Thunder big three 'will get increased minutes' versus Nuggets

The Rundown

The Denver Nuggets are 4-1 heading into their second to last preseason game. Since dropping the opener to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Oct. 3, Denver has won their last four games, and will look to make that five straight as they face Northwest Division rival Oklahoma City.

The Thunder enter tonight’s contest with a record of 3-1. Oklahoma City is coming off a 94-78 loss at Memphis on Oct. 16th. First year head coach Billy Donovan rested the big three of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka against the Grizzlies. This will be Oklahoma City’s final home game of the preseason.

When

Sunday, Oct. 18th at 5:00 p.m. MST

Where

Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK

Quick Shots – Nuggets

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has rolled out some rather interesting lineups throughout the preseason and look for that to continue tonight in Oklahoma City. Especially with Danilo Gallinari (ankle sprain), Gary Harris (foot strain), Darrell Arthur (knee bruise) and Nikola Jokic (knee contusion) all listed as questionable on the injury report. Randy Foye, who has been fighting a hamstring injury, will sit out the third game in a row.

Gary Harris is shooting 46.6 percent from 3-point range (7-15).

It will be interesting to see how much playing time J.J. Hickson will get after not seeing the floor in Friday’s game against Phoenix. Hickson has struggled throughout the preseason and would be advised to have a good game, if given the opportunity tonight, as final roster cuts are looming. Hickson could be on the outside looking in finding a spot in the Nuggets rotation.

Other players looking to make a mark will be Will Barton, Erick Green and Nick Johnson – all of whom played around 20 minutes versus the Suns. With the possibility of several Nuggets sitting this game out, an abundance of minutes could be available. This is especially key for Green and Johnson who sit on the roster bubble as the preseason winds down.

Malone has raved about Johnson’s defense, he gets a block at the rim here.

Emmanuel Mudiay looks to be in line for some action after being held out against the Suns to rest. Mudiay has steadily improved each game this preseason and will hope to continue that trend as he will go head-to-head against one of the league’s top point-guards in Russell Westbrook.

Quick Shots – Thunder

Billy Donovan said Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka “will get increased minutes” in the Thunder’s final two preseason contests, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. So look for the big three to play most of the night against the Nuggets. This will certainly poise a challenge for a young and starting to gel Denver team.

Steven Adams has played well throughout the preseason and is coming off a 15 point, 7 rebound and 2 block game against the Grizzlies. The only other Thunder player to post double-digit points in Memphis was shooting guard Anthony Morrow, who finished the game with 16 points after shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Former Nuggets guard Julyan Stone was signed by the Thunder in late September, but has only appeared in one game, playing a mere four minutes against Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker, this preseason. Stone played sparingly during his two seasons with the Nuggets (2011-12 and 2012-13) as he went back and forth from the D-League to the NBA. The highlight of his tenure in Denver came in Game 5 of the 2013 Nuggets vs. Warriors series when he played stifling defense on Steph Curry during the second quarter of the Nuggets 107-100 victory. It was the last victory of the George Karl era as the Nuggets would go on to lose Game 6, and the series, two nights later in Oakland.

Denver started Jameer Nelson, Harris, Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried and Joffrey Lauvergne against the Suns. Coach Malone is most likely going to have a different starting lineup tonight, an official announcement of starters and scratches will be made closer to gametime.

Tipoff will be at 5:00 pm MST and streamed through the Thunder’s website.