Nuggets head back to Nebraska for preseason battle against Timberwolves

 

Preseason game No. 4 | Denver Nuggets (2-1)  at Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)

Pinnacle Bank Arena,  Lincoln, Nebraska | 6:00 PM MST | TV: None

 

Injury Report

Gary Harris – OUT (groin)

Darrell Arthur – OUT (knee)

The Denver Nuggets will be looking to rebound from Sunday night’s 124-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Lincoln, Nebraska (7PM MST, No TV) in their fourth preseason game. BSN Denver will be live from Lincoln tonight so be sure to follow along on our Twitter and Facebook pages for live updates and content.

Here are a few of the storylines to keep track of heading into tonight’s game:

Who will start at power-forward for the Nuggets?

Head coach Michael Malone made the decision to start Nikola Jokic at power forward in the first two preseason games alongside Jusuf Nurkic at center. The combination helped lead Denver to victories over the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, while showing potential of being a unique and viable starting front court heading into the regular season.

With Coach Malone opting to rest Jokic on Sunday night against the Lakers it opened the door for Kenneth Faried to make his first start of the preseason. The Manimal nearly posted a double-double in 25 minutes of playing time as he finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Nuggets plan to treat their next two preseason games to test different combinations and rotations and their final three exhibition games like they are regular season contests. We’ll see if Malone continues to experiment with possible starting lineup combinations – especially in the Nuggets front court. Perhaps tonight Malone will elect to see how Faried and Jokic would fare in a starting role, as it’s one combination he’s yet to use this preseason.

Will Juancho Hernangomez continue his trend of improvement each game?

After starting the preseason with a somewhat lackluster performance against Toronto, Hernangomez responded with two solid games against the Lakers this past weekend. On Friday night he posted 8 points and 6 rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time. He built upon that performance on Sunday night as he scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time.

Hernangomez brings a great deal of potential to this Nuggets roster. Heading into the season his role remains unclear. However, with Darrell Arthur still recovering from knee surgery, the door is open for the rookie from Spain to get playing time early in the regular season. If he impresses if and when he is given that opportunity, his role could be extended throughout the regular season.

Are Jarnell Stokes and Robbie Hummel the leaders in battle for final roster spot?

It might be a safe assumption that Stokes and Hummel have looked more impressive in practice than Axel Toupane, Jakarr Sampson, Nate Wolters, and D.J. Kennedy through training camp and the first week of the preseason. And the reason for this assumption would be playing time.

Toupane, Sampson, Wolters, and Kennedy all have not seen the floor through three preseason games. While Stokes and Hummel have seen playing time in each of the games. The preseason will be halfway over tonight and whether or not Coach Malone decides to finally play any of the four above-mentioned players could say a lot about the direction Denver is leaning towards regarding cutting the roster from 20 to 15 in a couple of weeks.

In my opinion, Stokes is the best option for the fifteenth roster spot. He brings the most to the table regarding skill set and playmaking ability. Although, Hummel is a prolific shooter who can stretch the floor and do a variety of things from an offensive standpoint.

If Darrell Arthur is going to be sidelined for an extended period of time heading into the regular season, the Nuggets could decide to keep two of the six players battling for a roster spot. Right now it looks like Stokes and Hummel would have the inside track at being the two that stick around.

Can Jamal Murray and Malik Beasley positively respond from their disappointing performances on Sunday night?

After playing well in the first two preseason games, Murray and Beasley struggled in game three. The rookie guards combined for nine points on fifteen attempts in a rather lackluster offensive performance. The more frustrating takeaway from Sunday’s game was them combining for six of the team’s twenty turnovers.

Rookies are rookies, so growing pains are to be expected. However, it will be interesting and telling to see how each of these guys respond from an off night. Murray and Beasley each had prolific collegiate careers and possess an enormous amount of potential. I think we’ll see them get back on track with a more promising and cleaner performance tonight in Lincoln.

Heading into the regular season, Murray looks to have a more certain and established role on this team. Beasley is likely a year away from cracking the rotation on a regular basis. Yet if the Nuggets are hit by injuries in their crowded backcourt, Coach Malone could opt to give Beasley some looks.

Final Shot

This is an interesting matchup tonight as both teams are coming off a loss in their previous game. These two division rivals will each be looking to get back on track and have the guys at the end of the roster finish the game in a positive manner. Minnesota, like Denver, possess a roster with many talented and exciting young players. It should be a more exciting than usual preseason game.

Tonight’s host venue is no stranger to NBA preseason basketball. Last October the Chicago Bulls took on the Dallas Mavericks in front of a sold out crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Doug McDermott, who went to college at Creighton University in Omaha, hit a buzzer beating shot to give the Bulls a 103-102 victory. Perhaps it could Malik Beasley, who has Omaha roots, repeating the feat with a game-winning shot of his own tonight.