The Denver Nuggets preseason is still going strong.
Despite suffering a close loss against the Clippers in Los Angeles, the Nuggets are still on track to have a successful regular season.
They have already taken down the other team in LA twice, and they just scraped together a too-close-for-comfort win against the Perth Wildcats in Denver. On Friday, they will travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls. Despite being on the road, it will be a good opportunity for the Nuggets to add another win to the tally before the season begins on October 17th.
The Bulls have not enjoyed the best preseason to date, but they have looked like a solid team. They are 2-2 coming into Friday’s game, fresh off a convincing win over the Pacers. Chicago looked good in their first game against the Pelicans and defeated them pretty comfortably, but they fell short against the Bucks and the Hornets in their next two games. They fought hard against Indiana and rallied for a convincing win, which could provide them with some momentum going into Friday’s matchup.
They are not a good defensive squad, which is evidenced by the fact that they are giving up an average of 118 points per game, the 5th worst mark among NBA teams this preseason. The Nuggets have a top-15 offense this preseason and several players who are incredibly offensively talented. If they want to win on the road in their penultimate matchup before the season, they are going to have to make good use of those weapons.
Surprisingly, the Nuggets also have a top-15 defense this season, allowing just 103.8 points per game. They look to match up well against the Bulls, who also have the 5th worst offense among NBA teams. While the Nuggets certainly look to have the advantage against a very young Chicago team, they will still have to bring it all if they want to return to Denver with another win.
In a preseason mainly boosted by the performance of the team as opposed to individuals, a few players are going to have to step up if they want to win this game. Here are 3 players who need to take their game to the next level in Chicago.
(Note: All stats via NBA.com or ESPN unless otherwise noted.)