Denver's Week Starts With One Real Test, Then Four Games to Settle In
Oklahoma City is the measuring stick on opening night, but the four games after it will show which of Denver's connections hold up with a thinner wing group.
Denver opens at Oklahoma City on Thursday on ESPN after five days of rest, then plays New Orleans twice, Golden State and Phoenix before the month ends. Julian Strawther is sidelined until late November and Spencer Jones has a hamstring issue to manage, so this is a week about which pairings David Adelman trusts.
Five games, no back-to-backs
Denver is at the Thunder on Thursday, October 22, on ESPN. It hosts the Pelicans on Saturday, October 24, and the Warriors on Monday, October 26, on Peacock and NBC Sports Network. Then come road games at New Orleans on Wednesday, October 28, and at Phoenix on Friday, October 30. There is a day off between every game. Denver arrives with five days of rest. Oklahoma City has one day of rest and a win already in hand, so it has played a real game and Denver has not.
Why Oklahoma City matters most
The Thunder went 64-18 last season with a net rating of 11.1. They allowed 106.5 points per 100 possessions, almost ten fewer than Denver's 116.0. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, and Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein each pulled down about nine rebounds a game. Otega Oweh, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber are all out, but none of them was among Oklahoma City's six leading players. Nugg Love suggested Adelman could use Aaron Gordon as a point forward in this game, which would give Denver a second passer when the Thunder take Nikola Jokic away.
Who is missing
Strawther has a sprained left knee and is projected back around November 29, so he will miss this week and most of the next month. Jones has a hamstring issue first flagged on October 2 and is listed as day-to-day, with a projected return of Thursday. Gordon is available. He sat out the October 16 preseason game for rest and was cleared the next day. Without Strawther, every wing minute goes to a player Adelman has to trust on defense.
What continuity is worth here
One answer is already in place. Last season, Gordon, Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun were plus-13.5 together, though in a small sample. Murray averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists last season and Jokic 10.7 assists, and this group surrounds them with shooters and cutters who know where the ball is going. Playing New Orleans twice in five days gives Adelman a rare chance to make an adjustment and test it against the same opponent. Oklahoma City will show how far Denver's offense can carry its defense. The rest of the week will show whether that starting group can play enough minutes together to matter.
When do the Nuggets play the Thunder, and what channel is it on?
Denver opens its season at Oklahoma City on Thursday, October 22, on ESPN.
When is Julian Strawther expected back from his knee injury?
Strawther has a sprained left knee, and his projected return date is November 29. He will miss all five games this week.
