National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers: 3 Things to Watch For in This Rematch

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

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The LA Lakers will look to avenge their first preseason loss in this rematch against the Western Conference foes, the Denver Nuggets.

After 182 days, the Denver Nuggets are back in the Mile High.

The last time the Nuggets played in Denver was on April 10, a loss to the Utah Jazz.

That’s 26 weeks. Or 4,368 hours. Or 262,080 minutes. Or 15,724,800 seconds.

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Since that game, Donald Trump won the Republican nomination, Harambe the gorilla was shot, an eighth Harry Potter book was released and, the Cavs ended the city of Cleveland’s 52 year professional championship drought.

Also since that game, the Nuggets added rookies Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez, resigned Darrell Arthur and Mike Miller, and traded Joffrey Lauvergne.

After road games in both Calgary and Los Angeles, the Nuggets return to Denver for the first time this preseason to take on D’Angelo Russell and company at the Pepsi Center on Sunday evening.

Despite boasting a perfect 2-0 record, head coach Michael Malone and his staff still have many kinks to figure out before the season begins on October 26 in New Orleans.

Lets take a look at three things to watch out for in the 3rd preseason game for Denver.

Will Malone stick with the Jokic/Nurkic starting combo?

During the first two games of the preseason, coach Malone has opted to start Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic alongside each other in the starting line up.

The change has been fruitful for both, as they have been able to work cohesively on offense and cause issues around the rim defensively.

However, some have noted that the move has hindered the play of second year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, as there is little space for him to operate.

The move has also forced long time starter Kenneth Faried to the bench.

Preseason games are a terrific way for coaches to experiment with different combinations and styles, and it will be interesting to see if Malone elects to stay with this tall line up or reverts back to Faried.

As this is just the 3rd game of the preseason, the coaching staff will continue to try new things, but the question going forward will be if Malone has already decided that the Nurkic/Jokic combo is here to stay, or merely just experimentation.

Look for this experiment to again be in our takeaways for this game.

Oct 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Jarnell Stokes (12) controls a rebound against Los Angeles Lakers forward Yi Jianlian (11) and guard Julian Jacobs (12) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Who of the fringe players get playing time?

The Nuggets currently have 20 players on the squad, and are faced with the task of trimming the team down to the league maximum of 15 by the start of the season.

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As preseason rolls on, expect veteran players like Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried to get limited game time. Now is the time for the multitude of Denver’s fringe players to prove they belong in the NBA, and take the one remaining roster spot the Nuggets have to offer.

Currently, Robbie Hummel, D.J. Kennedy, JaKarr Sampson, Axel Toupane, Jarnell Stokes and Nate Wolters have unguaranteed deals.

Of those six players, only Hummel and Stokes have seen any significant playing time through the first two preseason games. Stokes logged 4 points and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes of action during Denver’s win over LA, while Hummel did little with his 8 minutes of game time.

Toupane and Sampson spent last season in Denver, but the fact neither of them has seen the court so far opens up the race for the final roster spot.

During game three of the preseason, who it will be intriguing to see who gets on the floor, and who makes the most of the opportunity.

Oct 3, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Toronto Raptors fans as Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) signing autographs before the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Denver Nuggets at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Crowd size

Last season, the Nuggets finished dead last in the NBA in terms of home attendance. Denver has always been a football town, but the fact the Nuggets were last league wide was disappointing for the organiation and its hardcore fans.

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The average attendance for games at the Pepsi Center has dipped each of the last three seasons, coinciding with the Nuggets decline from being perennial playoff team.

With the Nuggets thinking playoffs this year, and the fact that this is the most talented young team the organisation has had in some time, crowd numbers should start to increase again, as the Pepsi Center once again becomes the raucous ‘Can’ it was just a half decade ago.

As touched on off the top, this is the first Nuggets game in Denver since April 10. Fans should be clamoring to see their team play. However, the fact that it is a preseason game, coupled with the fact that the reigning Super Bowl Champion, and currently undefeated Denver Broncos are in action against Atlanta at Sports Authority Field, don;t expect to many fans at the Pepsi Center.

While the low crowd numbers may get a pass during this game, it will be interesting going forward how the city of Denver responds to an upcoming Nuggets squad.

Conclusion

This was will be a wild one, and fans can just hope that they see a nail biter just as the last one turned out to be!

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