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Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 Things to Watch For

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

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Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) dunks the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) and center Tarik Black (28) at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Lakers defeated the Nuggest 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets will be facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, October 12. This will be the first time these two young teams have faced each other this preseason.

The Denver Nuggets are now 2-1 in the preseason after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers last game, 124-115. In that game the Nuggets sat key players like Nikola Jokic and Wilson Chandler. Also, Darrell Arthur and Gary Harris sat due to injury.

The Timberwolves are comparable to the Nuggets because they both boast young rosters who are expected to be on the come-up this season. They are both in the same division in the Western Conference, so there is that divisional rivalry as well.

Everyone around the league knows who Karl Anthony-Towns is and they know that he is a force to be reckoned with. Can the Nuggets duo of Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic be able to contain the 2016 Rookie of the Year? Also, will they be able to continue to produce on the offensive side of the ball?

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There are many aspects to the Nuggets’ game that should be watched on Wednesday. So here is what you should watch when Emmanuel Mudiay and gang travel to Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Are there other things to watch for in the Nuggets’ upcoming game that we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

Oct 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) shoots against Denver Nuggets forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Defending the Three

This was one of the biggest factor in the back-to-back games the Nuggets had against the Lakers. Last game the Lakers were able to shoot 50 percent from behind the arc. D’Angelo Russell was able to cook up 12 of his 33 points from the three-ball alone.

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The Timberwolves don’t have the same caliber of three-point shooters that the Lakers did in Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Nick Young, and Lou Williams. That doesn’t mean that they cannot shoot from downtown though.

Nemanja Bjelica, Zach LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins are a few of Minnesota’s shooters that could cause problems from outside. LaVine sank 4 of 6 three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ previous game against the Charlotte Hornets. Karl Anthony-Towns can also nail a three-pointer if the defense isn’t paying attention.

Our guards, and even big guys, need to close out on shooters taking jumpers from the outside. Getting a hand in the shooters face is a minimum. Whether that means being quicker on your feet to get to shooters or fighting over top of screens, the Nuggets need to play better perimeter defense.

Can the Nuggets do that against the Timberwolves? We will see if any defensive adjustments are made to rectify their defensive woes.

Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) shoots the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Lakers defeated the Nuggest 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Can Nurkic Continue Dominating?

So far in the preseason, Jusuf Nurkic has been 3-for-3 on double-doubles in the preseason. His most recent was 21 points and 16 rebound performance against the Lakers.

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It’s no doubt that Nurkic has been an absolute monster. He posted 18 points and 14 rebounds in the first game against the Lakers, as well as 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Raptors.

In the offseason, Nurkic lost 35-pounds to slim down his body. Could this be the source of his amazing play in the preseason? Losing that weight might have been the key for Nurkic to utilize his full potential. It is still early in the year, so its impossible to be certain, but it’s a nice piece of optimism for Nuggets’ fans.

Next game Nurkic will be going against Karl Anthony-Towns and Gorgui Dieng down-low. The duo of Dieng and Towns will be a great test of young talent against the Nuggets duo of Nurkic and Jokic. It will be interesting to see if Nurkic can keep posting those numbers going forward.

There is also the chance that Mike Malone will opt to rest Nurkic in the next game as he has done with other players on the team. If that is the case then we should watch for Jokic to pick up more offensive touches in the next game. It would be a testament to our young front court if Jokic can pick up where Nurkic left off.

Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jose Calderon (5) is defended by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Lakers defeated the Nuggest 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rookies Making the Most of their Minutes

After Gary Harris left the game against the Raptors with a right groin strain, Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, and Juancho Hernangomez knew that they would pick up more minutes.

The first game that Harris was out against the Lakers, the three rookies made good use of their minutes. Murray had 16 points, 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists in his 32 minutes played and Hernangomez had 8 points and 4 rebounds in his 19 minutes played. Beasley only scored 6 points and 3 rebounds, but he also only played for 12 minutes.

The next game against the Lakers, it was a different story for the rookies. Jamal Murray 21 minutes and was only able to score 6 points and grab 3 boards. Malik Beasley played 20 minutes, scored 3 points and grabbed just one rebound. Hernangomez played well, as he scored 13 points and had 9 rebounds in his 25 minutes played.

Everybody has nights where they are cold from the floor and unluckily Murray and Beasley both were not shooting well last game. With Harris set to miss 4-6 weeks with his injury, the rookies will continue to play more minutes.

Therefore, they should look to capitalize on the minutes they receive. The NBA is a competitive league, not just against your opponents, but also your teammates. If you play well, you will be rewarded with more minutes.

The rookies need to seize this opportunity to prove themselves, so that when Harris comes back their minutes don’t drastically decrease.

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