First up, here’s Es with the three points:
The Nuggets and Raptors currently fall on different sides of the coin. For Denver, they come off an abhorrent performance versus the newly 2nd-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. Jokic and Co. allowed the Clippers to blast them with 74 points in the second half, officially dropping them from the 2nd seed in the Western Conference to 3rd behind Los Angeles. That loss dropped the Nuggets to a mediocre 3-4 record in the bubble. It was a crucial game that Denver ultimately fumbled. From having full control of the game — directing pace, out-scoring and simply outplaying LAC — the Nuggets somehow managed to let the Clippers creep back and by the time they realized what had hit them, Mike Malone’s men-in-blue could not stop the bleeding. Denver allows 122.4 points per 100 possessions in the bubble — most of any team in the NBA thus far. Their problem is clear — defense. The Nuggets have proved time and time again that they are fully capable of staying with teams — matching their scoring output. Their four losses have come against the Miami Heat (125 points against), Portland Trail Blazers (125 points against), Los Angeles Lakers (124 points against) and the Los Angeles Clippers (124 points against). Their wins aren’t much prettier, allowing 113, 126, and 132 points respectively.
At first glance, one might shrug and place the blame on rusty players coming out of a collective four and-a-half month NBA lockdown. One might shrug again and claim that Denver’s schedule has been relatively difficult with comparison to the rest of the league (it has). Despite all that, a mathematician isn’t necessary to be cognizant of the Nuggets glaring weakness. Any time an NBA team allows nearly 500 points to enter their basket in only four exhibition losses, there’s a problem.
With all this being said, it isn’t all dark and gloomy for Denver. Their stars — for the most part — are playing like stars. As a team, they’re averaging the most assists per game in the NBA since the restart. Since the beginning of the NBA restart, the Clippers (56.9%) and the Nuggets (56.6%) are first and second respectively in eFG%.
It’s not all bad.
After missing the first four bubble games due to injury (and caution, to be fair), Jamal Murray has returned and given so-so results. Considering the circumstances, Murray seems to be shaking off some rust as he’s followed up a 23-point, 12-rebound, eight-assist effort with 24 points combined (on 9 for 18 shooting) in his next two games. Again, a deeper look tells you Murray was given only 24 and 25 minutes on the floor respectively in those two games, as head coach Mike Malone has made it clear he won’t run his star guard into the ground after months of quarantine, and only weeks of true basketball-related preparation with Denver. Moving up the ladder, Nikola Jokic has been… Well, Nikola Jokic. The Serbian superstar has led his team through thick and thin, averaging 20.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 9.1 apg in only 31.6 mpg. For Denver, you cannot ask for much more than Joker’s current production and efficiency. Can the defensive lapses or just overall ineptness be somewhat attributed to Jokic? Sure. But when you’re equipped with a player so gifted and productive offensively, the overall blame usually falls somewhere else. Especially when one of the greatest coaches in NBA history compares you to a consensus top-15 player of all time.
No, really.
Speaking after the Nuggets' 132-126 victory over the Spurs, Gregg Popovich said Jokic "is like a reincarnation of Larry Bird." https://t.co/iL660IaAwt
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 6, 2020
As good as Jokic has been, believe it or not — he hasn’t been the best Denver Nugget in the bubble thus far.
Serious question. How did Michael Porter Jr. fall to the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft? How? I get it, medical history is a massive factor for scouts in every professional sports league — not just the NBA. For MPJ’s case, his baseline talent-level alone proves that it was criminal for him to drop so far in the draft. Porter Jr. has absolutely feasted on teams in the bubble, showcasing his budding offensive repertoire. Catch-and-shoot threes, pull-up bombs, aggressive triple threats, electric crossovers, silky post-fades, poster dunks and acrobatic finishing moves. MPJ has done everything in these eight games to widen eyes across the league. Wonky conspiracy theories aside, this kid is for real. Not only has Porter Jr. been one of the best rookies in the NBA bubble, he’s quite clearly been one of the best players — bar none. According to RealGM, Mike Malone has already confirmed that MPJ will remain his starting small forward heading into the postseason.
https://twitter.com/fantasyNBAstats/status/1291704075843538944?s=20
All things considered, Denver is in a place where they understand what needs to be cleaned up. Their offense is buzzing while their defense is in complete shambles. From a macro perspective, the future core of Murray, Porter Jr. and Jokic looks fantastic. From a micro perspective, Malone must figure out a way to balance out Denver’s see-saw structure before it’s too late.
One last thing. Who’s excited to watch Bol Bol? Okay, good so am I.
I just needed to get that out of the way.
Coin flip.
For the Toronto Raptors, they come off a thrilling win versus the Philadelphia 76ers. This vaulted them to a 6-1 bubble record. On Wednesday night versus Philly, the bench mob almost seemed as though they abruptly turned on a switch and collectively decided they weren’t leaving HP Field House with a loss — by any means. Chris Boucher erupted with yet another breakout game, while Stanley Johnson and Matt Thomas lead Toronto with intensely clutch baskets late.
Stanley Johnson did it! pic.twitter.com/d6qUh4Rmvs
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) August 13, 2020
Unlike Denver, Toronto relies on their defensive foundation to win games. That isn’t to say Toronto lacks on the offensive end. Most NBA-watchers can agree that Toronto is one of the more entertaining offenses to watch in the league. The absolute flurry of ball movement and crisp offensive sets ultimately makes Toronto one of the more balanced teams in the association. They currently possess the league’s second-best defense, while on the other side — according to most metrics, Denver holds a top-five offense.
As for the game itself, Nick Nurse has somewhat of a tough decision to make on Friday afternoon. How many minutes he chooses to give his starters will be significant due to the fact that Denver is Toronto’s eighth and final opponent in the bubble schedule. Does he rest the key guys late in the game? Have them play the full game as if it were a regular season bout? Pull them extremely early to lessen injury risk? Will we see a ton of Marc Gasol on Jokic? Possibly OG Anunoby (if healthy) on Michael Porter Jr.? All of these questions won’t be answered until the buzzer hits 0:00.
With the playoff schedule recently released on Thursday, fans and media alike quickly discovered that Game 1 of the Brooklyn Nets series is scheduled for Monday, August 17th. With a Friday win or loss versus Denver, this will give Toronto two full days of rest and preparation before the postseason officially begins.
GAME INFO
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT.
TV: TSN
Radio: TSN 1050
Venue: HP Field House
RAPTORS UPDATES
Both Serge Ibaka (knee) and OG Anunoby (knee) remain questionable for Friday afternoon’s game.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Terence Davis
SG: Fred VanVleet, Matt Thomas, Malcolm Miller
SF: Norman Powell, Paul Watson, Stanley Johnson
PF: Pascal Siakam, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
C: Marc Gasol, Chris Boucher, Dewan Hernandez
GTD: Serge Ibaka, OG Anunoby
OUT: Patrick McCaw, Oshae Brissett
NUGGETS UPDATES
Both Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee) are out for Friday afternoon’s game.
PG: Jamal Murray, Monte Morris, PJ Dozier
SG: Torrey Craig, Troy Daniels
SF: Michael Porter Jr., Keita-Bates Diop
PF: Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant
C: Nikola Jokic, Mason Plumlee, Bol Bol
GTD: Al Horford, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
OUT: Gary Harris, Will Barton
THE LINE
The Raptors are currently 2 point favorites, with the best money line -133 for the Raptors and +110 for the Nuggets while the over/under has yet to be set.
