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Pelicans at Nuggets on Christmas Day --- The Nuggets are starting to get true respect!

Finally some respect for Nuggets, but this level of the rookie hype is ridiculous to send Pelicans kindergarten to the team with the best home-court record. Instead of New Orleans, we should play on 2019 Christmas Day vs Utah Jazz!

BTW, Vegas already give odds for Christmas games

NBA 2019-20 schedule will be released on Monday. I have mixed feelings on what schedule I prefer for this season. Last season I hated how stacked was our schedule in the final part of the season (after ASG), the hardest in the league. But there are also some advantages when the schedule is easier at the beginning, so we started the season with 9-1, and even lead the West until February.

Last two seasons Denver has probably hardest schedule in the league, and a big part of that story is the fact that NorthWest Division was arguably strongest in the league, with all 5 teams competing for the playoff and at least 4 reach it. But with the collapse of Oklahoma and Butler exit from Minnesota, and rise of the LA teams, the strongest division in 2019-20 is going to be Pacific, so the hardest schedule will be probably reserved for one of the Pacific teams I guess (Sacramento or Phoenix).

Maybe the balanced schedule is the best solution with similarly hard 1st, middle, and final part of the season.

Just released: Denver opens in Portland, October 23, 2019.

I love it!

https://www.nba.com/nuggets/schedule

Start of season seems relatively easy - so does the end of the season. Although we end with a home-road back-to-back.

2 home games before the All-Star break with 1 road game after the break.


December, January, & March seem like our most difficult months (especially March)

We have no terrible road trips (two or more consecutive road games) and not too many back-to-backs:

Back-to-Backs:

5 Home-road
2 Road-home
2 Road-road
3 Home-home

Road Trips:

4 games in 6 days in December
4 games in 7 days in January
3 games in 5 days in January
2 games in 3 days in February
2 games in 3 days in March
3 games in 4 days in March
4 games in 6 days in March

All of the above is from a quick look and subject to corrections:
All of the opinions expressed are my own and always subject to being incorrect.

First takes:

- only 17 National TV games!?
- once again easier schedule at the start, so during October-November I expect 75%+ 13-4 start or better
- the worst part is between March 5-25 where we playing 9 road games out of 11, and those 2 at home are vs Bucks and Clippers

My first projection:
OCT 3-2
NOV 10-2
DEC 11-5
JAN 10-6
FEB 7-3
MAR 9-7
APR 5-2
ALL 55-27

Much better than last season where we have TOP5 hardest schedule. But this is expected after collapse of two NorthWest Divisions rivals Oklahoma and Minnesota, which we will play 4+4 times, but without George, Westbrook, Butler...

SOS means Strength of Schedule, and in this case for all 30 teams is based on Vegas O/U lines.

My best attempt by month:
Oct 3-2
Nov 9-3
Dec 12-4
Jan 11-5
Feb 8-2
Mar 8-8
Apr 5-2

Total: 56-26

NuggetsWY wrote:My best attempt by month:
Oct 3-2
Nov 9-3
Dec 12-4
Jan 11-5
Feb 8-2
Mar 8-8
Apr 5-2

Total: 56-26

Nuggets will probably lead once again West at the all-star break. We have an easier schedule before ASG than after, while for the Clippers, Lakers, Rockets, and Jazz, it is the opposite case. But unlucky for Malone, I think coaches are not allowed to coach back to back at the all-star game.

Feels like the first decent schedule in a few years, perhaps we’re gaining some respect from the NBA schedulers

OOPS... during merging two same threads in one seems I didn't check two posts from the 2nd thread. Sorry to TunaFish and NuggetsWY which I think are authors of these posts.

THE J0KER wrote:OOPS... during merging two same threads in one seems I didn't check two posts from the 2nd thread. Sorry to TunaFish and NuggetsWY which I think are authors of these posts.

It was a good idea to merge. Thanks

TunaFish wrote:

THE J0KER wrote:OOPS... during merging two same threads in one seems I didn't check two posts from the 2nd thread. Sorry to TunaFish and NuggetsWY which I think are authors of these posts.

It was a good idea to merge. Thanks

Sorry once again. I watched Liverpool-Chelsea soccer game on the 2nd monitor and was obviously not enough careful during the process.

THE J0KER wrote:

TunaFish wrote:

THE J0KER wrote:OOPS... during merging two same threads in one seems I didn't check two posts from the 2nd thread. Sorry to TunaFish and NuggetsWY which I think are authors of these posts.

It was a good idea to merge. Thanks

Sorry once again. I watched Liverpool-Chelsea soccer game on the 2nd monitor and was obviously not enough careful during the process.

There are some schedule quirks here that I can't figure out such as: Portland plays the Lakers 3 times, Denver plays the Lakers 4 times, yet they are in both in the Northwest Division and should have a similar schedule.

Sorry for the confusion... I just realize that all posts from both threads about 2019-20 schedule are actually merged successfully

TunaFish wrote:There are some schedule quirks here that I can't figure out such as: Portland plays the Lakers 3 times, Denver plays the Lakers 4 times, yet they are in both in the Northwest Division and should have a similar schedule.

The only thing which is guaranteed in Denver Nuggets schedule every season is 4 games against NorthWest rivals (UTA, POR, OKC, MIN) and 2 games against every Eastern Conference team. That is 4x4+2x15=46 games. The rest of the 82-46=36 games against 10 non-divisional rivals coming from formula 6Tx4G+4Tx3G, but before season's schedule is released we don't know against which 6 teams of these 10 we will play 4 games, and against which 4 WC teams Nuggets will play 3 games.

This season 6 WC teams from other divisions against which Nuggets will play 4 games are LAL, HOU, DAL, SAC, PHO, MEM.
4 WC teams against which Nuggets will play 3 games are GSW and NOP (twice on the road), and LAC and SAS (twice at home).

Contenders always tend to have an easier schedule than the rest of the conference teams, simply because they not playing against itself Also, it is always good if teams you playing 3 times but twice at home are strong, and we have that unfair advantage vs Clippers and Spurs, which makes our schedule even better, and WC teams which we will face 3 times but twice on the road are Warriors and Pelicans, which is good, because GSW first home game will play without Thompson, and Pelicans are still lottery team. And I think for a young team it is better to have an easier schedule at the start than at the finish, which is once again the case with Denver this season, I guess team will bring some extra confidence from another strong start.

I like this schedule.