Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

November 2023 Review

Although the Nuggets have shown some signs of improvement, there are still issues lingering from their abysmal 22-23 season. After starting the first 10 right on .500, they went on to lose 5 of their last 6 games and now have a losing record of 6-10. There have been some great individual performances, but their instability is due to inconsistency on both ends.

There isn't that clarity they once had, where everyone on the team knew their role. The Nuggets now have a pass first point guard who's taking possessions away from Borislav Perko; but there's no certainty about who's going to run the offense in clutch situations. Taylor MacKenzie is having some great games, but the second scorer at this stage is anyone's guess. On any given game it can be Simon Sampson, Stan Griffiths or even his old mate, Borislav Perko. The mystery can hurt other teams, but right now it seems to be hurting the Nuggets the most. Now there are even rumours circulating that Cody Campbell wants out the franchise after his starting spot was given to Simon Sampson.

Despite the turmoil, let's reflect on the positives; Perko and MacKenzie look like they're back in form. The Nuggets have also picked up the favourite to win the Rookie of the Year trophy (Stan Griffiths). The Nuggets have the pieces to be a playoff team once again, they just need to start working together.

At 6-10 this season can go anywhere. Will Denver pick up some momentum to end the year of 2023? Or will they be on their way to lottery once again?

MVP Candidates

[NOH] Hobbes MacDonald (25.3ppg 8.4rpg 1.8bpg)
[NJN] Nicholas Schneider (21.3ppg 4.4apg 1.7spg)
[LAL] Theo Hadson (23.8ppg 5.2rpg 1.4spg)
[SAC] Tom Coles (20.6ppg 3rpg 1.5spg)
[NJN] Caleb Jackman (15.8ppg 6.7apg 1.1spg)

Standings

EAST

Detroit 13-1
Washington 11-6
New Jersey 12-7
New York 9-6
Atlanta 9-6
Charlotte 9-6
Chicago 8-8
Miami 8-8
---
Toronto 8-8
Boston 7-8
Indiana 7-9
Orlando 7-10
Philadelphia 6-10
Cleveland 4-14
Milwaukee 3-13


WEST

Sacramento 14-3
Portland 10-5
Golden State 9-6
Utah 9-6
LA Lakers 10-7
Oklahoma City 8-7
Dallas 9-9
San Antonio 7-7
---
New Orleans 8-9
Phoenix 7-8
LA Clippers 7-10
Denver 6-10
Memphis 5-11
Minnesota 5-11
Houston 5-12


League Leaders

PPG

[NOH] Hobbes MacDonald 25.3
[LAL] Theo Hadson 23.8
[HOU] Austin Nolan 22
[MIA] Todd Griffin 22
[NJN] Nicholas Schneider 21.3

RPG

[LAL] Archibald Sheehan 10.6
[LAL] Dakota Kane 10.5
[MEM] Tommy Stevenson 9.9
[WAS] Dirk Herrman 9.4
[DEN] Borislav Perko 9.2

APG

[NOH] Amos McGrath 8.1
[SAC] Kelly Scott 8.1
[DEN] Steven Hunt 8
[POR] Wyatt Walsh 7.7
[LAL] Steven MacMahon 7.4

SPG

[DEN] Steven Hunt 2.1
[CHA] Greg Harvey 2
[NJN] Dickey Hogan 1.7
[NJN] Nicholas Schneider 1.7
[CHA] Timothy Banks 1.7

BPG

[LAL] Dakota Kane 2.9
[MIN] Bongani Malinga 2.8
[IND] Dwight Howard 2.3
[LAC] Zach Pearson 2.1
[LAL] Archibald Sheehan 2.1

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I've been playing through Mass Effect 2 (this time on PS3) so I can incorporate my guy for when number 3 comes out, hence why the updates have been a bit slow lately. I have one more game to play though in the current 5 game summary, so that should be up fairly soon.

You're certainly not out of it this early in the season, though I definitely wouldn't be leaving it up to the sim engine. It's weird not seeing Perko among the MVP candidates.

Looks like the Kings are back

Good numbers for Hobbes McDonald. Is he the best player in this league?

Dirk Herrman? I like WAS now haha

You're certainly not out of it this early in the season, though I definitely wouldn't be leaving it up to the sim engine. It's weird not seeing Perko among the MVP candidates.

It's kind of strange that he isn't as well because his numbers weren't that adversely affected through the sim (surprisingly). Still, with the numbers Hobbes MacDonald is putting up, he's going to be hard to beat again this season. He's the reigning regular season and finals MVP, as well as being with the defending champion, the New Orleans Hornets. Seems to have everything going for him except the team record at the moment.

Looks like the Kings are back

That makes me smile too. If I don't pick up the championship this season, I hope they have a real good run at it.

Good numbers for Hobbes McDonald. Is he the best player in this league?

As I mentioned before, last season alone he was the MVP, Finals MVP and won an NBA championship, so I'd say it's a fair call at this point. IIRC his draft comparison was LeBron James. In another absolute brain fade by the engine, he was traded after his rookie of the year campaign with the Boston Celtics to the Hornets. New Orleans seem to have a way of recruiting young superstars because they did something similar with Caleb Vick in his sophomore season.

Now I think about it, New Orleans sounds like a cool place... I don't know why more players don't go there. I've heard it's dangerous there and Katrina did it no favours, but culturally it's very rich.

Dirk Herrman? I like WAS now haha

I figured he might get a few bandwagoners, but I don't like him. He's making Sam Conners sit on the bench... that's just not right. I'd never do something like that

5 Game Summary

The Nuggets got back within striking distance of the top eight thanks to wins against Oklahoma City, Golden State and the Lakers twice. However, with both teams one game away from .500, the Phoenix Suns took the 5th game, ending the Nuggets streak at 4.

It was a 5 game summary for of positives for the Nuggets. T-Mac and Perko were at the top of their game and they even got some unexpected performances by some of their role players... one of which will surprise everyone. The feature game is once again the Warriors clash:

Nuggets Slay Warriors In OT



It took an extra period in the game, but Denver were able to pick up a 110-103 victory over Golden State. The Nuggets had three scorers with 20 or more, as Taylor MacKenzie led the way with 25. Borislav Perko had his best game in two seasons and was the Performer of the Game with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, while his understudy Stan Griffiths also had a productive night with 22. Cody Campbell was the last of the double-digit scorers with 12 points.

The Warriors had another impressive team performance, with 6 players in double figures. Amos Brauer dominated the paint and the glass with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Kerry Bird (19) and Johnny Williams (15) played influential supporting roles, while Crawford Wilson was also impressive in the paint with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Thomas Scott managed 12 and Duncan Werner had an incident free night with 11.

It was the second time this season the Nuggets/Warriors game went down to the wire. Previously a team labelled as soft in the paint, the Warriors big men were outstanding and exploited the Nuggets lack of size and strength at the basket. But Denver were able to pull away in OT, thanks to some big time plays from Perko and MacKenzie.

This is Denver's second straight win after having a losing streak of 6 previously.

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GSW@DEN
(OT)
DEN: 110 (MacKenzie 25, Perko 23, Griffiths 22)
GSW: 103 (Brauer 24, Bird 19, Williams 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 23 points 12 rebounds 11 assists

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 12
GSW: Brauer 14

Assists

DEN: Perko 11
GSW: Williams 5

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Last 5 Games

@OKC: 96-83 W
GSW: 110-103 W (OT)
LAL: 80-76 W
LAL: 111-103 W
PHX: 94-90 L

Denver is currently 9-11

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DeMazing DeRozan!

If anyone picked DeMar DeRozan to be the first Denver player to scorer 50 this season, you deserve a prize from the top shelf. He was an absolute menace against the Lakers and proved that he isn't the typical vet. The Nuggets may need to find some regular minutes for him if he keeps producing. Did I mention that this is a career high performance?

The Regular High Point Man

Taylor MacKenzie had a hot night against the Lakers in the first game, scoring 31. Who would have thought he'd be upstaged by DeRozan?

First Start

Stan Griffiths started for the first time in his career against a former Nuggets rookie of the year. Stan had his work cut out for him, but he had a great game, producing 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists anmd 2 blocks. George Power had 6 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, but he had the most important stat of all; the W.

Another Offensive Weapon

Axel Donnelly exploded for 22 points off the bench. He got the extended minutes thanks to Stan Griffiths being in early foul trouble. Despite the early losses, Denver is proving to be a deep squad once again.

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Next 5 Games

@BOS
@NYK
@PHI
@MIA
DAL

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Even though this season is a bit of a struggle, I find my team really fun to play with. Having undersized guys playing at the 4 and 5 adds a new challenge that I really like. The next 5 game summary should be up next.

Nice stretch to get back in the fold. Glad to see the Perkolator get a triple double.

A good way to recover from that terrible start that the sim engine handed to you. Definitely surprised that DeRozan scored 50, didn't think he was capable of that especially since he comes off the bench.

DeMar ballin!

Definitely an unexpected performance from DeRozan, but that's fun to see. Glad to hear that you're having fun with the team, that's what it's all about.

Big performance from DeRozan with 50 points. You now begin the rebound from the sin engine setback. Keep up the good work, man!

Also liking the challenge of playing small guys up front. Nice to see DeMar play like this

Nice man, muy bueno, only loss was very close, keep playing like this haha. Demar ballin at what, over 30 now haha?

Nice stretch to get back in the fold. Glad to see the Perkolator get a triple double.

It was definitely a step in the right direction... and I'm going to steal that nickname

A good way to recover from that terrible start that the sim engine handed to you. Definitely surprised that DeRozan scored 50, didn't think he was capable of that especially since he comes off the bench.

It turns out that he works pretty well in my system. He cuts to the hoop well while Perko posts up. His mid range game isn't too bad either.

DeMar ballin!

I'm glad he is... I've missed all the "De" puns since I traded away DeAndre Jordan

Definitely an unexpected performance from DeRozan, but that's fun to see. Glad to hear that you're having fun with the team, that's what it's all about.

Having a number 1 pick is definitely adding to that fun as well. I got so sick of getting roster fillers in the draft.

Big performance from DeRozan with 50 points. You now begin the rebound from the sin engine setback. Keep up the good work, man!

Thanks Red Mamba; I'm hoping it's the start of great things

Also liking the challenge of playing small guys up front. Nice to see DeMar play like this

It makes me actually thinking about my rebounding techniques. Having players like Yao on my team was basically like cheating

After that I had to start DeMar in the next game. A 50 point game can't go unrewarded.

Nice man, muy bueno, only loss was very close, keep playing like this haha. Demar ballin at what, over 30 now haha?

There's been a lot of close games this season... at least the ones I've played. Playing with unknown players has added that element of uncertainty... kind of like the Nuggets in real life.

DeMar is 33 in the game if I remember correctly.

5 Game Summary

It finally happened; the Nuggets are now over .500 thanks to a 5-0 run this report. Denver had a couple of scares to start off with against the Celtics and Knicks, but the next two against the Sixers and Heat were absolute laughers. Which takes us to the feature game against the Dallas Mavericks:

Rookie Leads Nuggets to 5th Straight



Stan Griffiths continued his impressive month as he led the Nuggets to a 96-80 win over the Dallas Mavericks. He has been Denver's best player the past 5 games, averaging 27 points and 8 rebounds. In this one, he scored a season high 38 points, as well as grabbing 8 rebounds. Taylor MacKenzie once again adjusted to a secondary scoring role with 18 points, while Cody Campbell had another solid outing with 12 points. Steven Hunt was close to a double-double with 10 points and 8 assists.

The Mavericks had two players over twenty points, with Sergio Soto scoring the most with 25. Brady O'Leary had the only double-double of the game with 24 points and 12 assists. Patrick McNamara was the only other player to have an impact on the offensive end for the Mavs, with 17 points.

With this win, the Nuggets are now on a 5 game win streak. They're 3 games over .500 after starting the season 5-15.

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DAL@DEN

DEN: 96 (Griffiths 38, MacKenzie 18, Campbell 12)
DAL: 80 (Soto 25, O'Leary 24, McNamara 17)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Stan Griffiths 38 points 8 rebounds 4 assists 3 blocks 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Griffiths, Perko 8
DAL: Bradley 8

Assists

DEN: Hunt 8
DAL: O'Leary 12

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Last 5 Games

@BOS: 88-80 W
@NYK: 87-75 W
@PHI: 101-76 W
@MIA: 94-59 W
DAL: 96-80 W

Denver's 5 game winning streak has taken them to 14-11

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OutSTANding

Stan Griffiths has become the focal point of the Nuggets success the last 5 games. Here are his averages over the past 5:

27.8ppg 8.8rpg 4apg 2.4bpg 1spg

Against the Celtics he had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. Is he the new MVP of Denver?

Still Perkolating

Despite the Stan Mania, Perko managed to get another triple-double against the 76ers. He had an incredible game with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 18 assists.

Coming Back

After a sub-par start to the season, Cody Campbell exploded for 30 points against the Miami Heat. The game wasn't even close thanks to Code Blue.

Robin?

Taylor MacKenzie shifted into a secondary scoring role this summary. His 23 points against the Knicks was second only to Stan Griffiths' 25.

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Next 5 Games

MEM
NOH
DET
IND
NYK

InSTANITY STANtastic a streak, and your rookie is beasting as hoped, nice job.

Great round there. Nice to Griffiths collecting boards as well as racking up the points. Don't sleep on the Nuggets just yet.

InSTANITY STANtastic a streak, and your rookie is beasting as hoped, nice job.

Oh trust me, if this keeps up, there will be plenty Stan puns

He's definitely exceeded my expectations so far... which is good for a number 1 pick

Great round there. Nice to Griffiths collecting boards as well as racking up the points. Don't sleep on the Nuggets just yet.

Him and Perko make a surprisingly good combination. Griffiths isn't a great rebounder yet (despite his KG comparison) but Perko compensates for that, while Perko has never been a natural scorer, which Griffiths then compensates for. I'd love for Stan to become a consistent 20-10 guy though.

5 Game Summary

InSTANity continued for the Denver Nuggets as they pushed their win streak out to 10. Although the first two were relatively close, the last three ended up being blowouts. An impressive achievement when you consider that one of their bigger wins was against the Detroit Pistons. Before they met Denver, the Pistons were 21-3 for the season, and the Nuggets humbled them by 26 points. The biggest win of the round came against Dwight Howard's Pacers, who lost by 32. Which brings us to the feature. Since it's a 10 game winning streak, why not bring you the tenth game? Here it is:

Nuggets Dominate Knicks; Win 10th Straight



The Denver Nuggets continued their incredible rise with an 88-64 win over the New York Knicks. Following the trend of the previous 9 games, Stan Griffiths once again led the way for Denver with 22 points and 9 rebounds, however he was upstaged by his own teammate. Borislav Perko's own rise to prominence came against the Knicks in the 2018 NBA Finals and he hasn't lost any of the magic. He registered another triple-double for his career with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to be the Performer of the Game for Denver.

It was a productive game for the Nuggets, as 5 players reached double figures. Along with the aforementioned, Taylor MacKenzie scored 17. Second round pick Timothy Ullrich had another solid game with 13, while Vincenzo Russo continued his own solid form with 11 off the bench.

New York had a nightmare of a game, but Nelson Jefferson's stats don't necessarily reflect that as he registered 20 points and 12 rebounds. Homer Miller (13) and Jud Healy (11) were the only other double figure scorers for the Knicks in a night they'd want to forget.

The Denver Nuggets are currently the hottest team in the league, taking their 10th straight against the Knicks. Their win streak includes a victory against the league leader, the Detroit Pistons.

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NYK@DEN

DEN: 88 (Griffiths 22, MacKenzie 17, Ullrich 13)
NYK: 64 (Jefferson 20, Miller 13, Healy 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 11 points 10 rebounds 10 assists 1 block 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 10
NYK: Jefferson 12

Assists

DEN: Perko 10
NYK: Miller 4

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Last 5 Games

MEM: 84-74 W
NOH: 83-75 W
DET: 102-76 W
IND: 103-71 W
NYK: 88-64 W

With their 10 win streak, the Nuggets are currently 19-11

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InSTANt Success

The game against New Orleans saw the league's two most in form players. While Hobbes MacDonald was outstanding with 34 points and 11 rebounds, Stan and the Nuggets got the W, as Griffiths had 36 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Here's his numbers over this 5 game summary:

MEM: 24 points 6 rebounds 1 assist 2 blocks 1 steal
NOH: 36 points 13 rebounds 1 assist 5 blocks
DET: 28 points 3 rebounds 2 assists 1 block
IND: 21 points 4 rebounds 2 assists 4 blocks
NYK: 22 points 9 rebounds 3 assists 3 blocks

Forget Rookie of the Year for a second; could Stan win MVP off these kind of numbers?

Bartman!

Bartholomew Myer is a starting calibre point guard playing off the bench. The proof? 10 points, 17 assists and 7 steals versus the Memphis Grizzlies. With a little more consistency, Bart could challenge Steven Hunt for the starting spot.

Rookie Rotation

Stan's backup over the past few games has been second round pick Timothy Ullrich. The centre out of Memphis has jumped ahead of Nicklas Good and Liam Leopold, and with games like the one he had against the Pistons (19 points 10 rebounds 6 assists 1 block), he could be there to stay. With Stan (21 years) and Timothy (22 years), the Nuggets now have one of the more youthful centre pairings in the league.

Up To Speed

It looks like Vincenzo Russo is finally getting used to the pace of the NBA game again, as he scored 19 against Indiana. Sure, it was in garbage time, but it's still a very promising sign. Russo spent the previous 4 years playing in Turkey.

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Next 5 Games

TOR
MIN
OKC
GSW
LAC

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There's quite a lengthy home stand coming up, so hopefully the streak can continue. Next will be the monthly report for December. I'm also thinking about putting up a "Who's Left" article for the start of 2024, detailing which of the pre-2010 players are left (ie: the real ones).

Great wins, finally Griffiths is playing like a No. 1 pick. Looking forward to the Who's Left article!

I wouldn't say MVP, but he should make the All Star Team maybe even an All-NBA.

Who's Left '24

When I first did this article, every team had at least one player pre-2010 on their roster... how things have changed. Now, only 7 of the 30 teams have a "real player" and only two of them are actually starting.

Cleveland (10-21): LeBron James

LeBron started off as Cleveland's 6th man, but Cleveland's poor start to the season has seen him become relegated to the injury reserve. Since he's now a glorified assistant coach, will it be his last season? LeBron of course previously played for Phoenix, Denver and Houston before returning home to Cleveland.

Denver (19-11): DeMar DeRozan

DeMar is still playing good basketball and was the first Denver player to score 50 points in a game this season. He previously played for Toronto and Detroit.

Indiana (15-15): *Dwight Howard

Dwight is without doubt the best player on this list. He's still a force on defense as one of the league's best shot blockers. He's now in his second stint with Indiana. He also won a championship with Orlando and played for Denver.

Milwaukee (10-21): *Derrick Rose

Rose is an excellent player on an awful team. He should probably make a move to a contender while he can still contribute. He played for the Bulls and the Timberwolves before his stop in Milwaukee.

Minnesota (15-15): Tyreke Evans

Tyreke is actually a big surprise on this list. He spent an eternity on free agency after his rookie contract (or at least it seemed that way).

New Orleans (16-15): Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook won a championship last season with the New Orleans Hornets, but this season they're just struggling a little. He's previously played for Oklahoma City and Atlanta.

San Antonio (14-14): Kevin Durant

Durant has had the best career out of this lot, winning multiple championships with the Denver Nuggets. Probably one of the greatest players to never win the MVP trophy. He's actually bounced around a lot in his career, playing for Oklahoma City, Dallas, Minnesota, Denver, Miami and now San Antonio.

Free Agency: Blake Griffin

In the prime of his career, his athleticism was unrivalled, but now he finds himself without a team. Will he get picked up by a contender during the 2023-2024 season? Blake previously played for the Clippers, Grizzlies and Bucks.

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As well as this post, I thought I'd point out that I've also surpassed 50k views. Thanks guys

Great wins, finally Griffiths is playing like a No. 1 pick. Looking forward to the Who's Left article!

He's definitely been the difference maker on the team. Teams have to think twice about double-teaming Perko now.

I wouldn't say MVP, but he should make the All Star Team maybe even an All-NBA.

Yeah, I might of jumped the gun on that, but he has got me excited

Pick up Blake!