National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers: What to Expect in This Rematch

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

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Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets are undefeated after two games in the pre-season and they are heading out to their third game to face the Lakers once again. It is a thrilling ride as we, Nuggets fans, see how this young core is still finding its way.

Our beloved Denver Nuggets have won the first two games of the pre-season, with both games having us Nuggets fans in the edge of our seats.

Yes, it is pre-season, so “J.J., why are you freaking out?” Well, it maybe pre-season, but it is still Nuggets basketball out there, and this is the preview for what we may see in the real season in a few weeks.

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The young Nuggets managed to get away with the win against the Lakers this past friday in what was definitely NOT the best game for them as a team. Mudiay was kind of lost at times. Murray was shooting everything he could, albeit that isn’t a terrible thing.

Hernangomez seemed a little raw. But all of these things showed us what exactly is happening with this team. They are still getting to know each other.

Wilson Chandler is back and throwing down some huge dunks. Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic are making their best efforts to make that frontcourt work. And Malik Beasley is even showing off a little.

So, as we may get desperate with poor decisions in the court, we have to see each and every game to fully understand what is happening and how the Nuggets can get better.

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Friday night’s win was good. But it was not good enough, and we all know that. So, here is what we can expect for this next game.

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Expectations

In the first game of this series, we saw Emmanuel Mudiay a little lost at times. He ended the game with 4 points and 6 assists in 23 minutes, but commited 4 turnovers and was getting completely devastated by D’Angelo Russell, who poured in 21 points in a good 50% FG.

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First thing we may see in this game is Mudiay be a little more focused on what he can do and what he should do. If we know what Malone is good at, it is correcting guys when they are wrong. And we all know that Mudiay is capable of so much more than what we saw friday night.

We also can expect a better performance from the rookies. Last game, all three rookies combined for 30 points, which is not bad considering Murray was the only one with 20+ minutes. But we have to see more of them in order for them to grow.

Murray showed in the last game that he’s capable of knocking down shots under pressure and when they are most needed. Hernangomez is a great big man with a great passing ability and a nice three point shot. And Malik Beasley is like a mini Will Barton (but with better shooting); he can spark in any moment.

Coach Malone will ask these guys to step up if they want to see fair minutes in the regular season and I have no doubt that this is what they’ll do.

Defense is another thing that the Nuggets might want to step up. In both games that they have played and won, they have played some vague defense. They can’t seem to find a way to defend the pick-n-roll the right way, and they seem lost when it comes to rotations.

Both games have been nail biters and as the Nuggs have been able to come out with the victory, I think they are putting themselves more pressure than they need to.

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I fully expect the Nuggets to come with a new mentality. And that is to try and play hard so they can take a lead and build up their confidence from that. I’m marking a win for our Nuggets in this game.

I just hope they find a way to make a correction to those little mistakes.

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