the fourth quarter of this game it’s because Denver is getting blown out again because the kind of effort I would expect to need from him in a win is a complete game masterpiece. That said, win or lose tonight, pay attention to the fringes, to the bench players who need more time to find their roles. There are no moral victories in the NBA, but Denver is currently at a point where the growth they get from their non-starters is a more important metric than just the win column. That said – a win would also go a long way towards easing the worries, so let’s hope so.

The return of the Nuggets season also means the return of Stiffs Night Out at #38 in Rino! Come join us on November 8th to watch the Nuggets take on the Miami Heat. There will be live podcasts, prize giveaways, drink specials, great food and the best Nuggets fans in town! Number 38 boasts a robust beer selection with plenty of other drinking options. Tip off is at 7pm and there is plenty of room for everyone, but be sure to get there early to get the best seats out on the terrace (weather permitting). Can’t wait to see everyone there at 3560 Chestnut Pl.