NFL
By Jason Gulden
Greetings, Nuggets supporters. Since our last update, the team has experienced several significant changes. The Nuggets established a new franchise record for consecutive wins, navigated a difficult losing streak, and had a player honoured with the Player of the Week award.
December 15th, 2016
On this day in Nuggets history, it was a huge moment for the current Denver Nuggets. In a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Nikola Jokic made history by being inserted into the starting lineup for the first time as an NBA player. Since then, he’s become a three-time NBA MVP, an NBA Finals MVP, and an NBA Champion. He holds the third-most triple-doubles in NBA history with 175 and counting, trailing only Oscar Robertson by six and Russell Westbrook, who has 207. Jokic has achieved this in just 769 games, compared to Robertson’s 1,040 and Westbrook’s 1,263.
Merry Jokmas Nuggets Fans!!!!!
Great Road Run
The franchise is currently enjoying its best-ever 11-game winning streak on the road. The Nuggets have been playing outstanding basketball away from home, earning victories against the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and another win over Sacramento. These wins are helping us climb the standings by beating the teams we need to overcome.
Struggling at Ball Arena
Now the confusing part. The same Nuggets team is currently on a four-game losing streak at Ball Arena. Losses came against Chicago, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Dallas.
In the first loss, the Chicago Bulls outperformed the Denver Nuggets’ bench by a margin of 66-9, ending Chicago’s five-game losing streak. The Bulls entered the game with a 6-6 record.
Sacramento came back from a 13-point deficit and broke an 8-game losing streak, and would enter the game with a 3-13 record.
San Antonio came in without Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama, who both were out due to injuries, and had a 12-5 record. They were the only team with a winning record when the Nuggets faced them. Yes, they had a great record, but they were without 2 of the best players.
Dallas, with a 6-15 record, overcame a 14-point first-quarter deficit by outscoring Denver 42-27 in the second and ultimately won by 10 points.
During that 4-game losing streak, 3 of those games were against teams with a losing record.
Some may argue that the Nuggets are currently without two-fifths of their starting lineup; however, this raises questions regarding their performance, as the team has achieved an 11-game winning streak on the road but has struggled to secure victories at home.
We should be dominating teams at home. The elevation here is 5,230 feet above sea level. Visiting teams often spend only a brief period at this altitude, which limits their acclimatization and may affect their stamina and breathing during games. To capitalize on this advantage, the Nuggets should maintain a consistent, up-tempo style of play, particularly in the third quarter when opponents are more likely to experience fatigue. This strategy can increase the likelihood of securing a win for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets have 4 home games between Monday night and Christmas night. Let’s see if they can turn this struggle at home around this week.
Player of the Week
A Denver Nugget other than Nikola Jokic has earned the honor for the first time since Paul Millsap in 2018, and it’s well-deserved given his impressive performance during the week of December 1st to December 7th. Jamal Murrey was the Western Conference Player of the Week. During the week, he averaged 29.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while shooting 59.5% from the field, 62.1% from behind the arc, and 92.9% from the free throw line. The Nuggets had 1 home game during that stretch, and Murray left at halftime with 10 points against Dallas.
In the subsequent game against the Pacers, following his early departure at halftime during the matchup with Dallas, Murray recorded a season-high 52 points. This achievement marks the fifth-highest point total in an NBA game this season and ranks as the sixth-most points scored in Denver Nuggets franchise history.
So far this season, Murray is averaging 24.4 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. The uncertainty persists about whether Nikola Jokic will finally have an NBA All-Star teammate this year.
Voting starts December 17th. You can vote once daily via the NBA App or NBA.com with your NBA ID. Nuggets fans, let’s team up to send Jamal and Nikola to the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Nuggets fans, that’s our recap of the past few weeks since our last update. Let’s hope the team finds a solution at home soon and begins a winning streak starting Monday night, when the Houston Rockets visit Denver for their first trip here in six days.
We’ll catch up with everyone next week around Christmas, looking forward to discussing a joyful streak of wins at home as well as ongoing victories away. GO NUGGETS!!!!!!
