https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/den.png

Nuggets

The Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets played two games in the Middle East for the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 and here are some key observations from both teams after their first two preseason games.
Celtics vs Nuggets: Battle of the Champs
In a matchup between the past two NBA champions, the Celtics (2024 winners) prevailed twice over the Nuggets (2023 winners). The first one was a thriller, 107-103, while the second one was a blowout, 130-104.
Despite it still being the preseason, the Celtics showed their ability to win in both kinds of games, whether it was close or blowout. They proved their caliber against a fellow NBA champion that was hypothetically a matchup to watch out for, especially with the two teams being from different conferences.
The Celtics are really, really good &ndash; they did not miss a beat&nbsp;
The Celtics are back and are looking more dangerous than ever &ndash; at least from what they&rsquo;ve shown in these two games. They are really, really good and they mean business this year. This seems impossible after coming off a championship, but the Celtics appear to be hungrier for a chip than they&rsquo;ve ever been and they&rsquo;re looking to prove everyone wrong after a somewhat question-mark season last year, with all the injuries their opponents have endured. The Celtics ought to prove that the championship win was not a fluke, and this starts in the preseason by showing their usual dominant selves.&nbsp;
No championship hangover for these Celtics
The Celtics mean business, and when I say business, that&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown gesturing a too-small sign on Jamal Murray after scoring a tough bucket inside over him.
Jaylen Brown is back better than ever, and after that intense underwater basketball workouts and at just 28 years old, the Finals MVP is firmly in his prime and should play his best basketball ahead of him.
Jayson Tatum comes in with an edge after the Olympics run where he did not play twice, and gunning for the Finals MVP he did not win.
Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are Boston&rsquo;s ever-reliable do-it-all guys and they&rsquo;re gonna do everything that&rsquo;s asked of them.
The whole Boston core, with big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, along with crucial bench pieces Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, just appear to be ready for this title defense.
Mazzulla ball is in full effect &ndash; even if it&rsquo;s just the preseason
The Celtics under Joe Mazzulla make it to a point to shoot as many open threes as they could, and in Game 1 vs the Nuggets, they shot a whopping 61 attempts, making 20 of them; and in Game 2, shot 47 attempts with 18 makes &ndash; a respectable 38 percent clip.
This style of play has brought them a championship and should be rightfully used as such until teams find a way to counter Boston&rsquo;s offense. This is the kind of game that Mazzulla wants to play for the Celtics and they have the roster and the men to do it &ndash; a loaded roster of shooters and floor spacers.
The Celtics still have room for improvement &ndash; and that&rsquo;s scary
&ldquo;Defensively, just got to be a little more tighter on that end,&rdquo; Derrick White said post-game. &ldquo;With some of our communication and the things that we&rsquo;re doing, and I think that comes with time. Offensively, just continue to make the right read and make the right play.&rdquo;
This should be bad news for the rest of the NBA as the defending champions themselves feel they still have something to fix and improve as the season goes on &ndash; a never-ending learning and lessons that can only be taught through game experiences.
Nikola Jokic is still really good
This should be another MVP type of season is on the horizon for the 3-time MVP as he has shown no signs of slowing down and is getting even better and smarter with each game that he plays.
In two games vs Boston, the Joker averaged over 20 points and 8 rebounds in just a little over 18 minutes of playing time. The Celtics haven&rsquo;t found a solution against Jokic inside and that resonates with the entire NBA as well.&nbsp;
Jokic&rsquo;s MVP campaign this season could come from him having to carry this roster more with some key departures from the team. He will have more responsibility on the offensive end and Jokic should just be dominant and assert himself to lead Denver to the upper echelon of the West.&nbsp;
Life after Bruce Brown and KCP for Denver
The Nuggets have now lost two key figures in their championship run in back-to-back offseasons, and if this is any indication, the past champs that lost their key role players struggled in the seasons to come. Brown and KCP&rsquo;s skillset should be replaceable but their chemistry with the team especially with MVP Jokic has been vital and Denver could take a step back on that end without those two.
Following their departures, the Nuggets have yet to replace them and will rely on young Christian Braun to replicate their success, or from a veteran like Vlatko Cancar who just recently returned from injury.
Denver&rsquo;s bench is suspect
Denver has no one off the bench who is legitimately an offensive threat or someone who can create his shot, so Michael Malone should probably stagger Jokic and Murray&rsquo;s minutes more, and lean on Michael Porter Jr for more offensive creation. This was exposed against the Celtics as the Nuggets struggled to have some offensive flow within their second units. Westbrook looked to be the answer for that problem but with his age he could not be tasked alone anymore to carry the offensive load for the bench.
Unless Denver makes a big FA signing or a splash before the trade deadline, expect their bench to struggle at times and they could be relying on their starters more often than not to supply all the scoring.
Westbrook&rsquo;s role
Newcomer Russell Westbrook has looked good at times for Denver in these two games. He was pushing the pace, driving and drawing the defense, and kicking it out to shooters which was a good sign for Denver as he figured out to be their backup point guard behind Jamal Murray, or even play alongside him at times to slot Murray at the 2. Westbrook at this point of his career does not need to do much on the offensive end, especially with an all-timer like Jokic in his prime. He could just provide energy off the bench for quality minutes and should be a big piece in Denver&rsquo;s rotation.
Jamal Murray&rsquo;s health
Perhaps the biggest factor out of them all, Jamal Murray&rsquo;s health is the biggest concern for Denver and should be their main priority heading into the season. Murray did not look right in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Canada&rsquo;s Olympic run, and he was not able to find his groove yet in two games vs Boston.
With teams scheming against Jokic every single night, Murray has to come in and set the tone for the Nuggets as their primary secondary option and draw the defense away from the MVP.

Here are some key observations from both the Celtics and the Nuggets after their first two preseason games.

NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024: 10 key observations from Nuggets-Celtics back-to-back games

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 15 rebounds, Zach LaVine scored 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting and the Chicago Bulls gave their playoff hopes an unexpected boost with a 117-96 victory against the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
It was Vucevic&rsquo;s 40th double-double of the season, the third-most in the NBA. LaVine is averaging 34.8 points in Chicago&rsquo;s last four games.
With the win, the Bulls moved within a game of the Washington Wizards for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 16 games remaining in the regular season. The victory was just the fourth in the past 13 games for Chicago.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon added 17 points and nine rebounds. Jokic made only seven of his 16 shots, snapping a 51-game streak in which he shot at least 50% from the field.
Entering the night, Denver was an NBA-best 30-4 at home, which included wins in 24 of its last 25 games. The Nuggets, who lead the NBA in field goal and 3-point percentage, made only 42% of their shots. The 96 points were their second-fewest in a game this season.
Trailing by one at halftime, 52-51, the Bulls went on a 19-4 run in the third quarter to take a 79-66 lead, capped by Patrick Williams&rsquo; 3-pointer with 3:22 remaining in the period.
Chicago&rsquo;s advantage grew to as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Bulls: G DeMar DeRozan had 17 points and eight assists. ... The win was Chicago&rsquo;s second in a row at Denver, the first time it has done so since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
Nuggets: G Jamal Murray made the 804th 3-pointer of his Nuggets career, tying Will Barton for the franchise record. ... F Vlatko Cancar missed his third consecutive game with a sprained right wrist. Cancar is averaging 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds off the bench for Denver this season. ... Nuggets coach Michael Malone remains one win shy of his 400th.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Houston on Saturday.
Nuggets: At San Antonio on Friday.

Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 15 boards, Zach LaVine scored 29 and the Bulls got a 117-96 win over the Nuggets on Wednesday.

Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine lead Bulls to 117-96 win over Nuggets

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s ability to keep getting to the free-throw line assured the Milwaukee Bucks would outlast the short-handed Denver Nuggets.
Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds Wednesday night as the Bucks won 107-99 over the Nuggets, who were playing without two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and three other usual starters.
Antetokounmpo went 15 of 22 from the line and was two off his career high in free-throw attempts. All but one of those free-throw tries came in the second half.
&ldquo;Just tried to get to the rim, tried to be aggressive as much as I can, get downhill, play within my strength,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I tried to enjoy the game. I feel I sometimes get too locked in. I think I&rsquo;ve got to enjoy the game more. Usually when I enjoy the game more, I get to the free-throw line more, I get downhill more, I&rsquo;m able to find my teammates more and just make better plays.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
Jokic had returned after missing two games and recorded his fourth straight triple-double Tuesday in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-pelicans-denver-nuggets-sports-basketball-automotive-accidents-0df908c45fd083bbdfaa1042db53cbcf">99-98 victory at New Orleans.</a>&nbsp;He rested the hamstring Wednesday rather than playing on back-to-back nights.
His absence spoiled a potential matchup between the winners of the four last MVPs. Antetokoumpo won the award in 2019 and 2020.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
The Western Conference-leading Nuggets also were missing Jamal Murray (left knee/injury management), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sprained right wrist) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons). Porter missed a third straight game.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t get the outcome that we wanted, but I saw a lot of great things from our group tonight that will help us moving forward,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Jrue Holiday had 20 points for the Bucks, who won despite committing 22 turnovers. Pat Connaughton scored a season-high 19 points, matched a career high with 12 rebounds and shot 7 of 8 overall and 5 of 6 on 3-point attempts.
Aaron Gordon had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets. Bones Hyland added 15 points.
While the Nuggets were missing most of their top players, the Bucks also weren&rsquo;t at full strength.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis missed a game for the first time this season after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-denver-nuggets-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-375e484b5bd6b2dbe68685b9a47cbcd1">spraining his right medial collateral ligament and right wrist</a>&nbsp;Monday in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-jalen-duren-8313522e4425d0002caffd8d92256f62">150-130 triumph at Detroit.</a>&nbsp;The Bucks said Portis will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp was out due to patella tendinitis in his right knee.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
After trailing by 14 early in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets cut the Bucks&rsquo; lead to 94-89 on Christian Braun&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 5:01 left. The Bucks answered with five straight points and stayed ahead by at least seven the rest of the way, with Antetokounmpo going 9 of 15 from the line in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a challenge,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;The guy is great in transition. He&rsquo;s great in the paint. And he&rsquo;s by far the best in the NBA in terms of drawing fouls and living at the free-throw line.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: With injuries leaving the Nuggets at far below full strength, Vlatko Cancar made his first start of the season and third of his career, Braun made his second career start and Zeke Nnaji made his fifth start of the season and seventh of his career.
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer said Portis&rsquo; injury hasn&rsquo;t impacted the status of reserve center Serge Ibaka, who isn&rsquo;t with the team and hasn&rsquo;t played since Jan. 1. The Bucks and Ibaka mutually agreed that the team would try to explore a trade involving the 6-11 veteran. ... Khris Middleton came off the bench for the second straight time as he works his way back gradually from a sore right knee. Middleton, who has played just nine games this season, scored 10 points in 15 minutes.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks won 107-99 over the Denver Nuggets.

Antetokounmpo helps Bucks beat short-handed Nuggets 107-99

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander banked in a decisive 8-foot jumper with 9.2 seconds remaining and finished with 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped Denver&rsquo;s league-leading nine-game win streak and beat the Nuggets 101-99 Sunday night.
After Denver&rsquo;s Zeke Nnaji hit two free throws to tie the game at 99 with 30 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander got the ball out of a timeout and hit the mid-range jumper to give the Thunder the lead. The Nuggets&rsquo; Jamal Murray missed a fadeaway 14-foot shot in the final seconds.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got some poise in those situations,&rdquo; Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander. &ldquo;The game slows down for him. He&rsquo;s got great confidence and he&rsquo;s always at his pace, even in the most pressure situations.&rdquo;
Oklahoma City&rsquo;s victory ended the Nuggets&rsquo; 16-game home win streak &mdash; the franchise&rsquo;s longest run in 10 years.
Josh Giddey had 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Thunder, who earned their seventh win in nine games.
Denver center Nikola Jokic missed his second straight game while dealing with tightness in his left hamstring. The two-time reigning NBA MVP had recorded a triple-double in five of his last six games. Nuggets acting head coach David Adelman said expects that Jokic&rsquo;s return is &ldquo;going to be very soon.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s much easier to switch one through five with us,&rdquo; Adelman said. &ldquo;When Nikola is on the floor, it&rsquo;s virtually impossible to do that and it&rsquo;s virtually impossible to zone us. They did those two things and they&rsquo;re smart things to do.&rdquo;
Forward Michael Porter Jr. also missed the game for &ldquo;personal reasons,&rdquo; leaving Denver without two of its top four scorers. Porter&rsquo;s younger brother, Coban, a sophomore guard at the University of Denver, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of vehicular homicide and reckless driving after he was involved in a fatal crash.
Without Jokic and Porter, Murray shouldered much of the offensive load, finishing with a team-high 26 points and nine assists, two nights recording his first career triple-double.
&ldquo;They doubled me,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We kind of expected that. We knew from what we went through in walk-throughs what they&rsquo;d most likely do. We prepared for it. We got what we wanted. We didn&rsquo;t finish like you&rsquo;re accustomed to seeing us finish. That&rsquo;s just on us. That hurts, knowing we did everything we could and we didn&rsquo;t get over the hump.&rdquo;
Denver made 51.5% of its free throws, losing out on precious points in a narrow loss. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, shot 87.5% from the line, with Gilgeous-Alexander going 7 for 8.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered averaging 30.6 points, shot 13 for 21 from the field.
&ldquo;It feels good,&rdquo; Gilgeous-Alexander said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve put a lot of work in, a lot of guys have been on the team for a little bit, and we try to enjoy wins as much as possible and not take them for granted. When we see guys make a play at the end of the game, the close ones are the most fun ones, the emotions are a little bit higher and it feels a little bit better.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: G Bones Hyland was scoreless in 11 minutes after missing the second half of Denver&rsquo;s 134-11 victory Friday against the Indiana Pacers with a sprained left finger. &hellip; F Vlatko Cancar was scoreless in 10 minutes after missing Friday&rsquo;s game with a non-COVID illness.
Thunder: Oklahoma City had lost its previous three matchups against the Nuggets this season. &hellip; F Kenrich Williams had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Nuggets: At New Orleans on Tuesday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 101-99.

Gilgeous-Alexander hits winner, lifts Thunder past Nuggets

DENVER (AP) &mdash; The peach-colored coordination between Jamal Murray (shoes) and Nikola Jokic (suit) was purely by accident.
This wasn't: Murray turning in his best Jokic imitation.
Murray got his first career triple-double and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by routing the Indiana Pacers 134-111 on Friday night without Jokic.
The two-time reigning NBA MVP sat out due to hamstring tightness.
Murray finished with 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to replicate the kind of production usually seen from Jokic, who leads the league in triple-doubles. Jokic had a courtside seat for the Jamal Murray Show and congratulated his point-guard teammate after the feat.
&ldquo;I was just playing our game, playing aggressive,&rdquo; Murray explained. &ldquo;We were just having fun out there. The ball was hopping.&rdquo;
About their color-coordinated ensemble: &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know he was going to come in looking like a peach,&rdquo; Murray cracked.
About emulating Jokic in getting into the triple-double department: &ldquo;He steals a lot of my triple-doubles,&rdquo; Murray cracked again. "It was nice to finally get one on the board.&rdquo;
Aaron Gordon scored 28 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 as the Western Conference-leading Nuggets ran their home win streak to 16 games. They haven't lost at Ball Arena since Dec. 6 against Dallas.
Nuggets acting head coach David Adelman improved to 3-0. Michael Malone remains out after entering the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols.
A stat line Malone will certainly appreciate &mdash; a season-high 38 assists. This, too &mdash; 16 steals.
&ldquo;It was really fun to see our guys continue to play the way we play regardless of who&rsquo;s on the court,&rdquo; Adelman said. &ldquo;It was fun because a lot of guys contributed. Those are special nights.&rdquo;
Adelman was especially pleased for Murray, who's been working his way back from a torn ACL that kept him out all last season.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s already had such a storied career here as a Nugget and everything he&rsquo;s been through,&rdquo; Adelman said. &ldquo;So it&rsquo;s very cool to see that.&rdquo;
Bennedict Mathurin had 19 points and Chris Duarte added 18 for the Pacers, who dropped their sixth straight game. Indiana went 8 of 32 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re making a lot of mistakes. We&rsquo;re not taking care of the ball, including me,&rdquo; Duarte said. &ldquo;We just have to cut that down. I feel if we cut the turnovers down we&rsquo;re going to be there with the other teams.&rdquo;
Denver had a back-to-back-to-back dunk sequence in the third quarter that drew thunderous applause from the crowd.
The Nuggets were jamming along all night with 16 dunks. That was tied for their most since 1996-97 (against Washington on March 20, 2009), according to the team.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re very unselfish,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t really care who scores. We&rsquo;re just playing free.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Indiana has lost six in a row to Denver. ... Indiana center Myles Turner had 15 points.
Nuggets: F Vlatko Cancar missed the game because of an illness not related to COVID-19. ... F Jeff Green was back after sitting out 14 games with a broken hand. He finished with six points. ... G Bones Hyland didn't play in the second half. He had six points.
INJURY UPDATE, PART I
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton participated in some shooting contests with his teammates Friday. Haliburton has missed the last five games (sprained knee/elbow).
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know exactly when he&rsquo;ll play, but he&rsquo;s doing well,&rdquo; coach Rick Carlisle said.
INJURY UPDATE, PART II
Adelman said Jokic sitting out was more of a precaution.
&ldquo;He just had a little discomfort,&rdquo; Adelman said. &ldquo;If he&rsquo;s not the best player in the world he&rsquo;s close, so if he&rsquo;s feeling discomfort, we&rsquo;re not going to take a chance.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

The Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by routing the Indiana Pacers 134-111

Murray gets 1st career triple-double, Nuggets rout Pacers

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining, capping his 12th triple-double of the season, and the Denver Nuggets won their 13th in a row at home by beating the Orlando Magic 119-116 on Sunday night.
Jokic connected from the top of the key, stepping back to get the shot away over Franz Wagner to finish with 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. It was his 88th career triple-double.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
NIKOLA JOKIC CALLED GAME 😱 <a href="https://t.co/5zu0ALNLn4">pic.twitter.com/5zu0ALNLn4</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1614827967917723649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 25 points, including a pair of free throws that gave the Nuggets a 116-115 lead with 16 seconds remaining. Jamal Murray added 18 points.
Markelle Fultz had 20 points for the Magic and made one of two free throws with 14 seconds left to play to tie it at 116, setting the stage for Jokic&rsquo;s shot. Wagner added 19 points and Paolo Banchero had 18.
Down by 15 at the half, the Magic pulled within six points on Wagner&rsquo;s layup just before the close of the third quarter.
Orlando went in front 103-102 with 7:47 remaining on a dunk by Bol Bol off an alley-oop pass from Cole Anthony. Bol had seven points in just over a minute to help push Orlando in front, but the game remained tight with the teams trading the lead down the stretch.
Michael Porter Jr., who finished with 16 points, connected on his four 3 pointers in the first half, helping the Nuggets take a 69-54 lead. Jokic had nine assists in the first half, matching the Magic&rsquo;s team total in the first two periods.
TIP-INS
Magic: G Gary Harris, who was forced to leave Friday&rsquo;s game at Utah early due to a right hand injury, was back in the starting lineup for his return to Denver. Harris spent more than six years with the Nuggets before going to Orlando as part of the March 2021 trade that brought Gordon to Denver.
Nuggets: G Bones Hyland left the game midway through the second quarter with a right ankle sprain and did not return. He landed awkwardly trying to defend against a running dunk by Bol Bol. &hellip; F Vlatko Cancar was ruled out of the game against the Magic with a lower left leg contusion.
UP NEXT
Magic: Return home to host New Orleans on Friday night.
Nuggets: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

The Denver Nuggets won their 13th in a row at home by beating the Orlando Magic 119-116 on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic's late three-pointer lifts Nuggets past Magic 119-116

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray sparked Denver early by scoring 13 of his 18 points in the first quarter, and the Nuggets led by as many as 43 in cruising to a 122-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
The Nuggets picked the perfect time to turn in one of their best performances of the season. In a nationally televised game, Denver was pushing the pace and showing why the team is tied with Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Nuggets shot 50.6% from the floor and finished with 28 assists.
&ldquo;Wins like this give us a lot of confidence and build a lot of chemistry," Murray said. "Sets a standard for us.&rdquo;
It wasn't even Nikola Jokic doing most of the damage, either. The two-time reigning NBA MVP had 12 points, six rebounds and nine assists before taking the fourth quarter off.
Murray was one of seven Denver players to finish in double figures. He hit four of the team's 14 3-pointers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helped fuel a 19-0 run in the second quarter to turn the game into a rout.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been around people who would not allow themselves to enjoy the wins, to enjoy the moment. I&rsquo;m not that guy,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m also not going to party and celebrate.
"That was a hell of a win for us. A convincing win, from beginning to end. Everybody contributed. We&rsquo;re in first place in the Western Conference. We&rsquo;re not there yet. But we&rsquo;re on our way. I like where we&rsquo;re at and, more importantly, I like who I&rsquo;m going there with.&rdquo;
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the rest of the Clippers had an off night shooting as they dropped their fourth straight game. They shot 37.4% from the floor, including 5 of 37 from 3-point range.
Leonard finished with six points while George, playing with a sore hamstring, had three. Neither played in the second half and they were a combined 3 of 16 from the field.
None of the Clippers' starters scored in double figures. Norman Powell led Los Angeles with 13 points.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t have a defensive mindset to start the game and it kind of hurt us,&rdquo; coach Tyronn Lue said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to be better defensively. We knew that coming into the game, or they embarrass you. Tonight was a tough game for us.&rdquo;
Murray set the tone early with his 13-point opening quarter on 5-of-6 shooting. The dynamic point guard is off to an up-and-down start as he works his way back from a torn ACL that caused him to miss last season.
On the plane ride home from a loss in Minnesota this week, Malone sat next to Murray for a heart-to-heart chat.
&ldquo;It was me just trying to reach out to a player and show him support,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just the relationship that Jamal and I have. Constant communication, collaboration.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Clippers: F Nicolas Batum sat out with a sprained left ankle. ... G John Wall was inactive (left knee injury management).
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar had 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. ... Bones Hyland scored 16.
DEFENSIVE STALWART
Michael Porter Jr. was picked as Denver's defensive player of the game. Malone cracked that Caldwell-Pope fell out of his chair. Porter is trying to make strides on the defensive end.
BACK-TO-BACK
Murray feels confident he can play Friday night against Cleveland on a back-to-back.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t done that, so just another part of my recovery, part of the rehab that&rsquo;s going well," he said.
&nbsp;

The Denver Nuggets led by as many as 43 in cruising to a 122-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Murray's early exploits lead Nuggets to rout of Clippers

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic may <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1596362311320875008">just be putting together</a> his best season.
It still may not be enough to get the Denver Nuggets' big man a third straight NBA MVP.
Chalk that up to MVP fatigue. Or to the glaringly good numbers of a crowded field of early candidates, including Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Stephen Curry.
Jokic isn't having to shoulder as much of the load with the return this season of fellow Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. He's also taken his unselfish play to another level, which may not do him any favors in the MVP race, but it sure does help the Nuggets.
That's just fine with coach Michael Malone. He&rsquo;ll gladly take this version of the player nicknamed &ldquo;Joker,&rdquo; the one averaging a career-best 8.8 assists to go with 23 points and 9.8 rebounds through the first quarter of the season.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t worry about the MVP buzz,&rdquo; said Malone, whose team moved to 13-7 after a 129-113 win over Houston on Monday night where Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. &ldquo;If we continue to win, Nikola is going to be in the MVP conversation because of the fact that he impacts the game on so many different levels.&rdquo;
Last season, Jokic put up 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists because that was the best way for Denver to win. <a href="https://twitter.com/AltitudeTV/status/1594741036038774785">The Nuggets</a> didn't have Murray (knee) and barely had Porter (back).
These days, <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1587537557314834432">Jokic lets</a> the game dictate which stat category he dominates. Sometimes, it's through his pinpoint passes. Others, with his deft shooting touch.
To illustrate: He took nine shots and had 14 assists in a win at Oklahoma City on Nov. 3. Twenty days later, and back at Oklahoma City, he erupted 39 points in another win.
Jokic is trying to join the company of Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as players who&rsquo;ve each won the MVP award in three straight seasons. But Jokic is well down the odds list of early favorites.
Antetokounmpo and Doncic are both the favorites at +280, <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=player-awards">according FanDuel Sportsbook</a>. Behind Tatum, Curry, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant and tied with Kevin Durant, is Jokic (+2700).
Nuggets point guard Ish Smith, who's crossed paths with former league MVPs Russell Westbrook and Durant during his 13-team excursion, has a theory of why Jokic is not a front-runner.
&ldquo;People like to see something different. He&rsquo;s a two-time MVP, so obviously people are advocating for Luka, he&rsquo;s playing at a high level. Giannis, too,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Sometimes people like the new &lsquo;It,&rsquo; the new thing.&rdquo;
Much like Jokic last season, Doncic needs to produce in a big way for the Mavericks to succeed. He is, too, averaging 33.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP winner, is on pace for his highest scoring average (30.9). Curry, another two-time winner, continues to shoot lights out from everywhere &mdash; 52.2% from the floor, 44.1% from 3-point range and 91.1% from the free throw line. Then there's Tatum, who's averaging more than 30 points a game as his Celtics have won a league-best 17 games.
The Nuggets don&rsquo;t mind the throwback play of Jokic, who has the most triple-doubles of any center in NBA history.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a dominant force,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s pretty special.&rdquo;
Unassuming, too. Smith caught a <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1574955026174255104">glimpse of that when a few of the</a> Nuggets attended a Los Angeles Dodgers-Padres game while in San Diego for training camp. There was Jokic, just walking around like any ordinary baseball fan.
That&rsquo;s just his personality. Don't forget: He accepted the MVP trophy last season from his horse stable in Sombor, Serbia.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not flashy. I love it,&rdquo; Smith said of Jokic, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-nikola-jokic-6b7dc34c311b6810ec67c76ee2208c2d">second-round pick in the 2014 draft</a>. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve ever been around a superstar like that.&rdquo;
Malone doesn't have any plans to talk with Jokic about being more aggressive. No need.
&ldquo;I trust Nikola,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s proven over eight years that he&rsquo;s going to make the right play time and time again. ... He knows how to play the game. He knows when he needs to be aggressive and score for us.
&ldquo;The beauty of having a player with his unselfishness and IQ is just trusting him to make the right play over and over and over again. As a back-to-back MVP, he&rsquo;s done that better than most.&rdquo;
The return of Murray and Porter (who's currently dealing with a bruised heel) has cut down on some of Jokic's responsibilities, which may not help Jokic's MVP chances but could help him accomplish something he hasn't done: win an NBA title.
The last time Jokic, Murray and Porter were all on the court for the playoffs, the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals (inside the bubble in 2020).
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want him to be at the top of his level now,&rdquo; teammate and friend Vlatko Cancar said. &ldquo;I need him to be at the top of his level when the playoffs come.&rdquo;

Nikola Jokic may just be putting together his best season. It still may not be enough to get the Nuggets' big man a third straight NBA MVP.

Early NBA MVP race has crowded field of candidates

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Denver coach Michael Malone knew when the schedule came out that his team was going to have to be successful again on the road if it was going to be contend in the Western Conference.
So far, the Nuggets are living up to Malone's goal of being road warriors.
Behind Aaron Gordon's 29 points and an additional 19 from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 on Friday night for their league-best eighth road win.
Denver has played 13 of its first 19 on the road and gone 8-5 after having a franchise-record 25 wins away from the friendly confines of Ball Arena last season.
&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re winning at that level on the road, you know you&rsquo;re a good team. Our challenge now is to go home and take care of business,&rdquo; Malone said after the Nuggets won their second straight and third in their last four games.
Nikola Jokic added 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who led by 21 at one point during the fourth quarter with a run of 10 straight points midway through the period.
John Wall had a season-high 23 points for the Clippers, who were down to 10 players with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Luke Kennard out due to injuries. Leonard missed his second straight game after he sprained his right ankle Monday night against Utah. George (right hamstring) missed his third straight game and Kennard (right calf) has been out the last four.
Terance Mann added 16 points and Marcus Morris Sr. had 15.
The Clippers had 11 turnovers in the first half, but only three in the final 24 minutes.
&ldquo;We were being too casual with the basketball in the first half, but addressed that at halftime,&rdquo; coach Tyronn Lue said. &ldquo;In the second half we had our chances, and got it to seven. The margin of error is very slim so we got to take advantage of those opportunities. But I thought we did some good things and we've got some things we&rsquo;ve got to clean up.&rdquo;
Denver was down to 10 players in Wednesday&rsquo;s win over Oklahoma City but was bolstered by the returns of Murray and Ish Smith to the lineup.
&ldquo;It feels like we&rsquo;re starting to put something together. So this is something to build on,&rdquo; said Gordon, who scored 19 points in the second half.
The game was tied at 18 midway through the first quarter before the Nuggets scored nine straight points to lead the rest of the way.
Denver extended its advantage to 64-52 at halftime and led by 17 with 2 minutes remaining in the third after a pair of free throws by Vlatko Cancar made it 85-68. The Clippers made a late run to get it to 87-77
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr. (heel), Jeff Green (knee), Bones Hyland (illness) and Payton Watson (illness) did not play. ... Cancar had 13 points coming off the bench. ... Murray also had nine assists. ... Denver had a 21-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Clippers: Robert Covington had 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and reached 1,200 for his career. ... Norman Powell had 11 points off the bench. ... Los Angeles was 19 of 34 on free throws, with the 55.9% rate being its second-lowest of the year.
&nbsp;

Behind Aaron Gordon's 29 points, the Nuggets beat the short-handed  Clippers 114-104 for their league-best eighth road win.

Gordon scores 29, Nuggets beat short-handed Clippers 114-104

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic lobbied Jason Kidd to stay in the game at the start of the fourth quarter with Dallas well on its way to a blowout in the first of consecutive meetings with shorthanded Denver.
Neither the Mavericks' superstar nor his coach was aware Doncic needed one rebound to get to 50 career triple-doubles one game faster than Magic Johnson. Kidd obliged for other reasons.
After the milestone was reached in a 127-99 victory over the Nuggets on Friday night, a member of the Dallas public relations staff told Doncic what he had done.
&ldquo;I told him that was great,&rdquo; said Doncic, typically understated and never really one to pay much attention to such numbers in the first place.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone is just hoping for a little help against the three-time All-Star in the rematch Sunday night.
The Nuggets were without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and two more starters in Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
Murray joined Jokic, who missed a second straight game, in health and safety protocols. Gordon was out for a second game with a non-COVID-19 illness.
All three weren&rsquo;t on the trip for the first of two games in Dallas. Malone said Gordon was the only one who might be available Sunday.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to go home and pray the rosary tonight that we can get some help,&rdquo; Malone said.
Christian Wood had 28 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 15.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown scored 18 points apiece for the Nuggets, who had little chance without their stars as Doncic rolled up 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
The NBA&rsquo;s scoring leader went 11 of 22 from the field with his usual array of creative buckets in and around the lane and was 9 of 11 on free throws.
Even though rest was already an issue, with Doncic coming off a missed game and Dallas losing to lowly Houston without him, Kidd let Doncic start the fourth after playing all of the third.
The coach said he's considering some rotation options to try to ease the load on his 23-year-old star, and would like one of those to be rest in the third with starting the fourth.
They're still working on the part about rest in the third.
Doncic's 10th rebound came 65 seconds into the fourth quarter of his 278th game. Johnson had been the second-fastest to 50 triple-doubles at 279 games.
Oscar Robertson, who needed 111 games, and Doncic are the only 23-year-olds with 50 triple-doubles. Robertson was 221 days younger than the Dallas superstar.
&ldquo;I don't look at the stat sheet, so I don't know if he has a triple-double or if he has 35 points,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;We've been playing him to start the fourth, so this is something we could be looking at going forward.&rdquo;
Dinwiddie's 3-pointer started a 29-14 run to finish a 44-point second quarter, the biggest of any period this season for Dallas. An 18-point halftime lead never got below 12 after the break.
&ldquo;That second quarter is when it all unfolded,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;The first quarter was a pretty good quarter for us being as undermanned as we are. That was all the separation they needed.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar hit a running, pull-up 3 at the first-quarter buzzer to cut the Dallas lead to 29-27. He finished with eight points. ... Bones Hyland scored 17 points.
Mavericks: Dallas led 73-55 at halftime, tying its season high for points in either half. ... The double-digit margin was just the second in 15 games this season for Dallas. The other was a 41-point rout of Memphis.
UP NEXT
This is the second time the Nuggets have played the same team in consecutive games this season. They swept San Antonio earlier this month, winning in Denver, then in Texas two nights later. Dallas did it six times last season, getting swept once and splitting the other five.

Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 127-99 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Luka Doncic gets 50th triple-double, Mavs top short-handed Nuggets

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Here's an example of just how much Jamal Murray was missed: Introduced before a preseason home game, the Denver Nuggets all rushed over to swarm him.
That's the level of respect the team has for its point guard, who's back on the court for the first time since tearing his left ACL on April 12, 2021.
The band is back together as <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1577119935083356162">Murray rejoins back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic</a>. Along with Michael Porter Jr., who was limited to nine games last season due to his balky back, they're ready to pick up where they left off when Murray and Porter were healthy. The trio led the Nuggets <a href="https://twitter.com/BeMore27/status/1574492168567197696">to the Western Conference finals</a> inside the bubble in 2020.
It may take some time for Denver to round back into that form. The Nuggets' over-under is set at <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=regular-season-wins">51 1/2 wins, according to FanDuel Sportsbook</a>, with a plus-2000 to capture the NBA title (the Celtics are at plus-600).
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different vibe since we got some of our guys back,&rdquo; said forward Aaron Gordon, whose team opens the season at Utah on Oct. 19. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a certain level of calmness. Just because we do have so many great guys on this team. We have such a talented roster that&rsquo;s so deep.&rdquo;
The lineup boasts Murray, Porter, Jokic and Gordon while adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the mix. He was acquired, along with <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1579684213472870400">fellow veteran Ish Smith</a>, in an offseason deal that sent Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Washington Wizards. That leaves a bench including Bones Hyland, Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Zeke Nnaji, Davon Reed, Vlatko Cancar and big man DeAndre Jordan. In addition, the Nuggets drafted Christian Braun out of Kansas with the 21st overall pick.
This roster was assembled in large part because Denver didn&rsquo;t have Murray and Porter last season. It gave coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth a chance to evaluate the team through "a different lens,&ldquo; Booth said.
&ldquo;I think when you have guys like Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., it&rsquo;s easier to overlook some of your flaws,&rdquo; added Booth, whose team was eliminated in the first round by the NBA champion Golden State Warriors last season. &ldquo;We came to the realization we needed to get bigger and needed to get more versatile.&rdquo;
There was a little alarm in a preseason game when Murray tweaked his hamstring, only because he's a big part of the engine that drives the Nuggets. Malone plans to take it nice and steady with Murray's acclimation to the season.
&ldquo;The team we&rsquo;re going to be in October, November, is not the team that we&rsquo;re going to be come April in the playoffs," Malone said. &ldquo;We want to be smart as we build up.&rdquo;
MURRAY'S GOAL
Murray's primary goal is to work his way back into the 21.2-point-and-4.8-assist-a-night form he demonstrated before his injury.
&ldquo;At the moment, I just want to play,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if I go 0-for-10. ... I just want to get those couple games under my belt, first, and then you can have all the talks you want about what you expect.&rdquo;
TOP DEFENSE
Malone&rsquo;s challenge to his team is to become a top-five defensive squad. The Nuggets were in the middle of the pack in defensive rating a season ago.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no surprise that Boston and Golden State, the two best defenses, were in the finals,&rdquo; Malone said.
GOOD FRIENDS
The Nuggets had a powerful recruiting tool to lure Jordan to town: his good friend, Green.
Jordan said his role is whatever is required. He led the league in rebounding in 2014 and '15 while with the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 5.5 rebounds last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not out there to play 35, 40 minutes,&rdquo; Jordan said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the back-to-back MVP&rsquo;s job. I&rsquo;m just there to be a part of the supporting cast.&rdquo;
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Porter leaned on Murray and friends in his inner circle while rehabilitating his back injuries.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you really ever lose confidence,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;You're always just trying to persevere through stuff. It just takes time.&rdquo;
He said he doesn&rsquo;t have any limitations.
&ldquo;Just continuing to get stronger,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;Just getting back out there, being able to get in a rhythm again and keep working every day.&rdquo;
PAINTBALL
Gordon hosted a get-together in the offseason to play some hoops and paintball.
The best paintball player on the team?
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a beast at paintball,&rdquo; Gordon said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m tough when it comes to paintball.&rdquo;

“It’s a different vibe since we got some of our guys back,” said Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon.

Nuggets' Murray ready to rejoin forces with 2-time MVP Jokic

BERLIN (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic and Slovenia roared back from a 23-point deficit, and looked as if they were well on their way to a berth in the EuroBasket semifinals.
Poland had other ideas &mdash; and in an absolute shocker, EuroBasket will have a new champion.
Mateusz Ponitka had 26 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, and Poland beat Slovenia 90-87 to move into the semifinals of the European championships for the first time since 1971.
Vlatko Cancar led Slovenia with 21 points, and Goran Dragic scored 17.
Doncic was held to 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, though he added 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Dallas Mavericks star needed an injection to get through the game and has been dealing with injuries throughout the tournament, he said.
&ldquo;But that&rsquo;s not the reason,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;Today I played terrible. I let my team down. I let the whole country who was supporting us down. I&rsquo;ve got to look at this game and be better.&rdquo;
Poland led by 23 late in the second quarter and carried a 58-39 lead into halftime, but Slovenia got within one with a 24-6 run in the third quarter.
Dragic scored to start the fourth and put Slovenia on top, and the lead was 73-68 on a jumper by Klemen Prepelic with 6:58 left.
Poland outscored Slovenia 21-7 over the next six minutes, and held on in the final seconds.
A.J. Slaughter and Michal Sokolowski each scored 16 for Poland, which got 14 from Jaroslaw Zyskowski and 11 from Aleksander Balcerowski.
&ldquo;Amazing,&rdquo; Sokolowski said. &ldquo;And now we can&rsquo;t stop. ... We dreamed about a medal at the beginning. Right now it&rsquo;s closer, but we don&rsquo;t have it yet. I want to reach it.&rdquo;
FRANCE 93, ITALY 85
France pulled off a wild rally at the end of regulation, then carried that momentum into a spot in the EuroBasket semifinals.
Thomas Heurtel scored 20 points, Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and France found a way to get past Italy 93-85 in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday.
France was down by seven with 1:59 left in regulation, and that was when it started on what became a 25-10 run to finish the contest.
It was France&rsquo;s second consecutive fourth-quarter rally and overtime win, after needing the same formula to get past Turkey in the round of 16 on Saturday.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really believe in luck,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;Tonight, we could have given up, once again, but we got the baskets we needed.&rdquo;
Next up for France: Poland on Friday for a berth in the title game. The other half of the semifinal bracket was set Tuesday: Germany will play Spain, also on Friday.
Gobert started the game-ending burst with a dunk to get his team within 75-70.
Italy had a chance to potentially seal the game with 16 seconds left, up by two, but Simone Fontecchio missed a pair of free throws. It was another eerie resemblance to Saturday, when Cedi Osman, with Turkey up by two, missed two free throws with 12.2 seconds left to extend France&rsquo;s hopes.
Heurtel&rsquo;s layup tied the game with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. France trailed only once in overtime, for just 23 seconds, and Evan Fournier&rsquo;s floater with 3:29 left put his team ahead for good.
Fournier scored 17 for France, which got 15 from Guerschon Yabusele and 13 from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
&ldquo;Congratulations to France,&rdquo; Italy coach Gianmarco Pozzecco said. &ldquo;They never gave up.&rdquo;
Fontecchio and Marco Spissu each had 21 points for Italy, which was seeking its first trip to the EuroBasket semifinals since winning bronze in 2003.
Luigi Datome scored 12 and Nicolo Melli added 10 for Italy, which trailed by as many as 11 in the early going but outscored France 31-18 in the third quarter and led by as many as eight early in the fourth.
&ldquo;What can I say? Very painful, of course,&rdquo; Datome said. &ldquo;Very, very painful. But I&rsquo;m so proud of my teammates.&rdquo;

Poland beat Slovenia 90-87 to move into the semifinals of the European championships for the first time since 1971.

EuroBasket: Poland tops Doncic, Slovenia; France over Italy

FIBA EuroBasket is making a triumphant comeback this week after five years away from competition. Per ESPN, that's the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34457762/eurobasket-2022-scores-schedules-teams-news-updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">longest gap in the tournament since World War II</a>, so EuroBasket 2022 should turn out to be a remarkable celebration of basketball's growth across Europe.
A&nbsp;lot has changed in five years. Luka Doncic was the "chosen one" of European hoops in 2017 as an 18-year-old suiting up for Slovenia, Giannis Antetokounmpo had just won Most Improved Player with the Milwaukee Bucks and earned his first NBA All-Star appearance, and Nikola Jokic had yet to clear 30 minutes per game in an NBA season.
Today, the three international stars are among the faces of basketball in the NBA and around the world, and the trio will compete in EuroBasket 2022. That's just the tip of the iceberg as far as the immese talent slated to participate. We've already gotten a peek of what the action could look like via the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers that have taken place over the past week.
EuroBasket features 24 teams in four groups, with action beginning on Thursday and culminating in a gold-medal showdown on Sept. 18. Here's a rundown of the must-see NBA players (as of last season), international stars and top prospects (under age 23) in each group.
(Note: If a player is listed as "questionable," it is because their playing status is uncertain. Not all EuroBasket rosters have been finalized, so several countries' teams may look slightly different. <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/eurobasket/2022/news/roster-tracker-fiba-eurobasket-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here is a full roster tracker</a>.)
GROUP A: SPAIN, TURKEY, MONTENEGRO, GEORGIA, BELGIUM, BULGARIA
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Alperen Sengun against Serbia: 17 PTS | 13 REB | 2 AST | 2 BLK | 61 TS% Spearheaded the Turkey comeback in the third quarter 🔥<a href="https://t.co/faBFt2SQLe">pic.twitter.com/faBFt2SQLe</a>
&mdash; Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/JTGatlin/status/1563966082322468869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Top NBA Players: Juan Hernangomez (Spain), Willy Hernangomez (Spain), Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey), Cedi Osman (Turkey), Goga Bitadze (Georgia), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Georgia)
Top International Players: Rudy Fernandez (Spain), Lorenzo Brown (Spain), Shane Larkin (Turkey), Bojan Dubljevic (Montenegro), Retin Obasohan (Belgium), Sasha Vezenkov (Bulgaria)
Notable Prospects: Usman Garuba (Spain), Vrenz Bleijenbergh (Belgium), Alperen Sengun (Turkey), Marko Simonovic (Montenegro)
Spain and Turkey might not have quite the Tier 1 star power of some other countries, but both squads are fun and deep. Fernandez and Brown are stalwarts who have starred on their respective European teams for years. Then for Turkey, Osman and Korkmaz are NBA rotation players boosted by an electric point guard in Larkin.
We'll hopefully get to see the pair of Houston Rockets sophomore talents as well. Sengun impressed with his flashes last season and has already created highlights with Turkey over the summer. Garuba was quieter as a rookie, but has experience on a large Spanish stage with his time playing for Real Madrid.&nbsp;
GROUP B: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, HUNGARY, LITHUANIA, SLOVENIA
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Luka Doncic drops 25 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST in win over Estonian National team 🔥😭<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/4khnb7BEr3">pic.twitter.com/4khnb7BEr3</a>
&mdash; MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) <a href="https://twitter.com/NationMffl/status/1562897679155204098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Top NBA Players: Jusuf Nurkic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Evan Fournier (France), Rudy Gobert (France), Timoth&eacute; Luwawu-Cabarrot (France), Daniel Theis (Germany), Dennis Schr&ouml;der (Germany), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Ignas Brazdeikis (Lithuania), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Goran Dragic (Slovenia), Vlatko Cancar (Slovenia)
Top International Players:&nbsp;Dzanan Musa (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Elie Okobo (France), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Thomas Huertel (France), Vincent Poirier (France)
Notable Prospects:&nbsp;Th&eacute;o Maledon (France), Franz Wagner (Germany), Rokas Jokubaitis (Lithuania), Ziga Samar (Slovenia)
Yeah, this group is absolutely loaded. Five of the six rosters could potentially boast multiple players with 2021-22 NBA experience. Slovenia, led by Doncic and Dragic, is considered a favorite to win EuroBasket. But France has a loaded roster (though no Victor Wembanyama), too. They'll be worth checking out additonally because Okobo has been balling in Europe since leaving the NBA.
New York Knicks fans might want to circle Lithuania as the team to watch. They'll receive a nostalgia injection in the forms of Brazdeikis and Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and they'll get a glimpse of the future with Jokubaitis, the team's 2021 draft-and-stash guard. Franz Wagner is one of the best young talents in EuroBasket too, making Germany a team to monitor.
GROUP C: CROATIA, ESTONIA, GREAT BRITAIN, GREECE, ITALY, UKRAINE
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis Antetokounmpo <a href="https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Giannis_An34</a> dropped 26pts 7rebs in the <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAWC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fibawc</a> Qualifiers win for Greece. Watch all the games of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> Qualifiers on Courtside 1891 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForAll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForAll</a> <a href="https://t.co/t7JNIYvGgG">pic.twitter.com/t7JNIYvGgG</a>
&mdash; Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) <a href="https://twitter.com/swishcultures_/status/1564222344067010561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Top NBA Players:&nbsp;Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia), Dario Saric (Croatia), Ivica Zubac (Croatia),&nbsp;Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tyler Dorsey (Greece), Simone Fontecchio (Italy), Alex Len (Ukraine), Svi Mykhailiuk (Ukraine)
Top International Players: Mario Hezonja (Croatia), Sacha Killeya-Jones (Great Britain, questionable),&nbsp;Nick Calathes (Greece), Georgios Papagiannis (Greece, questionable), Kostas Papanikalou (Greece), Kostas Sloukas (Greece, questionable), Nicolo Melli (Italy)
Notable Prospects:&nbsp;Karlo Matkovic (Croatia), Roko Prkacin (Croatia),&nbsp;Issuf Sanon (Ukraine), Nico Mannion (Italy)
Three of the Antetokounbros (the above two, plus Kostas, who is questionable at this time) could assemble for their home country. Greece also has a handful of international stars who might play; their roster has yet to be finalized. Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 40 points in a World Cup Qualifiers loss against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, so it's safe to say he's firing on all cylinders.
Croatia, however, might be my pick for most intriguing team in the tournament. They have a trio of NBA players, plus a former top-five pick in Mario Hezonja. Prkacin has been on NBA Draft radars for several years now, and Matkovic just went No. 52 overall in the 2022 Draft to the New Orleans Pelicans. This is a fun mix of talent at different stages and platforms.
GROUP D: CZECH REPUBLIC, FINLAND, ISRAEL, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, SERBIA
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
They call him the MVP for a reason 🃏 Deadly in so many ways, Nikola Jokic was in top form for Serbia during World Cup Qualifying 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForSrbija?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForSrbija</a> 🇷🇸 <a href="https://t.co/1ZqvDPLQsi">pic.twitter.com/1ZqvDPLQsi</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1564286832510226436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Top NBA Players:&nbsp;Vit Krejci (Czech Republic), Tomas Satoransky (Czech Republic, questionable), Lauri Markkanen (Finland), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Nemanja Bjelica (Serbia, questionable),&nbsp;
Top International Players: Jan Vesely (Czech Republic), Vasilije Micic (Serbia, questionable), Nikola Milutinov (Serbia)
Notable Prospects: Deni Avdija (Israel), Yam Madar (Israel), Balsa Koprivica (Serbia, questionable)
Nikola Jokic instantly makes Serbia a frontrunner for the gold, but the nation could have several veterans backing him up in a potential deep run. Micic in particular should be on NBA fans' radars as a player who could immediately come over and produce in the league. The 28-year-old guard won two EuroLeague titles and was named MVP in 2021. Oklahoma City currently owns his draft rights, though he was mentioned frequently in offseason trade rumors.&nbsp;
Israel has a pair of notable young talents leading the way. Deni Avdija took a legitimate step forward in his second year with the Washington Wizards. Madar, meanwhile, has been playing overseas as a draft-and-stash prospect selected by the Boston Celtics in 2020.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic lead a stellar group of competitors in EuroBasket 2022.

FIBA EuroBasket 2022: Top teams, players and prospects to watch

Michael Malone says the Denver Nuggets realize they won't transform into NBA title contenders simply by getting Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back on the court.
Denver's coach said Wednesday the Nuggets need to vastly improve on defense, whether that's through attitude adjustments or player acquisitions.
Thanks to an historic season by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets won 48 games despite Murray missing the entire season while recovering from ACL reconstruction and Porter missing the final 73 games and the playoffs following back surgery.
The Nuggets lost to Golden State in five games in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs with their two max players looking on in street clothes from the bench.
Malone called this &ldquo;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-offseason-preview-whats-next-for-the-denver-nuggets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a huge offseason</a>&rdquo; for the Nuggets, who aim to surround Jokic with the proper supporting cast to capitalize on his prime years.
"Everybody wants to just say, &lsquo;Well, it&rsquo;s just Michael and Jamal coming back healthy.&rsquo; And that's just a starting block, but it doesn&rsquo;t end there,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;We have a window and I think windows are only open so long. We have a 27-year-old phenom who will hopefully soon be named a back-to-back MVP.
"We have to capitalize while we have a special player in Nikola and do everything that we can as an organization &mdash; and I know we will &mdash; to put the best players around him to give ourselves the best chance to win the world championship.&rdquo;
There's the draft, trades and free agency, Malone said, &ldquo;but I always tell our players they have to come back better players. We as a coaching staff have to come back and prove we can find ways to help this team.&rdquo;
That starts with becoming a tougher team to score on.
&ldquo;Our defense against Golden State was not good enough,&rdquo; Malone said. "I think we had the 16th-ranked defense in the playoffs, which is dead last."
During the season, Malone noted, Denver allowed 17&frac12; points per game on turnovers, &ldquo;so we fuel teams' breaks, we give them easy baskets."
&ldquo;And then in the half-court, our inability to guard one-on-one, contain the ball, led to a lot of rim attacks and I think we were 30th in opponents' rim field-goal percentage. We were 29th in blocks per game,&rdquo; Malone said.
&ldquo;That's a bad combination if you struggle to guard the ball on the perimeter and you don't have Dikembe Mutombo blocking shots behind you.&rdquo;
Malone said &ldquo;to be a dangerous, deep playoff team you have to have an elite defense, and that's one of the areas we have to really focus on.&rdquo;
Malone added that &ldquo;the best perimeter defenders are tough dudes&rdquo; and he has two on his roster in forward Aaron Gordon and guard Austin Rivers, a pending free agent along with center DeMarcus Cousins, guards Bryn Forbes and Facu Campazzo and forwards Vlatko Cancar, Davon Reed and Markus Howard.
Malone said his expectations for Murray and Porter next season are &ldquo;just to take it slow and not expecting &lsquo;bubble&rsquo; Jamal Murray and not expecting &lsquo;peak&rsquo; Michael Porter right away."
&ldquo;It's really an important offseason for both those guys,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;They weren't able to play this year and that was tough for a lot of people to understand. But they weren't ready, and that's all there was to it.&rdquo;
Malone said that at different times he felt both players would return to action last season, but the patience the organization displayed with them will continue next season.
&ldquo;I think tempered excitement,&rdquo; is how Malone describes his outlook next season with his stars regaining their health. "And as the season goes along they're going to get more and more comfortable. They're going to get their rhythm back, their confidence back and then they're going to get back to their old selves.
&ldquo;But that's not going to be the case come October, whenever the first game comes around. We have to have patience.&rdquo;

Michael Malone said the Nuggets need to vastly improve on defense, whether that's through attitude adjustments or player acquisitions.

Nuggets need more than healthy Murray, Porter to contend

Watching the 2021-22 Denver Nuggets, it&rsquo;s impossible not to imagine what this team could have achieved had it been at full strength.
After all, how many teams could lose two max-level players and still manage to win 48 games and secure the Western Conference&rsquo;s sixth seed?
During the Nuggets' first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, even Denver head coach Mike Malone would catch himself wondering how this season could have played out differently if the team had Jamal Murray (who missed the entire season while recovering from a torn ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (who played just nine games after undergoing back surgery in December).
&ldquo;I couldn't sleep one night. At 3 o'clock in the morning, I was looking at Jamal's stats in the Bubble. Wow,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I knew he was good, but sometimes you forget how good he was (26.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 threes on .505/.453/.897 shooting splits). That's the thing about Jamal: When the stakes are at their highest, he steps up. He's never afraid of the moment.
&ldquo;Michael Porter, what he did last year in 10 playoff games: 17 points, 6 rebounds and, more importantly, shooting a high clip from the three-point line (39.7%). Shooting makes up for so many things. Jamal and Michael can do that.&rdquo;
How good can the Nuggets be next season if everyone is healthy?
&ldquo;I think it's scary to think about that,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I go back to last season before Jamal's injury in this building (Chase Center); we felt we had a legitimate chance to win a championship last year. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards for us. Jamal suffers the ACL. Earlier this season, Michael Porter Jr. suffers a back [injury]. You're playing without two max players that have both helped us advance out of the first round the last three years. When they're back and they're healthy, I think that's going to make us a deeper, more talented team. I'm excited about that, I really am. I think the future is very, very bright for the Denver Nuggets.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The potential is scary,&rdquo; DeMarcus Cousins added. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re down two superstars. We took one of the most dominant teams of this past decade and we battled every night with them. The potential is scary. Obviously, it looks good on paper, but we got to put everything together. We'll see what happens.&rdquo;
Even though they were missing two of their three leading scorers, Denver finished the season with the NBA&rsquo;s sixth-best offense (scoring 111.7 points per 100 possessions).
&ldquo;We know when we're fully healthy, we can be even more dangerous,&rdquo; Will Barton said.
&ldquo;We're going to call in the reinforcements,&rdquo; Aaron Gordon said with a smile.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/mppj_lg.jpg" alt="" width="678" height="392" />
&ldquo;It should be fun,&rdquo; Monte Morris added. &ldquo;A lot of people don't even know how well they're looking individually. It's going to be just like we never left. It was big-time when we was doing it [before] &mdash; made some great 3-1 comebacks, some big wins. I'm looking forward to it.&rdquo;
Fortunately for the Nuggets, most of their core is under contract for the foreseeable future, including Nikola Jokic, Murray, Porter, Gordon, Barton, Morris, Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji. Coach Malone isn&rsquo;t going anywhere either, as Denver&rsquo;s front office just gave him a multi-year contract extension last month.
While Jokic is entering the final year of his current contract worth $33,616,770, he made it clear that he wants to stay in Denver long-term and plans to sign a supermax extension this offseason (which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nuggets-offseason-preview-nikola-jokic-extension-free-agents-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $260 million over five years, including $59.1 million in 2027-28).
&ldquo;I would like it, of course, but it's not something that I'm deciding,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;If [an] offer is on the table, of course I'm going to accept it because I really like the organization, I really like the people who work here. I'm in [a] really good relationship with everybody from owner to equipment manager. I think we have something that we're building. It actually feels really good.&rdquo;
For Denver, this offseason will mostly be about getting healthy and making moves around the edges.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Nuggets do have several players who will hit unrestricted free agency: Cousins, Bryn Forbes, Facundo Campazzo, Austin Rivers and Vlatko Cancar.
JaMychal Green and Jeff Green could become unrestricted free agents as well, as they each have a player option ($8,200,000 for JaMychal and $4,500,000 for Jeff).
Markus Howard and Davon Reed will be restricted free agents, assuming Denver extends a $1,576,305 qualifying offer to each player.
The Nuggets have $158,679,553 in guaranteed salaries committed for next season, and they are already $9.7 million over the projected luxury tax, per <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nuggets-offseason-preview-nikola-jokic-extension-free-agents-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Gozlan</a>. Denver&rsquo;s ownership has historically avoided paying the luxury tax, but that will change next season as the team tries to make its first NBA Finals run in franchise history.
Cousins&rsquo; free agency will be interesting, as he became a key contributor after joining the Nuggets in February, averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per contest. In Game 5, he had 19 points, 4 rebounds and a steal in 15 minutes, while shooting 8=of-12 (66.7%) from the field and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from three-point range.
After the Nuggets were eliminated, the 31-year-old admitted that he isn't sure whether he&rsquo;ll be back in Denver.
&ldquo;I honestly don't know what the future holds,&rdquo; Cousins said. &ldquo;A lot in this short time has transpired. I'm still trying to get over the fact that G.P. (Gary Payton II) hit that big shot, right? I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity. I'm happy to be a part of this group. I'm happy with the opportunity that was given to me from Mike, [Nuggets president] Tim [Connelly], [Nuggets general manager Calvin] Booth. To answer that question, I can't right now. I don't know what's future holds.&rdquo;
With that said, Cousins proved that he still has a lot to offer a team, and he should receive significantly more interest during this year&rsquo;s free-agency period.
&ldquo;I belong here; I belong in this league,&rdquo; Cousins said. &ldquo;I was given the opportunity. I'm thankful for Mike Malone. I spoke with him before. A lot of doors closed for me. Mike looked out, gave me an opportunity. I just tried to take the best advantage of it as I could. That's what I did.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I gave him a big hug in the locker room, and I gave him a shout-out in front of his teammates,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;He was a guy hanging out at home in Las Vegas after being released by Milwaukee. He goes out in an elimination game and puts up 19 points in 15 minutes. Nikola is in foul trouble, we need somebody to steady the ship; DeMarcus did that. The biggest thing is I'm just really, really happy for DeMarcus Cousins, and I'm so proud of him for staying with it. He had an impactful run with the Denver Nuggets. We'll figure out the offseason in the coming weeks as me, him and [Nuggets governor] Josh [Kroenke] sit down and talk.&rdquo;
Several fellow Nuggets players vouched for Cousins and stressed that they want him back.
&ldquo;Anytime you have a guy like that, you always want him back,&rdquo; Barton said. &ldquo;Like I say, he's still DeMarcus Cousins &mdash; a guy who, when he's healthy, is a very good player. Those are not my decisions; I'm not in management. Obviously, if I have a voice in the fight, I definitely would love to have him back. He was big for us on and off the court, [a] presence in the locker room. We'll see what happens.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
&ldquo;Signing Boogie, man... I love him to death,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;A guy that would pick up 19 points in a do-or-die elimination game just shows how much heart he has, how much love he has for the game. I'm definitely proud of him... He's a great guy. He has a great family, great kids, an amazing wife. I look at things bigger than just ball. He's a guy that's been through a lot on and off the court, experience-wise. He can help anybody. It's a lot that he's seen. Having that around, I think, is big.&rdquo;
In addition to re-signing their own role players, the Nuggets will also have the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth $6,392,000) to attract talent. Last offseason, Patty Mills (Brooklyn Nets), Rudy Gay (Utah Jazz), George Hill (Milwaukee Bucks) and Justise Winslow (Memphis Grizzlies) are some examples of players who were signed using the taxpayer mid-level.
Also, the Nuggets have the No. 21 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, so they can either draft a prospect or trade the selection for more of a win-now piece. Considering their cap situation, it may make sense to keep the pick and select a rookie who can be a relatively cheap contributor.
In BasketballNews.com's latest <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Denver is projected to pick Baylor's Kendall Brown &mdash; a 6-foot-8 wing who's known for his athleticism, motor and defense.
Denver&rsquo;s front office hasn&rsquo;t been afraid to pull the trigger on trades in recent years &mdash; including the trade-deadline acquisition of Gordon last season. However, the Nuggets&rsquo; continuity is one of their biggest advantages, so don&rsquo;t expect many significant changes. Once Murray and Porter are back to 100%, they will basically count as Denver&rsquo;s big offseason acquisitions.
If Gordon can take the next step in his development, that would be huge for the Nuggets as well. Following the Game 5 loss, the 26-year-old told reporters that his focus this offseason will be &nbsp;&ldquo;working smarter&rdquo; and &ldquo;becoming more of a student of the game.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I'm playing with Jok, who is one of the smartest basketball players in the world, so I gotta raise my level of IQ to help him, to help everyone, to help the coaching staff,&rdquo; Gordon explained. &ldquo;I've relied on my talent for so long &mdash; just natural talent, not enough on the cerebral part of the game. So I think now is the time to switch.
&ldquo;[I&rsquo;ll be] studying film. Just study, study, study &mdash; everybody that's in the league, every game, every set, just leave no stone unturned. I feel like it will slow the game down even more for me and really allow my natural talent to excel. Obviously, I'm going to continue to work on the jumper and just rounding out my game. That's part of it. But the cerebral part, being a student of the game, that's my main focus for this offseason&hellip; That's the way that I'm going to help improve this team.&rdquo;
At the end of the day, the sky's the limit for the Nuggets. If Jokic continues playing at an MVP level, Murray and Porter can return to form and Gordon makes strides, another deep postseason run is certainly a realistic possibility.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1habvwh r-eqz5dr r-11rk87y r-1dye5f7 r-m611by r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

The Nuggets' 2021-22 NBA season came to an end on Wednesday. Now, Alex Kennedy previews what's next for Denver this offseason.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Denver Nuggets?

Mavericks say guard Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal on his left foot.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1486195180273340416" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter) </a>
ANALYSIS: According to the Mavericks, Hardaway Jr. suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal on his left foot, becoming the third player in the NBA this season to do so (Vlatko Cancar and Zion Williamson). Hardaway Jr. figures to be out for the extended future, expect more details on a possible recovery timeline from the Mavs in the coming days.

Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. fractured his foot during Tuesday's game vs. the Warriros.

Tim Hardaway Jr. suffers fractured foot vs. Warriors

What if I told you the Houston Rockets now have the longest active winning streak in the NBA, and that the New Orleans Pelicans have won more over their last 10 games than many playoff contenders?
We've hit the holiday season with a bizarre stretch of basketball, where it truly seems like any non-Oklahoma City Thunder team can win on any given night. But with every surprise winner somes a disappointed loser, and as the .500-ish squads stack up, many fans are growing increasingly frustrated.
These are prime conditions for a much-needed Sour Rankings shakeup. Over half of this week's field is comprised of previously-unranked teams.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going:
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;Cleveland is officially back with Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen has been playing at an All-Star level lately. Even the losses have been of good quality. The Philadelphia 76ers went 2-1 this past week and beat the Atlanta Hawks on national TV behind Joel Embiid's return to his normal self. Pascal Siakam's 31-point game in Toronto's win on Sunday inspired enough confidence in his return to push the Raptors out of these rankings.
Houston also makes the most impressive escape of the season to date. Its six-game winning streak propels the team out of our No. 2 spot. Meanwhile, New Orleans is a respectable 5-5 in the last 10 games and breaks out after holding the No. 1 ranking for most of the early weeks. Good on the Pels.
10. Miami Heat (14-10)
Bam Adebayo is down for an extended period due to thumb surgery, and the Heat have won just one game in his absence against the rudderless Indiana Pacers. They were hit by two crushing losses to the Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks who, not coincidentally, have some dominant interior presences. In the defeat to Milwaukee, Miami rolled with a Dewayne Dedmon/PJ Tucker/Max Strus/Omer Yurtseven frontcourt rotation. They're fine players, but none bring the combination of defensive acumen and offensive playmaking of Adebayo.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Detroit Pistons (4-18)
The Pistons are tied for the longest winless streak and worst record in the NBA &mdash; not exactly coveted crowns. Things have still been touch-and-go for most of the young prospects, but Cade Cunningham does appear to be growing into his role as the offensive hub of the franchise. Cunningham dropped 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Trail Blazers, and then 19 points and 5 assists vs. Phoenix.&nbsp;
(Last week: 8)
8. Sacramento Kings (10-14)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marvin Bagley III (<a href="https://twitter.com/MB3FIVE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MB3FIVE</a>) in the Kings last 3 wins 20 MINS vs Clippers 12 PTS, 11 REB, 67% FG 35 MINS vs Lakers 13 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 100% FG 19 MINS vs Blazers 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 3PTS, 67% FG<a href="https://t.co/RbwXyg4woi">pic.twitter.com/RbwXyg4woi</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1467520387697287168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

A solid week for Sacramento, who rebounded from a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers by sweeping the L.A. Clippers in a two-game series. Terence Davis logged two outings of 20-plus points to help grab that win, and Marvin Bagley III chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second victory over LAC. The Kings are in the midst of a pretty odd stretch, having played just one game in five days. Hopefully that's given interim head coach Alvin Gentry some time to stabilize things.
(Last week: 6)
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-16)
Look, I'm still a massive believer in the overall franchise direction of the OKC Thunder franchise. And a young team is going to take its lumps as part of the rebuilding process. But a 73-point loss is a 73-point loss, and an eight-game losing streak is an eight-game losing streak. OKC has to find some way to play meaningful, competitive hoops for the sake of learning and development. Nine of the team's 16 defeats have been by double digits.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Dallas Mavericks (11-11)
The Mavericks are 2-7 in their last nine games, with those wins coming against the Clippers and Pelicans. They missed Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on Saturday and lost to a Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies squad in a contest that was not as close as the final score indicates. In this nine-game stretch, the once-high-octane Mavs offense has cleared 110 points just three times.
Dallas fans had to watch with longing as Texas native Desmond Bane, who the team passed on in favor of Josh Green in the 2020 NBA Draft, lit up the court. Green has played 54 minutes this season.
(Last week: Unranked)
5. Portland Trail Blazers (11-13)
So Neil Olshey is finally out as general manager, and based on the reports of his workplace culture (and the team's perpetual mediocrity), that seems like a long overdue move. But the act of firing a general manager midseason should never make you feel good about the team &mdash; it's just an obvious sign that things are not going well. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-damian-lillard-wants-to-play-with-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Damian Lillard wants to play with Ben Simmons</a>, but would this theoretical pairing be enough to drastically alter Portland's ceiling?&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Lillard is out with an abdominal injury, and the Blazers are 1-5 in their last six games.
(Last week: Unranked)
4. Denver Nuggets (11-11)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Joker leads the way 🃏 Nikola Jokic goes for 32 PTS, 11 REB and 5 AST in 27 minutes as the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> pick up the win in NYC! <a href="https://t.co/uLvOrnFDIn">pic.twitter.com/uLvOrnFDIn</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1467233497051926530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Nikola Jokic returned and yanked Denver out of the No. 1 ranking with his 32-point performance in a win over the Knicks. The Nuggets did still drop one to the lowly Orlando Magic, and now Bones Hyland, Austin Rivers and Bol Bol are all in the league's health and safety protocols. We'll see how this ragtag rotation does with four games in the next six days.
(Last week: 1)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (12-12)
The Lakers have played one contest in six days &mdash; a loss to the Clippers. Frank Vogel has now labeled Dwight Howard as the only center in the rotation, which is most notable because it means he still won't label Anthony Davis a center. L.A. gives up the fifth-most turnovers in the league and allows the fourth-most opposing offensive rebounds, so teams receive plenty of chances to score. Next up is a pivotal rivalry rematch against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
(Last week: 3)
2. New York Knicks (11-12)
Shaking up the rotation hasn't changed the results. The Knicks are on a three-game losing streak, and got trounced by the injury-plagued Nuggets this weekend. Julius Randle sporadically flips from All-NBA superstar to two-way negative, and RJ Barrett still cannot buy a consistent jump shot. New York got shredded by Denver's bench, consisting of Facundo Campazzo, Zeke Nnaji, Vlatko Cancar, JaMychal Green and the recently-signed Davon Reed.
(Last week: 4)
1. Indiana Pacers (9-16)
Indy Cornrows' Caitlin Cooper wrote an excellent analysis of just <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/2021/12/5/22815853/how-crunch-time-defines-the-current-state-of-the-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how bad the Pacers are when crunch time comes</a>. Our own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-must-accept-new-reality-and-become-sellers-at-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Sidery slammed the franchise</a> for languishing in mediocrity well past due. Indiana is 9-16 and on the thin edge of the playoff race. Altogether, that alone should explain why the Pacers have plummeted to the No. 1 spot in these rankings.
(Last week: Unranked)

Five new teams appear in the Sour Rankings after some major shakeup.

NBA Sour Rankings: With losers winning, the rankings turn upside down

Brooklyn coach Steve Nash doesn't mind his players feeling a little uncomfortable right now. Or even seeing them suffer a bit.
It can only help later on, the Brooklyn coach reasoned. The Nets were definitely struggling, too, down 21 points to Denver at one point before flipping a switch and storming back.
Kevin Durant scored 33 points, including five free throws over the last 21 seconds, and Kyrie Irving added 31 as the Nets snapped a four-game skid by beating the short-handed Nuggets 125-119 on Saturday night.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy for us to be uncomfortable right now. I&rsquo;m happy for us to struggle, suffer," Nash said. "These experiences when we&rsquo;re on the mat are good for us. Our guys responded tonight.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
KD (32 PTS) &amp; Kyrie (31 PTS) helped the Nets overcome a 21-PT deficit 😤 <a href="https://t.co/KIGXNmLIa0">pic.twitter.com/KIGXNmLIa0</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1391252831877832712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The Nets moved a half-game in front of Milwaukee for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn remained three games behind East-leading Philadelphia.
The difference between the first half (outscored 71-56) and the second (outscoring Denver 69-48) was pretty simple to Durant: &ldquo;We got on the same page in the second half and played our hardest."
After trailing by as many as 21 points in the first half, the Nets took the lead for good at 111-110 on a 3-pointer by Joe Harris with 6:12 remaining. It was their first lead since 35 seconds into the game.
But it was far from easy down the stretch. Nikola Jokic had a chance to give the Nuggets the lead with 23.9 seconds left, only to see his turnaround miss. Durant made two free throws to make it 122-119.
Durant was fouled soon after Jokic missed a shot on the other end. The Nuggets big man was upset over the no-call and lost his cool, picking up a technical with 9.1 seconds left. Durant made three free throws to secure the win.
Blake Griffin had 16 of his 20 points in a pivotal third quarter to help the Nets climb back into the game.
Jokic brushed off his seeming irritation with the officials down the stretch, simply saying: &ldquo;No comment. Next question.&rdquo;
Instead, he praised the Nets.
&ldquo;They're a talented team,&rdquo; said Jokic, who finished with 29 points, seven boards and six assists.
Michael Porter Jr. added 28 points, including six 3-pointers, as the Nuggets had their seven-game home winning streak snapped. It was their final regular-season game this season at Ball Arena, where the Nuggets finished 25-11.
Facundo Campazzo had 19 points and little-used Markus Howard chipped in a career-best 13 points with the Nuggets turning to unconventional lineups after playing the night before at Utah.
Aaron Gordon was a late scratch due to tightness in his right calf, joining a growing list of banged-up Nuggets. The injury report now includes Jamal Murray (ACL), Zeke Nnaji (sprained left ankle), Monte Morris (hamstring), Will Barton (hamstring) and PJ Dozier (right adductor strain). Paul Millsap also didn't play just to give him a night off.
In the second quarter, Nuggets coach Michael Malone turned to the little-used lineup of Vlatko Cancar, Bol Bol, Howard, Shaquille Harrison and JaVale McGee.
&ldquo;The silver lining, Markus Howard, Vlatko, Bol, they got a chance to play some real game minutes,&rdquo; Malone said.
TIP-INS
Nets: G James Harden was out for a 17th straight game with a right hamstring strain. ... Durant had 11 boards. ... The Nuggets had a 27-1 edge in second-chance points.
Nuggets: Porter scored Denver's opening 11 points. ... This was the largest blown lead in a loss this season for Denver. The previous biggest was 20 at Washington on Feb. 17.
NASH ON JOKIC
&ldquo;Clearly, I think Jokic is the MVP this year,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s kind of gone wire-to-wire at this high level, and makes his teammates better, makes everything go. They lose Jamal Murray and they haven&rsquo;t really skipped a beat. That shows how good he is.&rdquo;
SAME GAME
Malone sees similarities between Durant and Porter.
&ldquo;Very similar body types, tremendous size, length,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;Obviously, Kevin Durant&rsquo;s body of work is just tremendous; he&rsquo;s one of the top five players in the world.&rdquo;
Durant has a lot of respect for Porter.
&ldquo;He's a unique player who's going to carve his own lane out in the league,&rdquo; Durant said.
UP NEXT
Nets: Finish a five-game trip Tuesday at Chicago.
Nuggets: At Charlotte on Tuesday as Denver concludes the season with four straight road games.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kevin Durant scored 33 points, including five free throws over the last 21 seconds, and Kyrie Irving added 31.

Nets rally in second half behind KD, Kyrie to beat Nuggets, snap four-game skid

Ethan Fuller gauges which NBA teams should be zeroing in on Cade Cunningham.