Warriors greet Nuggets at Pepsi Center as Denver returns from five-game road trip

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Regular Season Game No. 8 | Golden State Warriors (6-2) at Denver Nuggets (3-4)

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado | 7:00 PM MST | TV: Altitude

After a five-game road trip, the Denver Nuggets are back in the Mile High City. Who’s waiting there to greet them? None other than Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the Golden State Warriors.

Here’s what to watch for:

“Jurkic” takes center stage

This preseason against the Warriors was Denver’s new-look frontcourt’s coming out party. Jurkic outscored Golden State’s vaunted “Death Lineup” 13-6 during a five-minute stretch to close the first half. That was the last the Warriors starters played that night, but that stretch apparently left an imprint in coach Michael Malone’s mind as he’s started Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic in every game since.

The Warriors are a much different team than they were in Denver on October 14 when they visited the Nuggets in just the fourth game they played together as a group. They’re coming into their own, developing a chemistry, and turning into the juggernaut we all thought they would.

If the Jokic – Nurkic frontcourt gets down early, I’d expect a lot of Wilson Chandler (see below), but if they hold their own, Denver will look to crack the code in Golden State’s Death Machine.

Wilson Chandler‘s impact

Without Will Barton, who was given a 7-10 day timetable to return by Malone on November 8, the Nuggets don’t win tonight without Chandler.

Ther versatile swingman has been Denver’s most valuable player through seven games and is the linchpin to the Nuggets potential “Death Lineup,” which they’ll need to deploy against the Warriors unless Jurkic rises above. Even though Denver countered Golden State’s lineup featuring Curry, Thompson, Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Green, and Jurkic and succeeded, Jokic and Nurkic can’t play together against every small ball look the Warriors will throw Denver’s way.

Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Chandler, and Jokic have only played 23 minutes together, but have registered a 37.7 NetRtg and outscored opponents 67-40. Even better, that trio plus Emmanuel Mudiay has outscored opposing lineups 60-34 in just 20 minutes and boasts a 45.8 NetRtg, per NBA.com. Add Harris to the mix and you have Denver’s optimal closing lineup that can switch 1-4, with four players that the defense has to respect from three

It might be a clash of styles Wednesday night, one Malone will have to be ready to adjust to at a moment’s notice.

Rookie road Warriors

The Nuggets are coming off a five-game road trip. That’s a lot of time away from home after one just one regular season home game for such a young group especially after spending training camp and much of the preseason on the road.

As Denver enters tonight’s matchup with Chandler and Darrell Arthur‘s statuses up in the air, and Will Barton out of the lineup, rookies like Jamal Murray and Juancho Hernangomez‘s roles will be expanded. That’s a lot to ask of first-year players who have yet to endure the rigors of a full NBA schedule.

Up against the Warriors, playing their sixth game in 11 nights, Denver will need their rookies to come up big. Can Hernangomez defend wings like Iguodala for significant stretches, or can Murray, score efficiently while defending the likes of Curry, Thompson and rookie sharpshooter Patrick McCaw?

Tonight, Denver will be tested from all angles. Can they hang with the Warriors who might be without Curry, who tweaked his ankle in Golden State’s win over the Dallas Wednesday night? Can Nurkic and Jokic have the same impact together that they did in the preseason, just four weeks ago?

Storylines aplenty as Golden State makes their first regular season visit to Denver.