Coming off a beat down against the Detroit Pistons, how will the Nuggets respond against the Brooklyn Nets?
It was a lack of effort on the defensive end. It was the three starters who were missing. It was playing three games in five nights.
There was a laundry list of reasons the Nuggets couldn’t get it done against the Pistons Monday night, though admittedly, “couldn’t get it done,” may not be a strong enough description of the 129-103 drubbing Denver took.
It was the Nuggets first loss in seven games and just their fourth loss of the new year.
But whatever the reason, most on — and around — this Nuggets team agree it’s best to just forget about it.
“On to the next one,” Michael Beasley said after the game. “Bad loss, get it out of our mouths and get revenge on (Wednesday).”
That next one will come against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Here are three things to watch Wednesday as the Nuggets look to get back on track.
How will the both teams bounce back?
While Denver looks to avenge a rare loss and an even rarer blowout, Brooklyn is looking to stop a skid of its own.
The Nets will come in losers of four of their last five after winning six straight prior to that.
So how will both teams respond?
The Nuggets are just 6-7 following a loss this year, and the Nets are just 4-9 coming off back-to-back losses.
But neither are strangers to adversity — both have been bitten by the injury bug this year.
Brooklyn lost Caris LeVert on Nov. 12 and Spencer Dinwiddie went down with a thumb injury Jan. 23.
Allen Crabbe hasn’t played since Dec. 12, suffering from a sore knee, but he is available to play against Denver.
The Nuggets are no strangers to missed time, either, as their opening day lineup has only taken the floor together twice all season.
Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Paul Millsap are the current crop of starters on the shelf, though Millsap is listed day-to-day and Murray may return for the Brooklyn game.
Speaking of which…
Will Jamal Murray make his return?
Murray hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury against the Suns on Jan. 25. The Nuggets have fared well without him, going 5-1, but have only outscored opponents by under 2.5 points per game in that stretch.
Monte Morris has stepped into the biggest role in his absence, starting four games and topping 40 minutes in a win over Minnesota.
Morris has stepped up well, averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds since Murray’s injury. Since being moved into the starting lineup four games ago against the Pelicans, he upped those averages to 18.2 points, 7 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
Malik Beasley has also found another level since Murray went down. He scored a career-high 35 points in a win over the Rockets and followed it with 22 points the next night against the Timberwolves.
But Murray is hard to replace, and the Nuggets lack of depth at guard shined through against the Pistons. If Murray can play, it will surely add a nice spark against the Nets.
How will the Nuggets handle first-time All-Star D’Angelo Russell?
No matter what was at the root of the issue Monday, the issue was defense. Andre Drummond went off for 27 points and 12 rebounds and the Pistons shot 43.2 percent as a team from behind the arc.
Though LeVert and Dinwiddie are out, the Nets still have likely their best threat on the floor in D’Angelo Russell.
Russell is averaging 19.6 points and 6.7 assists per game this year, heading a surprising campaign for the Nets.
In the only other time these two have matched up this season — a 112-110 Nets win on Nov. 9 — Russell scored 23 points, dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds.
The Nuggets did have success against MVP-frontrunner James Harden on Feb. 1, holding Harden to 30 points on just 9 of 21 from the field — his lowest scoring game since Dec. 11.