Nuggets' 2019-20 schedule takeaways: Toughest matchups, most-anticipated games and more

 

The Nuggets won’t have to wait long this season for a Western Conference semifinal rematch against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Denver will tip-off its regular season Oct. 23 in Portland against their Northwest Division rivals who bested the Nuggets in a seven-game series last May. The Nuggets’ opening night date in Rip City also comes after two preseason matchups between the teams, meaning Denver and Portland will play each other three times in the span of 25 days from Oct. 8-23 just five months after the emotional playoff meeting.

Now that’s sassy.

Here’s what you need to know from the Nuggets’ 2019-20 regular season schedule which was released Monday afternoon. (Click here for the full schedule.)

Nuggets should get off to another fast start

Remember when Denver raced out to a 9-1 start last season with wins over the Clippers, Warriors, Jazz and Celtics, but also the Suns, Kings, Bulls, Cavs and Pelicans? Yes, the Nuggets’ hot open to the season was partially fueled by a few of the mediocre opponents that lined their October and early-November portions of the schedule. But Denver’s year-over-year continuity played a heavy role too.

Those two factors will again be in play at the start of the upcoming season. The Nuggets are on track to return 92% of their minutes from last year’s 54-win team and Denver also opens its regular season with 10 of its first 17 games at home. Twelve of the Nuggets’ first 17 opponents missed the playoffs last year as well.

Nuggets’ first 17 games:

• Oct. 24 at Portland (ESPN)
• Oct. 25 vs Phoenix
• Oct. 28 at Sacramento
• Oct. 29 vs Dallas
• Oct. 31 at New Orleans (TNT)
• Nov. 2 at Orlando
• Nov. 5 vs Miami
• Nov. 8 vs Philadelphia
• Nov. 10 at Minnesota
• Nov. 12 vs Atlanta
• Nov. 14 vs Brooklyn (TNT)
• Nov. 17 at Memphis
• Nov. 20 vs Houston
• Nov. 22 vs Boston
• Nov. 24 vs Phoenix
• Nov. 26 vs Washington
• Nov. 30 at Sacramento

The Nuggets should be able to race out to another promising start which will help Denver survive a difficult March when the weather gets colder and the Nuggets’ schedule gets a bit icy.

March Madness

The toughest portion of the Nuggets’ schedule is in March when Denver will play 10 of its 16 games that month away from Pepsi Center. The Nuggets’ six March home games will also come against some of the league’s elite — the Raptors, Warriors, Bucks, Clippers, Spurs and Thunder.

Check out Denver’s full March slate. Then look at the stretch from March 5 through March 25 when the Nuggets will play nine of 11 on the road.

Most-anticipated games

Oct 23: Opening night in Portland (7:30 PM MT on ESPN)

It’s a rematch of last season’s Western Conference semifinal series and most of the big names will square off again. However, Portland did lose both Enes Kanter and Seth Curry this summer, who made their presences felt for both their play and extracurriculars throughout the series, and Jusuf Nurkic will also miss this matchup after fracturing his leg last season. Nevertheless, it’s a highly-anticipated opening night rivalry game.

Nov. 20: Nuggets and Rockets square off (7:00 PM MT on Altitude)

Houston has been Denver’s kryptonite over the last few seasons before the Nuggets finally got the better of the Rockets in a home matchup last February. Still, Houston didn’t have Clint Capela in that game who has really hurt the Nuggets in the past. The Rockets also swapped Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul this summer and although Denver has managed to limit Westbrook at times over the last couple of seasons, he could be more difficult to stop now that he’s playing alongside better shooters and a scorer like James Harden.

Dec. 3: Nuggets host LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Lakers for first time (7:00 PM MT on Altitude)

The Lakers are another team that the Nuggets will likely battle with next season for the West crown, and Denver will get its first taste of LeBron James’ revamped roster around him and Anthony Davis in early December.

Dec. 25: Nuggets host Zion Williamson, Pelicans on Christmas (8:30 PM MT on ESPN)

The Nuggets will play on Christmas for the first time since 2012 and to add to the intrigue of the matchup, No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson will visit Pepsi Center for the first time. Denver travels to New Orleans for its first matchup against Williamson on Oct. 31. Halloween on Bourbon St. anyone? More on the Nuggets’ Christmas Days matchup to come.

Jan. 12: Nuggets host new-look Clippers for first time (6:00 PM MT on Altitude)

The Clippers will likely open the regular season as the favorites to come out of the West and they’ll visit the Pepsi Center for the first time in mid-January. That should give Paul George more than enough time to get back to 100% from both left and right offseason shoulder surgeries and he and Kawhi Leonard should be vibing by then.

April 5 and April 14: Nuggets and Jazz face off twice over final nine days of regular season (4:00 PM MT on Altitude and 8:00 PM MT on TNT)

These two late-season matchups between Denver and Utah could have heavy implications on playoff seeding. The Nuggets and Jazz figure to be among the cream of the crop in the West this season and two meetings in April could decide who takes not only the Northwest Division but perhaps the Western Conference. Denver’s final matchup against Utah which is also its final game of the regular season is a back-to-back as well.

Three toughest games

December 10 at Philadelphia (5:00 PM MT on Altitude)

The 76ers lost Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick this summer but added Al Horford and Josh Richardson. They’ll still be stiff competition especially away from Pepsi Center on the final night of a four-game road trip where Denver will visit New York, Boston, Brooklyn and finally Philadelphia over the span of six days.

March 25 at Miami (5:30 PM MT on Altitude)

The Heat added Butler but they’re not expected to be among the top teams in the East, so why do they make this list? Denver visits Miami for the final game of a long four-game road trip in mid-March where the Nuggets bounce around from Oklahoma City to Toronto and then to Chicago and finally South Beach, which because of its temptations off the court and quality basketball on it, always make for a difficult place to play.

March 31 at Golden State (8:00 PM MT on TNT)

The Nuggets went a league-best 12-1 on back-to-backs last season and again have 13 on their schedule this season. Their toughest is a late-season back-to-back on the road in Golden State a night after hosting the Thunder. The Warriors lost Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala but are getting slept on in the West. Klay Thompson could be back from his torn ACL by this game (and Denver’s matchup against the Warriors on March 3) as well.

Christmas in Denver

Christmas is the NBA’s equivalent to the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day slate of games. Outside of the playoffs, it’s the biggest stage of the year where the league’s marquee players and teams attract every set of available eyeballs.

For the first time since 2012, NBA viewers across the country will open their presents, flip on their televisions and see the Nuggets in action. Denver will host Williamson and the Pelicans in the final matchup on Christmas Day (8:30 PM MT on ESPN). Other Christmas Day matchups include the Clippers vs. Lakers, Celtics vs. Raptors, Bucks vs. 76ers, and Rockets vs. Warriors.

Outside of how many national TV games teams have (the Nuggets have 17 which is up from 14 last year) each season, who plays on Christmas Day serves as a good barometer as to how much league-wide clout teams have heading into the year. The Nuggets’ Western Conference semifinals appearance clearly made an impression on the league’s schedule makers.