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Good fortune hasn’t shined on the Denver Nuggets too often the past month or so. Injuries have piled up, travel has been difficult, and a flu bug even went through the locker room.
Through it all, Denver has found a way to win nine games so far this month, and keep themselves in the thick of the Western Conference title chase.
Now, perhaps some good vibes are on the way.
Schedule Has Been Manageable
First, it has to be noted that while the Nuggets have been missing Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valančiūnas for most of January, they have had what most would consider a manageable schedule of games, even if most of them have been away from home. While Joker has been in street clothes, Denver has won road games at Toronto, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans, Dallas, Washington and Milwaukee. Only the Raptors, Celtics and 76’ers are currently in playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Ironically, they’re 2-3 at Ball Arena over the same span. Go figure.
But perhaps the biggest schedule break of all happened on Sunday when the major snowstorm that hit most of the eastern part of the nation caused Denver’s game at Memphis to be postponed. While the Nuggets figured to have regulars Jamal Murray and Valančiūnas back in the lineup for the Grizzlies tilt, the added rest was more of a victory than anything that would show up in the standings.
Respite Will Benefit Exhausted Regulars
Between the win in Milwaukee on Friday night and Tuesday night’s upcoming home game against East-leading Detroit, that’s almost four full days of rest for a group who’s healthy players are worn out, too.
While Denver’s been playing shorthanded, and several reserves who don’t normally get a lot of minutes have seen a lot of action, players like Murray, who’s been the only Nuggets starter who hasn’t been on the injured list, have had to play more minutes and carry a bigger load than perhaps ever before in their careers. That’s definitely true for forward Peyton Watson, who could be labeled Denver’s 7th or perhaps 8th man. His workload – which has included nine 20-point games and three more where he scored 30 – has far exceeded anything he’s done previously in the NBA.
Those guys have been running on fumes. A three day break is just what the trainers ordered for them.
One additional benefit of the cancellation in Memphis (and the Nuggets did not get to return to Denver immediately. Travel issues forced them to remain in Memphis for the entirety of their “break”) is that it’s one less game that Jokic will miss. Aside from the fact that he will likely be able to play against Memphis when the game is made up, he will also – provided he returns to the lineup this week as speculated – get a greater buffer in the MVP race. With needing to play in 65 games, his injury had the potential to run past the 17-game threshold for games he could miss. Now, if he plays Tuesday night against Detroit and does not miss more than three more contests, he’ll still be eligible for postseason awards.
Small victories during a long and taxing season.
Mark Knudson Mark is a former MLB pitcher for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies. He’s the only person ever to play high school, college and professional baseball in Colorado. Mark earned a BA in Technical Journalism from Colorado State University and has worked in radio, television and print sports media since 1994. He’s the co-author of “Pitching to the Corners” with former teammate Don August and the author of “Just Imagine,” a historical fiction novel about The Beatles.
Mark is currently a feature writer and columnist for Mile High Sports in Denver and recently joined the team at Heavy.com. Mark is also a high school baseball coach in the Denver area. More about Mark Knudson
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