Still, I’m looking forward to even just a taste of what’s to come between these two championship contenders. Inevitably it will calm down and most everyone who will play the second half of this game on both teams wasn’t involved in the playoff series. Don’t be surprised if you see some more intense than usual gameplay early on in this one that feels closer to the regular season than the preseason. Then there’s the whole Jusuf Nurkic angle and there’s also the two best teams in the West factor to consider here as well. I’m guessing the series loss to Denver is still fresh in a lot of guys minds over in Phoenix, including their ball snatching owner Matt Ishbia. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker had never lost a playoff series to the Denver Nuggets. Up until last summer the Nuggets hadn’t beat the Phoenix Suns in a playoff series since 1983. What to remember: These guys are all coming off of being eliminated by Denver for the first time The Suns don’t have any true bigs to speak of off their bench now that Jock Landale plays in Houston so I’d expect to see Malone go small, perhaps using a combination of Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji to get rest for Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon. Backup big is another role that is up for grabs. Backup small forward is one of the biggest questions for the Nuggets going into the season and who Malone chooses to start against Phoenix is probably going to be a strong hint on who he has penciled into the rotation for about 20 minutes on opening night. We already know who the five starters are, that’s set in stone, but we’re probably only sure about two bench players (Christian Braun and Reggie Jackson). Still, this will actually help give quite the insight into what the Nuggets rotation will look like to open the season. Michael Malone has already come out and said that he’s going to only play the starters around a half for the first game and Michael Porter Jr. What to watch for: rotation, rotation, rotation. – doubtful (ankle), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee) Ish Wainwright – out (calf) Jordan Goodwin – out (hamstring) Damion Lee – out (knee). Injury report: Christian Braun – questionable (calf) Jamal Murray – questionable (hamstring) Michael Porter Jr. Rival Blog: Bright Side of the Sun The Matchup Tell Matt Ishbia you’ll pay half of Mel Tucker’s salary in exchange for courtside seats. How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy…unless its the romanticized 18th-century type. Who: Denver Nuggets (0-0) at Phoenix Suns (1-0) Perhaps a bit undersized off the bench, the Suns managed to load up on shooting with key additions like Yuta Watanabe, Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen. The Suns also used a flurry of offseason moves to revamp their bench unit, a major weakness in their second round series loss to the Nuggets. Gone are the likes of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and DeAndre Ayton and in their place is Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic. Meanwhile, Phoenix used that strategy initially before switching course to trading for star players. Denver comes in as the team who won the title with a strategy of draft, develop and extend. Phoenix and Denver are widely accepted as the top two teams in the Western Conference and the Nuggets preseason is sure to open with a bang. Tonight the Nuggets kick off the 2023 preseason with perhaps their biggest threat to repeat as champions: the Phoenix Suns. The Denver Nuggets are at long last back in action…sort of.
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