Mile High Tape · Morning

Denver's Margins Are Moving, the Rotation Isn't

A day of roster churn left Denver's real five untouched, and tonight's test is really about how thin the Clippers have become.

By the Nuggets Nightly Desk · Wednesday, October 14

Pedro Bradshaw joined and left the Nuggets on the same day, October 14, and Lonnie Walker IV is gone too, but none of it touches the players who decide games. Denver's trip to the Clippers finds a team missing four rotation pieces, which makes tonight read as prelude more than preview.

Nuggets Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

What Actually Moved

Pedro Bradshaw joined the Nuggets and left again on October 14, and Lonnie Walker IV left the roster on October 13. Those are moves at the bottom of a 20-man camp roster, not the top five. Payroll still runs $221.1 million, past the first apron, with three first-round picks through 2030 protected to Oklahoma City.

A Clippers Team Missing Half Its Floor

Brandon Ingram is out with an Achilles injury, Max Strus is out with a foot issue, and Jordan Miller is out with a shoulder problem. Bradley Beal and Kobe Sanders carry questionable tags of their own. Los Angeles went 42-40 last season behind Ingram's 21.5 points a game; none of that shows up tonight.

Spencer Jones, Before and After

Over his last three games, Jones logged ten more minutes a night than usual while covering for an absent teammate. Now he is the one dealing with a hamstring and leg issue, with a return eyed for October 22 — the same date Denver opens the real season at Oklahoma City. Whether his bigger role survives a healthy roster is the more interesting question than tonight's score.

Jokic's Three-Point Numbers Are Worth Watching

Jokic shot 38.0 percent from three last season; over his last five games, that number has fallen to 17 percent. One stretch doesn't rewrite how defenses play him, but it's the kind of swing that either corrects itself by the opener or becomes a real storyline once games count.

Does tonight's Clippers game count toward Denver's record?

No. It's a preseason game on October 14, and the regular season doesn't start until October 22 at Oklahoma City.

Will Spencer Jones play against the Clippers?

He's dealing with a hamstring and leg issue and is projected back around October 22, so he's unlikely to play tonight.

By the Nuggets Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.