Game 6: New Orleans Pelicans (4-1) @ Denver Nuggets (4-1) - 9:00 PM ET

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[NuggetsWY]

Their best player is probably more important to their team than our best player is to ours IMO and if he's out, this should be a win. Losing this game would drop my hopes for this season, even though it's kind of early in the year (especially after losing to the Lakers).

[3Diamantidis]

Jokic will have a great night most probably.
Still, sucks that AD is out.
Wanted to see how much niko has improved against guys like him or embiid.

[THE J0KER]

No Davis!?

[Mickey8]

Their best player is probably more important to their team than our best player is to ours IMO and if he's out, this should be a win. Losing this game would drop my hopes for this season, even though it's kind of early in the year (especially after losing to the Lakers).

Explain this ???

[Mickey8]

Jokic will have a great night most probably.
Still, sucks that AD is out.
Wanted to see how much niko has improved against guys like him or embiid.

Well he had lots of success against them last couple of seasons , Denver was usually winning those games. I want Jokic to punk Randle tonight, payback time.

[THE J0KER]

Jokic will have a great night most probably.
Still, sucks that AD is out.
Wanted to see how much niko has improved against guys like him or embiid.

Well he had lots of success against them last couple of seasons , Denver was usually winning those games. I want Jokic to punk Randle tonight, payback time.

If this is directed to that dirty move to Jokic from the last DEN-LAL game, that is nothing compared to what Randle do to Millsap last season when he literally broke his hand and forced Millsap to miss more than half of the last season games.

[NuggetsWY]

Their best player is probably more important to their team than our best player is to ours IMO and if he's out, this should be a win. Losing this game would drop my hopes for this season, even though it's kind of early in the year (especially after losing to the Lakers).

Explain this ???

Compare the teams - if Jokic is out, the Nuggets still have a lot of options. Sure, missing him hurts, but we just might still win quite a few games. If AD is out, the Pelicans have some options, but just not as many. His usage rate is much higher than Jokic's.

[THE J0KER]

Their best player is probably more important to their team than our best player is to ours IMO and if he's out, this should be a win. Losing this game would drop my hopes for this season, even though it's kind of early in the year (especially after losing to the Lakers).

Explain this ???

Compare the teams - if Jokic is out, the Nuggets still have a lot of options. Sure, missing him hurts, but we just might still win quite a few games. If AD is out, the Pelicans have some options, but just not as many. His usage rate is much higher than Jokic's.

This is actually a tough question. Jokic usage rate is not even TOP30 in the league, but if we look at the overall impact on the own team, Jokic is TOP5 in the league. But Davis is also TOP5 (other 3 are LeBron, Giannis, and Harden). Randle-Mirotic-Holiday is a very nice trio.

[THE J0KER]

Guys are so bored without Davis in opposite team. Jokic literally has zero rebounds after 20 minutes of the game. But last 5 minutes of some serious action in the 1st half was enough for a 58-45 lead after 36-36. We can say Jamal Murray is officially offensively back. Millsap is the only starter now we still waiting to up his level on the offensive end.

[youngthegiant]

This wasn't a good game. The offense looks like it's stuck in the mud, the team wasn't focused, Jokic didn't want to score. Beasley has proven to be a better option than Craig, but Malone is such a stubborn coach who hates to be wrong. No way he changes the starting lineup, despite the struggles the starters are having generating open looks. Teams just aren't defending Craig.

[THE J0KER]

A win is a win, but we lose several games like this last season, and I don't like we not learn from own mistakes.

Most positive thing tonight is our backcourt line. Harris and Murray scored 46pts and have 11rbd and impressive 7 steals, and Beasley with 12-6-2 has the best game of the season so far. I asked Millsap for better offense at the halftime, and he scored 15 pts in 2nd half only (before this game he still didn't score more than 15 points in some game) which is also positive. Jokic is obviously not motivated enough tonight, take only 8 attempts from the field, but was still just one rebound away from another triple-double. Jokic would probably achieve it, but Malone once again makes that famous last-minute substitution of team best player, best rebounder, and 2nd best FT% shooter which only Malone understand. Bench deserves credit for the way they played in the 1st half, but not in the 2nd, for sure. Lyles has season-high 17pts in just 22 minutes, but he still struggles so much from 3pt this season (2-18, just 11%, after an impressive 38% last season).

[skywalker33]

I was at the game tonight, pathetic shooting pct, Joker seemed uninterested especially no aggression in his shooting. Malone kept Joker on the bench WAAY too long in the 3rd qtr. Millsap needs to renegotiate his contract now, he was a serious problem early on in this game.

If we play this pathetic vs the Jazz or any other serious team, we'll get our asses handed backome or on the road.

[THE J0KER]

This wasn't a good game. The offense looks like it's stuck in the mud, the team wasn't focused, Jokic didn't want to score. Beasley has proven to be a better option than Craig, but Malone is such a stubborn coach who hates to be wrong. No way he changes the starting lineup, despite the struggles the starters are having generating open looks. Teams just aren't defending Craig.

Pelicans roster is much taller when Davis playing, so today we are in a position to play with Harris and Beasley at SF. But in different circumstances don't expect too often to see 3 our guards at the same time on the floor, like today we can see many times rotation between Murray, Harris, Beasley, and Morris, which played today 128 minutes combined, which means 32 minutes on SF position.

[RRFB]

Disappointing effort. I was hoping they had matured past that kind of performance but apparently not. It's nights like this that we really miss having Barton. Jokic wasn't assertive at all and and Murray didn't look to get him involved nearly enough.

I agree on Craig/Beasley though. Craig's inability to do anything on offense is just killing their spacing. Unless they're facing a Durant or Lebron-type player, Beasley and/or Juancho should get those minutes.

[jasonT17]

Hey, guys! Long time Nuggets' fan from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Glad to join you!

Not a Malone fan at all, but I think he's doing a great job this season rotating Craig-Beasley-Huancho depending on the matchaup and who is rolling. Craig did a perfect job on Durant. Beasley would have been burned by Durant as well as Barton if he was available. Craig is the only wing defender who can guard skilled 6-8+ forwards. But I agree, he can't make an open 3 and that's a big issue.

So happy for Morris. Saw a few interviews on media day and training camp. Such a great guy. Like to see him along side with Murray while Jokic is on the bench. What a steal at 4m for 3 years.

Win is a win. You can't dominate every game you are a clear favorite. Jokic was having a day-off and almost got triple-double lol. Pelicans were 4-1 and looked focused.
Nuggets are 4th best team (record wise) with 3rd best defensive rating. And everybody is dissapoineted, even Skywalker who has one of the most possitive approach here

Btw, I have been in Denver last year. It was preason time, but I caugt some road game at the bar close to Pepsi Center Great city!

[Mickey8]

Malone have killed Denver's offense yet again.

[The Rebel]

This is a game we lose last year, Jokic obviously had no energy, the Pelicans figured out that they do not have to bother covering our starting SF, yet we got out of there with a win. It was a trap game the minute it was announced that Davis wasn't playing and for whatever reason we have always played terrible after a 3 or 4 day break under Malone.

[NuggetsWY]

A win is a win is a win but this one was disgusting. Lots of little things like everyone has pointed out and I agree with almost everything already posted.

Two of my complaints from the past were demonstrated in this game:

1. Team was not motivated at the start of the game (and the start of the second half) - or the game plan was wrong. I lean towards motivation. That shouldn't be a problem with professionals but it can be and that's where the coach needs to be held responsible.

2. The Nuggets do not know how to close out a game when they have a lead and that is predominantly the coach's responsibility.

*** This is a game they should have won every quarter and not by just a little. There is no acceptable excuse for this game being so close.

[The Rebel]

One good thing from last night is that it appears that Malone finally figured out that Beasley is capable of playing real minutes. He is undersized but I would rather see him with the starters than Craig, they at least have to respect Beasley a little on offense.