Experts have installed the Denver Nuggets among Western Conference's top contenders. They received a large number of nationally broadcast games when the NBA revealed its schedule on Wednesday.
The Nuggets are scheduled to play their first game in around two months. On October 19, the Nuggets will open the season against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
With reigning MVP Nikola Jokic leading Denver, the NBA gave the Nuggets12 NBA TV games, eight ESPN games, seven TNT games, and one ABC game. The Nuggets will have a total of 28 games broadcast nationally.
Don't forget that Jamal Murray is back, too. His potent two-step with Jokic will again confound and confuse opposing defenders after he missed a year and a half.
We already know that the Denver Nuggets will face the Phoenix Suns in their biggest regular-season game on Christmas, but what about other key matchups? Here are several must-watch games on Denver's schedule.
Grab your bags we hittin' the Nuggets Trail 💼 pic.twitter.com/smqs5LXEk8
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) August 17, 2022
Must-Watch Games on the Nuggets' Schedule
at Warriors, Oct. 21
The Nuggets' opening contest against the defending champions should be a good indicator of where they stand this season. It won't, however, lessen the disappointment of their first-round loss in the 2022 playoffs.
Keep in mind that Nikola Jokic had the virtually impossible job of defeating the Warriors, which was made much more difficult by Jordan Poole's emergence as the third Splash Brother throughout the six-game series.
This should be a more even contest now that Murray and Porter are expected to return, pitting two of the top teams in the Western Conference against one another. One of the Warriors' toughest defensive matchups, after all, comes from Jokic. He towers above Kevon Looney on the block, and he is both stronger and bigger than Draymond Green.
Murray is also a matchup nightmare for the average defensive three of Stephen Curry, Poole, and the injury-plagued Klay Thompson. Of course, that's provided he regains his initial speed off the dribble.
vs. Grizzlies, Dec. 20
Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies pretty much dominated the Denver Nuggets. The Grizzlies, in fact, had a 3-1 record against the Nuggets. Ja Morant averaged more than 27 points per game in the three games he participated in while playing against Denver. Any defense would be challenged by his incredible athleticism.
The Nuggets will have a tough task ahead of them given Morant's talent and the pieces Memphis has positioned around him. Again, however, the return of Murray should give this matchup a very different dimension this season.
In the West, both teams are moving in the same general direction. A playoff matchup is almost certainly not too far off as well.
at Clippers, Nov. 25
Back in the 2020 playoffs, the Nuggets knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers from the Orlando bubble. It gave this rivalry a little extra fire.
Last season, the Nuggets continued their mastery of the Clippers. Denver went 3-1 against the Clippers, though the latter played all four games without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Those were pretty close games, though, with their first three meetings decided by a total of just seven points.
For this coming season, both are expected to be at full strength. John Wall vs. Murray should be very exciting. Ditto for Kawhi Leonard vs. Porter Jr. And good luck to Ivica Zubac trying to slow down the reigning MVP. As such, this could very realistically be considered a sneak peek of the Western Conference Finals.
The Denver Nuggets have the easiest schedule in the NBA next season but will travel the most total miles.
Breaking down the Nuggets schedule, including the home returns for both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. on Saturday, October 21st.https://t.co/McsCXHqynp
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) August 17, 2022
vs. Suns, Dec. 25
Would a Nuggets victory undo the Suns' 4-0 playoff humiliation of them two years ago? Nope. Would it maybe indicate that the tables are slowly turning? Perhaps.
Although Jamal Murray has a 15-3 career record versus the Suns, Phoenix has changed since the last time he was healthy. The Suns have both advanced to the NBA Finals and suffered a setback last season at the hands of a young Dallas squad. The Suns are both deeper and hungrier than ever before.
Of course, one may argue that Murray is exactly the same. After missing so much time, the Canadian shooter is all too eager to strut his stuff on the floor again. How better to do that than against the Suns on Christmas Day, eh?
at 76ers, Jan. 28
Some quarters feel that Joel Embiid has been denied the NBA MVP award and first-team All-NBA center honors for the past two years by Nikola Jokic. In addition, Jokic's Nuggets enjoy a 3-1 advantage in their head-to-head matchup.
Despite this, neither club has been at full strength during the development of this young rivalry. Jokic played for extended stints without Murray and Porter, while Embiid did so despite James Harden's not being at full strength and without Ben Simmons, too.
An Embiid-Jokic matchup may have the genuine rivalry you'd anticipate from two superstars vying for MVP awards given that every one of their co-stars appears to be healthy and both teams view themselves as title contenders.
The contest between two of the NBA's top teams and the top two centers on the planet will certainly not lack for drama or intensity.
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