Plug a leak, and the Nuggets have counters for that fix. “What the Nuggets have building is an enormous offensive force. Mike Singer of the Denver Post kept it short and sweet when diagnosing the Nuggets from a general standpoint: They’ve only had two double digit scoring performances off the pine in three games. Rip City’s second unit will need to do better than score 23, 24, and 22 points respectively. And when Dame sits, Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons will need to do much more than combine for 28 points on 10-28 shooting. As for the Blazers, they don’t have the luxury of being able to go small without Nurkic on the floor, when Jokic is wreaking havoc. For the Nuggets, when Nikola Jokic exits the game, not having the likes of a DeMarcus Cousins to give you 10-12 minutes of quality inside production heaps more pressure on Porter Jr. The Others: As Shaquille O’Neal calls them, the supporting casts for both teams will be instrumental in how the game plays out.Staying disciplined on defense will aid these efforts. Portland must contain the 11th best offense, while putting up points of their own. Meanwhile, Portland is the ninth best in the league, conceding 109.5 points per game. That’s good for fifth worst in the association. Numbers on the Board: The Denver Nuggets allow 121 points per game scored from their opponents.It will also be incumbent upon head coach Chauncey Billups to experiment with zones, as Jokic is too good one-on-one, and even better at passing out of the double team, and will do so gladly with all of his snipers in position. It will be imperative for the Blazers to stop ball early in transition to prevent Jokic from facilitating the break. The Joker is also averaging a career high 9.7 assists, spearheading the fourth-best assist team in the league this year. He averages 19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and seven assists against Jusuf Nurkic in 12 career games. Jokic is up to his old ways, shooting nearly 63 percent from the floor. Nikola Jokic: It goes without saying that the primary focus for the Blazers on defense will be the two-time MVP.Monday, October 24 - 7:00 P.M PT How To Watch on TV: NBA TV, Root Sports Plus, Altitudeīlazers Injuries: Olivier Sarr (out), Gary Payton II (out), Trendon Watford (day-to-day), Justise Winslow (questionable) back into their rotation, and are looking to solidify chemistry early in the season. They are enjoying the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have notched two wins, and one defeat at the hands of the number one seed Utah Jazz. He did not receive much help from his supporting cast outside of Jerami Grant, who pitched in with 16 points on two for three from distance. Damian Lillard was the catalyst yet again, with another 41 point game on 60 percent shooting from the field. On Sunday afternoon, Rip City downed the Los Angeles Lakers in a 106-104 nail biter. Portland’s next challenge will be getting through the Denver Nuggets, led by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. The last time the Blazers won three in a row to begin a season, Damian Lillard was a senior at Weber State University in 2011-2012. The Portland Trail Blazers are rolling, having won their first three games to start the 2022-23 NBA campaign.
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