Game of the Week: Nuggets/Suns

Game of the Week:    Nuggets/Suns

Denver Nuggets 0-0, 0-0 Away @ Phoenix Suns 0-0, 0-0 Home

ESPN

10/20

[8:00] PM MT

The Denver Nuggets won’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in 4 games. On Wednesday, Denver begins their season against the defending Western Conference champions in the Phoenix Suns.

The Nuggets had a rough end to the season both in the playoffs and injury wise, losing Jamal Murray late in the year. The Blue Arrow will return this season, but it’s not likely until March 2022. So Denver will have to make due without one of their stars and that means the returning MVP, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. will have to shoulder the load for the next few months. They will also need some of the ‘others’ to step up like Will Barton, P.J. Dozier, Monte Morris and the rookie who turned heads this pre-season, Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland.

Phoenix looks to finish what they couldn’t last year in the Finals vs. Milwaukee and with most of the roster returning for the 2021/22 campaign, Suns fans have a reason to be optimistic.

Denver will be in for a battle in game 1 of the season. They’ll have to play much better than what we witnessed during the pre-season. Even Jokic, the most positive player in the NBA, has his concerns. He’s not happy with the teams recent output and called them on it. Coach Michael Malone told our friend at DNVR Nuggets, Harrison Wind, that the MVP said the team was simply not good right now.

“Guys, we are bad.” Jokic told the team. “We’re just running up and down. We’re not doing anything. We don’t know our plays. We’re going to get our ass kicked on Wednesday.”

For the sake of the Nuggets and for my Game of the Week…I sure hope he’s wrong.