Can the Nuggets find a way to contain the Jazz P&R with Gobert once again absent?

Warmer... Warmer!

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Still keepin' the seat warm for The Anchorman.

Denver seeks their first win against Utah, the 4th division opponent in 5 games.

Pre-Game Thoughts: Derrick Favors. The Nuggets have had no answer for the man in the two previous meetings. He and Rubio have worked the P&R to perfection in both games while Rubio's defense has all but eliminated any production out of Denver's young PG's. Hopefully the insertion of Plumlee into the starting unit can serve to curb some of Utah's P&R prowess, as he's the best big man for the Nuggets at hedging.

Denver simply does not seem to match up well against the Jazz. Only Harris (+11) & Jokic (+13) were in double figures TPM last time, both Mudiay and Murray struggled mightily & 5 Nuggets received negative scores.

In the first match-up on opening night, Harris (+16) & Barton (+19) performed admirably in terms of TPM, but had almost no additional support. On that night only Juancho was in the red (-5) but Jokic and Millsap contributed a combined +4 TPM.

The key as I've discussed, is stopping the P&R between Rubio & Favors. Another factor will be to keep Burks from attacking the rim with impunity, something he seems to always do when he's in his old stomping grounds.

The Nuggets, as is the case with most middling teams, are well rested and they have positive momentum on their side after B2B road victories over playoff teams, Portland & Golden State. Lets hope they keep that going and start a new home-winning streak in addition to building off of the success in the last two games.

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And now what none of you come here for; how about some basketball nerdery?!?!

(After these messages... Er Nicknames)

Coach: Quin "The Bond Villain" Snyder

Denver Nuggets Roster

Coach: Michael "Mr Imagination" Malone

Update: Millsap had successful left wrist surgery and is expected back some time around the all star break. Mudiay is probable after tweaking his ankle And Plumlee is playing through a twice dislocated finger for the Nuggets. As for The Jazz, Gobert is out with a knee injury, Neto is on the concussion protocol & Exum is still out with his shoulder injury.

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Data: Open this link in a new tab for the definition of TPM™

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TPM™ Game 34 UTA

Jamal Murray: +16

Emmanuel Mudiay: +7

Monte Morris: N/A

Gary Harris: +18

Will Barton: +14

Malik Beasley: +0

Torrey Craig: -1

Wilson Chandler: +13

Juancho Hernangomez: N/A

Richard Jefferson: +0

Paul Millsap: N/A

Kenneth Faried: N/A

Trey Lyles:+13

Darrell Arthur: N/A

Tyler Lydon: N/A

Nikola Jokic: +10

Mason Plumlee: +10

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Total TPM™ starting Game 1 vs. Uta

Jamal Murray: 34 Games +322

Emmanuel Mudiay: 30 Games +293

Monte Morris: 1 Game +1

Gary Harris: 31 Games +450

Will Barton: 33 Games +327

Malik Beasley: 31 Games +66

Torrey Craig: 7 Games +1

Wilson Chandler: 30 Games +237

Juancho Hernangomez: 16 Games -14

Richard Jefferson: 9 Games -2

Paul Millsap: 16 Games +173

Kenneth Faried: 25 Games +46

Trey Lyles: 29 Games +197

Darrell Arthur: 4 Games -11

Tyler Lydon: 1 Games -3

Nikola Jokic: 27 Games +401

Mason Plumlee: 34 Games +92

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Avg. TPM™ Per Game

Jamal Murray: +9.47

Emmanuel Mudiay: +9.77

Monte Morris: +1.00

Gary Harris: +14.52

Will Barton: +9.91

Malik Beasley: +2.13

Torrey Craig: +0.14

Wilson Chandler: +7.90

Juancho Hernangomez: -0.88

Richard Jefferson: -0.22

Paul Millsap: +10.81

Kenneth Faried: +1.84

Trey Lyles: +6.79

Darrell Arthur: -2.75

Tyler Lydon: -3.00

Nikola Jokic: +14.85

Mason Plumlee: +2.71

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TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 31:

New feature: Team TPM statistics

*Credit DomP on the Spreadsheet. It's as if my (nerdy) baby (TPM™) learned to speak

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Analysis:

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Qtr2- Murray gets his first breather, replaced by Jokic to start the 2nd. If a player misses two FT's as Lyles just did, but there is a violation on the 2nd so he's awarded a third, do they all go in the stat sheet? "As melon scratchers go, that's a honey doodle"- Ned Flanders. Denver leads by 11 at 9:22. 7-9 Nuggets who have played each have a foul, but no one has more than that. You'd be amazed just how often the individual foul distribution correlates to wins and losses. I jinxed it as Craig picks up his 2nd at 8:10. That is of course followed by his third at 7:08 and he is forced to sit. No Marlowe, this is NOT Mitchell's first game at altitude and the ball does NOT go measurably farther here than in SLC. It seems that Mudiay is likely to be a DNPCD unless he gets a chance in recycling time. Denver leads by 12 on the strength of an 8-0 run at 4:50. Both teams are making substitutions liberally tonight due to X-Mas Ham. Lyles has 8 boards in 13 minutes of action as he takes a seat. Denver leads by 11 at 2:05 as both teams are getting a bit sloppy and lethargic. Jokic is the 2nd Nugget in double digits. Denver is paced in TPM by Barton +10, Murray +11 & Harris +15 as they lead 50-34 at the half.

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Halftime: Smoke break? In ten degree weather? No thanks!

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Qtr3- Harris is doing an excellent job creating for others tonight, even if it isn't always showing up in the statistics. Utah already has three fouls at 10:02; shades of Jerry Sloan. Plumlee's hedging has all but eliminated the main factor in the two previous losses vs Utah, the Rubio/Favors P&R. It's such a simple technique, it baffles me that more bigs can't grasp this concept for the Nuggets. Denver is off to a hot start in the third and lead by 21 at 8:17. They are already in the bonus at 7:38. Jokic is dominating offensively and the lead is 20 at 5:15. This unit looks exhausted however and they are getting burned on the offensive glass by the Jazz, who cut it to 16 at 4:24. Harris is the third Nugget to reach double figures and it's his turn to carry the offense. Ill-Will is the fourth Nugget in double digits and the lead is 18 at 1:51. Denver is paced in TPM by Chandler & Plumlee +10, Barton +11, Murray +13 & Harris +17, as they lead 76-59 after three.

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Qtr4- Barton FINALLY sticks a three! Jokic picks up his 4th foul, a Big Honey special (compounding a mistake, this time a bad shot) at 10:02. This is followed in quick succession by another of his specialties, a chicken wing to Jerebko's noggin and Jokic is forced to sit. After review it's called a flagrant two which is the incorrect call IMHO but not something that is beyond possibility. He's ejected and shit just got real. Jokic REALLY needs to get a handle on his elbows and especially his emotions. It's a shame because he had a real shot at his first 3D of the season. That one falls into the category of "unintentionally intentional" I think. The lead is 15 after a Murray dunk at 7:41. SLC is STILL getting seemingly every offensive board and frankly, I'm amazed this game isn't closer. Not that they are opposing one another but of note, Mitchell and Lyles have played to a standstill thus far. Denver is back to the small ball lineup featuring Lyles at the center, that worked so well in the first half and the lead is 18 at 6:33. Barton has had a touch of Mudiayitis at the rim lately. Lyles is the 4th Nugget in double figures. Chandler gets his 4th foul at 3:45 and the lead is down to 16, but the outcome doesn't seem to be in question. Ugly collision of the heads between Lyles and Long results in stitches for the latter. "Canada on Canada violence right there" declares Hastings. RJ, Mudiay & Beasley are in for the aforementioned recycling time and this one is ova! Mudiay disputes my claim and casually drills a three on a four point play, followed by another three. Welcome back Mudiay. You'll enjoy playing on a Plumlee/Fariedless bench unit I believe. Another solid, team victory for the good guys. Denver is paced in TPM by Jokic & Plumlee +10, Lyles & Chandler +13, Barton +14, Murray +16 & Harris +18, as they win their third in a row, this one by a score of 107-83.

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Final Thoughts: This Nuggets squad is starting to look pretty damned good with the insertion of the defensive-minded, team-oriented Plumlee into the starting lineup. He cures a lot of the defensive liabilities of Murray and Jokic, and with the return of Mudiay, Plumlee's insertion into the starting five should only help create spacing for the bench mob.

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The Nuggets Win!

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