NFLWhat a week for the Denver Nuggets. Since the last time we talked, the Nuggets have played 4 games and gone 3-1 in those games. It could have been 4-0 if some questionable calls hadn’t happened on Halloween night, more on that shortly.
On Wednesday, October 29th, the Nuggets would play their second home game of the season when they welcomed the New Orleans Pelicans to Ball Arena. The Pelicans star Zion Williamson returned after missing Monday, October 27th game at Boston due to a bone bruise in his foot and scored 11 points in 26 minutes of play. Former Nugget fan favorite, DeAndre Jordan, made his return to Ball Arena in a surprising starting role. Even though he didn’t play much, 2 points, 5 rebounds in 11 minutes, it was great to see Jordan back in Denver.
The Nuggets got off to a big first-quarter lead by leading 34-25 after 1, never looking back, and cruised to a 122-88 victory over the Pelicans. Nikola Jokic continued his hot streak to start the season. Heading into the game, Jokic was in rare company with Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only 3 players to have a triple-double in the team’s first 3 games of the season. After the final buzzer sounded in Denver on Monday, Jokic would make it 4 straight games with a triple-double with the stat line of 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Jamal Murray would continue his great start by dropping 17 points to go with his 6 assists. Christian Braun would rebound after his 7-point performance against Minnesota on Monday, October 27th, with a 17-point night. Aaron Gordon, for the second straight game, would only score 9 points. Tonight, he had 9 rebounds to go with 9 points.
On Halloween night, the Denver Nuggets would travel up to the northwest and face off against divisional rivals, the Portland Trailblazers. Not only was it a divisional game, but it was also the first NBA Cup game for both teams. This was Portland’s 5th game since their head coach, NBA Hall of Famer and former Denver Nugget player, Chauncy Billups, was put on leave from the NBA due to an investigation into illegal gambling. In those previous 4 games, the Trailblazers were 3-1. Portland would be led to a 109-107 victory by Deni Avdija, who dropped 23 points. Shaedon Sharpe would drop 19 points for Portland.
Nikola Jokic was looking for his 5th straight game to start the season with a triple-double, but he would fall just short of that. In Denver, we call Friday performance a Sombor Double. That phrase was coined by Chris Marlow and Scott Hastings, Denver Nuggets play-by-play announcers on Altitude TV.
A Sombor Double is what we call it when Nikola Jokic misses a triple-double by either 1 assist or 1 rebound. The Sombor name is a nod to Jokic’s Serbian hometown. Jokic would finish the game with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists. Jamal Murray would add 22 points, and Gordon would have 14 points.
With the game tied late in the 4th quarter, the Nuggets would have two questionable calls go against them. The first one was with 3 seconds left to play when Jokic was bear hugged from behind, and the referees would call a jump ball. The game-winning points would come from the free-throw line as Gordon would foul Jermi Grant. The NBA would come out and say both of those calls were called correctly by the officials.
Denver would be 3-2 following the loss to Portland.
Denver would return to Ball Arena on Monday, November 3rd, when they would start a 4-game homestand and welcome the Sacramento Kings for game 1 of the homestand. It was also the return of former Nugget, Russell Westbrook, who finished the game with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Domantas Sabonis would have a double-double of his own with 13 points and 17 rebounds.
After his triple-double streak ended in the previous game against Portland, Nikola would have another double-double by having a season high 34 points, 14 assists. He had 7 rebounds and 4 steals in the game as well. Gordon had a nice 20-point game and 7 rebounds. Braun added 21 points, and Murray added 15. Bruce Brown would have his season high with 13 points off the bench.
Nuggets would beat Sacramento 130-124 to improve their record to 4-2.
After 2 straight games of missing a triple-double double Nikola Jokic wasn’t playing around in the game on Wednesday, November 5th, against the Miami Heat. He would have a monster triple-double with a stat line of 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists. Gordon had his second-highest scoring game of the season with 24 points. Murray added 14 and Braun added 11. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the bench with 18 points. He would shoot 4-9 from the 3pt line with one of the 3’s coming at the buzzer to end the 1st quarter.
Miami was led by Nuggets killer Norman Powell, who had 23 points and went 4-8 from 3-point range. Powell’s first 3-pointer of the game, to make the score 3-0 early in the 1st, would be the first time the Denver Nuggets have trailed at home this season. Andrew Wiggins would add 22 points. Bam Adebayo would only play 8 minutes before leaving with a sprained toe.
Nuggets would beat Miami in the 2023 Finals rematch by the score of 122-112. The Nuggets have beaten Miami in 11 straight regular-seasonThe matchups, and Miami hasn’t won in Denver during the regular season since November 30, 2016.
Denver Nuggets would improve to 5-2 after their victory against the Miami Heat.
The Denver Nuggets have two more games of this 4 game homestand on Friday November 7th in the first NBA Cup at Ball Arena this season with the debut of the court above with them taking on the Golden State Warriors and then on Saturday November 8th when we welcome the reigning and defending Eastern Conference champs, Indiana Pacers, to Ball Arena in our first back to back games of the season. Following the game, the Nuggets hop on a plane for a 3-game road trip. The first two games of the trip will be in California, with stops in Sacramento on Tuesday, November 11th, to face the Kings, and then a trip down to Los Angeles with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, November 12th. Those will be the games we recap in the article next week.
Here is a look at the NBA Standings as of the end of games on November 5th.
Well, Nuggets fans, we have come to the end of our look back at the last 4 games of our schedule. Everyone, take care and stay safe as we push towards the holiday season of 2025. I’ll talk to you all next week. GO NUGGETS!!!!!
