National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets: Containing DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry Is a Huge Concern

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are two of the up and coming stars in the league. It is extremely vital the Denver Nuggets try their best to keep them grounded tonight.

Denver faces Toronto tonight who will be an extremely tough match-up. One of the key things the Denver Nuggets must do is to not let their stars in DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry get too hot.

In just the first two games, the Nuggets have allowed the superstars they have faced to eat them alive. They have allowed Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard to combine for 87 points against them, a trend that must be stopped in order for Denver to win games.

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Now, there is no question that DeRozan and Lowry are still going produce for Toronto. But the Nuggets have the talent to at least contain them a little bit. As a result, this will allow the team to operate with a bit of a cushion and force the role players for the Raptors to step up and try to beat them.

The Nuggets were able to prevail in the preseason against this Raptors team 108-106. However, the Toronto stars sat out the entire 4th quarter in that game.

In order for the Nuggets to start excelling on the defensive end of the court, one of the things they need to do is to start holding their own against the opposition’s star players. This is something that obviously has not happened in the first two games of the year. Especially after Lillard hit the game winning floater Saturday night. While Harris’ injury does not bode well for their defense, his missing is still no excuse for the defensive problems before them.

Allowing Davis to score 50 and Lillard and McCollum to combine for 60 points is not a recipe for success. This is just when it comes to scoring as well, never mind the other stats like rebounding, blocks, and assists.

If Denver can keep DeMar DeRozan from getting to the line and force him to shoot from 3-point land along with keeping Kyle Lowry at bay, then the Nuggets will have a solid opportunity tonight.

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