It’s never wise to jump to any wild conclusions based on a few games at the start of a new season. But it’s certainly fair to recognize who has come out of the gate playing well and who hasn’t. The Nuggets and Raptors have both begun the season 4-0. Here’s the Denver Post discussing the former:
Whereas last year Tuesday’s game – sandwiched between Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers – would have been rife for a letdown, the Nuggets never trailed and trounced the Kings 126-112.
At 4-0, it’s their best start since the 2009-10 season, when they began 5-0. Though the defense snapped its franchise streak of holding opponents to under 100 points, the dormant offense came alive.
The Nuggets were up 112-87 with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and cruised from there. It was a dominant performance on the offensive end – more like last season’s Nuggets than this year’s version, which entered Tuesday with the league’s best defense. The Nuggets pounded the paint with 72 points and found their mark with a season-high 11 3-pointers.
Eight players, including four of five starters finished with double-digit nights, and Denver’s bench produced for the second consecutive game. Perhaps most encouraging was that Jamal Murray, who has been battling nagging ankle injuries, had 14 of his team-high 19 in the third quarter and found his offensive rhythm. Murray knocked down two 3-pointers without hesitation after his 0-of-9 shooting performance in Sunday’s win over Golden State.
