Update: MPJ is still waiting to make his Denver Nuggets debut as he rehabs from multiple back surgeries. Harris is also out with recurring leg ailments. Lydon is out with a concussion. Wow! That was short! As for the Kings, no injuries have been reported.

Re-Up: Lydon is available to play should recycling time be in the cards this evening.

Re-Re-up: Yes I'm aware that trades have been made and the above roster for the opposing team is inaccurate. Hopefully you are aware that the fan-post format isn't equipped to make adjustments to the above template so it often results in entire pieces being destroyed and or hours of work being lost. Simply put, it's not worth the additional effort/risk to change once the Nuggets have faced an opponent once. No disrespect intended. Tune in next season and I assure you the first time Denver plays your team, the roster will be up to date :)

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Data:

TPM™ Game 57 SAC

Nikola Jokic: +18

Jamal Murray: +0

Gary Harris: N/A

Monte Morris: +13

Isaiah Thomas: +11

Paul Millsap: +26

Will Barton: +9

Mason Plumlee: +15

Malik Beasley: +10

Trey Lyles: -5

Juancho: N/A

Torrey Craig: -2

Jared Vanderbilt: N/A

Thomas Welsh: N/A

Brandon Goodwin: N/A

Tyler Lydon: N/A

Michael Porter Jr.: Injured

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Total TPM™

Nikola Jokic: 56 games +1288

Jamal Murray: 51 games +860

Gary Harris: 32 games +448

Monte Morris: 57 games +697

Isaiah Thomas: 1 games +11

Paul Millsap: 45 games +397

Will Barton: 18 games +153

Mason Plumlee: 57 games +471

Malik Beasley: 57 games +447

Trey Lyles: 55 games +303

Juancho: 54 games +17

Torrey Craig: 54 games -16

Jared Vanderbilt: 3 games +10

Thomas Welsh: 9 games +18

Brandon Goodwin: 16 games +28

Tyler Lydon: 21 games -2

Michael Porter Jr.: 0 games +0

Nick Young: 3 games -2

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: 6 games +5

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Avg. TPM™ Per Game

Nikola Jokic: +23.00

Jamal Murray: +16.86

Gary Harris: +14.00

Monte Morris: +12.23

Isaiah Thomas:+11.00

Paul Millsap: +8.82

Will Barton: +8.50

Mason Plumlee: +8.26

Malik Beasley: +7.84

Trey Lyles: +5.70

Juancho: +0.31

Torrey Craig: -0.30

Jared Vanderbilt: +3.33

Thomas Welsh: +2.00

Brandon Goodwin: +1.75

Tyler Lydon: -0.10

Michael Porter Jr.: N/A

Nick Young: -0.67

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: +0.83

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TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 55:

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

Qtr1- The Nuggets go with their 14th iteration of the starting five, consisting of Murray, Beasley, Barton, Millsap & Jokic. The Kings counter with Fox, Hield, Barnes, Bjelica & WCS. Big Honey is "doin' Nikola Jokic things" early, says Marlowe as The Joker passes it to himself off the backboard for an easy two. No Kings fans, the "Rickey Davis Special" is not how Jokic has earned the 15th most triple doubles in NBA history at the age of 23. The teams have missed only one of 11 shots combined, as the Kings lead by six at the time of the first break at 8:14, on the strength of a 10-2 run. Denver has been careless with the ball which plays right into the hands of the much faster Kings. The Nuggets lose the timeout and are forced to call another after a 7-0 run increases the Kings lead to nine at 5:35. Who could come off the bench to stem the tide tonight I wonder? Hmmmmmm.

I was certain Malone would insert Craig since I was alluding to his polar opposite, IT and indeed Torrey as well as Plumlee are in there with 5:00 remaining. IT steps up to the scorers table after a vociferous ovation at 3:12, trailing by fifteen. The Nuggets do this every night it seems; allowing players to get hot from distance vs no resistance and then they start making hotly contested threes as a result. "The Zone" has got to be better accounted for by the Nuggets coaching staff. Morris is in as well so that answers the question of "will the two diminutive guards play together." Six straight points by The Anchorman and the lead is down to nine. He's the first to reach double digits for Denver. Lyles checks in with about a minute to go, allows an easy two by Yogi then scores an easy two vs Bogdan. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Trey Lyles. Denver is paced in TPM by Millsap +8 as they trail 30-41 after one.

Qtr2- The Kings are giving the Nuggets all they can handle tonight. They are also getting the benefit of the kind whistle as the aggressors. It's no wonder Sacramento leads, Giles + Bagley make six! No fair! Plumlee unwisely fouls Bogdan on a three attempt without even getting near the ball. All arm. Nikola checks in after a very long break at 9:30, trailing by 17. Get Lyles the fuck out of there Malone! Denver is just 1-7 from the floor in the second period. IT checks out at 8:01, trailing by 15 and I've gotta say, he looked good as a floor general. Lyles, or as I may start calling him "the least common denominator" is STILL out there at 6:12, trailing by 15. I think I'll go with "Denominator" for short since it sounds facetiously similar to "Dominator." It seems that Juancho (wise) and Vanderbilt (unwise) are the odd men out of the rotation. When Harris returns that HAS to mean that Craig is out of the mix so it may be time to sit Lyles and tighten up the rotation in advance. I see a lot of small ball in the Nuggets future.

Murray sticks a three and it's down to a 12 point game at 5:15. 'Sap is keeping Denver in this one on both ends and it seems that the time off with the ankle injury may have had the silver-lining-effect of allowing the pain in his broken toe to subside a bit. He looks like pre-injury-Paul these past two games. He scores another five in a row for the good guys and the lead is just seven at 3:32. Giles has three fouls for the Kings. Denver is starting to now get the benefit of the whistle as the aggressors and the lead is down to five. The Nuggets are REALLY struggling to convert layups tonight and the lead is up to nine at 1:33. Malone BLOWS THE FUCK UP and is given the hurried heave-ho by the thin-skinned official, at 1:33. Musta' uttered some Carlin words. The Kings get four free-throws out of the deal and now lead by 11. Bad timing on the T by Malone. All momentum and energy was sapped from the building. Big Honey makes two in double digits for Denver. The Nuggets are led in TPM by Millsap +16 as they trail 58-69 at the half.

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Qtr3- The Nuggets score the first four and appear to have indulged in some of Marlowe's famous orange slices at the intermission. Beasley makes three in double digits for Denver after a break-away dunk. This has been a forgettable night defensively for the visibly slowed-by-injury Murray. Fox has a way of making people look slow, but Hield does not so it's clear that Jamal is not right yet. The Nuggets cut it to four on the strength of a 7-0 run, thanks to FINALLY attacking the rim. Barton has lead by example with regard to exactly that. He makes four in double digits for Denver. Jokic is on 3D watch with 12-6-6 at the time of the first break at 7:40. The defensive rotational effort this half, particularly by Nikola and the guards is like night & day when compared to the first half. The same can be said about the chasing of rebounds and 50/50 balls. Beasley cuts it to just one at the charity stripe with 6:23 to go.

WCS earned his fourth foul in the process. Nemanja (who also earns his fourth) can not guard 'Sap down low and there is not a person in the building who doesn't realize this, most importantly, the two of them. Time for a line change as the starters for Denver look gassed. Both teams make wholesale changes in fact at 4:30, with the Kings in the lead by six. Only Big Honey remains in for the Nuggets who have suddenly gone cold, one for their last eight from the floor. Another in a long line of beautiful water polo outlet passes by Jokic to Craig, results in a dunk at 3:33. The Joker now has a 2D with 12-11-8 and his 12th 3D now seems inevitable. IT checks in for Murray at this time, trailing by four. He immediately sticks a three, cutting it to one and the canned crowd is clamoring! The Nuggets then take a two point lead on another IT3! He has eight points in the fourth period. Denver is paced in TPM by Beasley/Jokic +11 & Millsap +25 as they lead 93-91 after three.

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Qtr4- The Key for the Nuggets could be to get Sacramento into early foul trouble, both individually with the Kings starting bigs plus Giles all possessing four but more importantly, to earn the penalty to make this a bit easier. The Anchorman has an impressive 2D with 25-10. Denver leads by three after two from the line by Morris. Reading along from the Can, Giles QUICKLY fouls out at 10:13. Did we just get a "bye Felicia" from Marlowe? He must spend entirely too much time with his daughters. Monte throws down the first jam of his career after an excellent, almost Harry Giles-esque outlet pass by 'Sap, increasing the lead to five at 9:54. Sacramento, like so many visitors to The Pepsi Can, look listless in the final stanza. WCS nabs his fifth foul but to their credit, the Kings are digging deep and hanging in there, trailing by four at 7:45 as our old pal K2 checks in. Sacramento takes the lead on a completely uncontested three by Hield, as Murray and Bogdan exchange pleasantries at center court. I'm not certain that the Nuggets can afford to play Murray to close this one out the way he is getting targeted defensively. He's also the only starter for Denver who has yet to reach double figures. Beasley earns his second T, neither of which did I see him earn and he's ejected with 6:10 to go and the Kings up by one.

Musta' uttered some Carlin words. Big Honey has his 3D with 16-14-10. Barton drills a wide open three and the lead is four for the Nuggets. Millsap checks in at 3:49 so his minutes restriction is being exceeded on this night, as he's obviously needed. Denver enters the penalty with 1:10 remaining, up by six. Murray finally makes five in double digits for Denver, all of the starters. WCS steals it from Jokic and there is simply no quit in these Kings, who cut it to just two with 40 seconds to go. The Kings choose not to foul which is prudent. They get a stop on an awkward drive by Jokic and tie it up by one only slightly less so by Hield. Denver can take the final shot with 15 seconds to play in a tie game. Jokic tips one in with fractions of a second to go but I have a feeling it may get nixed by an offensive interference. It's being reviewed. Somehow it's not overturned, which I kinda disagree with but I'll take it. Eight tenths of a second are put back on the clock so it's hardly over. Keep it away from Bogdan!!!! Hield launches a spinney McGee for three and it's untrue. This one is ova! Denver is paced in TPM by Beasley +10, Thomas +11, Morris +13, Plumlee +15, Jokic +18 & Millsap +26 as they win a new-fashioned barn-burner, 120-118.

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