The Nuggets can salvage an uninspiring start to the four-game road trip Sunday in Houston.
Here are five things that have been learned from Denver’s start to the trip, which started with an impressive win at Golden State and continued with an unsurprising loss against the Lakers and a more inexplicable defeat Saturday in Portland.
1. Impingement is defined as “pinching or rubbing together” inside a joint, according to our friends at the Cleveland Clinic. Nikola Jokic’s elbow contusion was not listed on the injury report prior to Saturday’s game in Portland, but his left ankle impingement had him ruled out of the Trail Blazers game a day in advance. He was listed as questionable prior to the Nuggets’ two previous games before eventually being ruled out. According to the Altitude broadcast, Jokic’s ankle issue started during the March 2 game against Boston. Per the friends at physio-pedia.com, there are two versions of ankle impingement – anterior and posterior. The recovery time can vary, and treatment typically starts with rest, ice and anti-inflammatories before more serious measures are taken. The Nuggets have not disclosed which version Jokic is dealing with or the severity of his case, but we all know what ankle impingement is now. It might be the most important part of the rest of Denver’s regular season. Jokic will not play Sunday when Denver ends its road trip in Houston.
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2. Even without Jokic in the lineup, DeAndre Jordan hasn’t been a part of the rotation. Zeke Nnaji has been used as Denver’s back-up center even as the Nuggets have struggled to limit their opponents second-chance opportunities. Nnaji’s the more versatile and switchable defender, but Jordan’s the better option against more traditional centers if limiting second-chance points is one of Denver’s priorities in the postseason. Regardless of the playoff opponent, Nnaji appears comfortably ahead of Jordan on the depth chart moving forward.
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3. The energy with which Russell Westbrook plays is consistent. What that means for his production is anyone’s guess on a game-to-game basis. In his 17th NBA season, Westbrook continues to play at warp speed. It’s led to a lot of success and a lot of frustration. The veteran started the road trip by going 5 of 18 and 2 of 9 from 3-point range against the Warriors, but he had 16 assists and 12 rebounds. Against the Lakers, he went 4 of 14 from the field and 1 of 4 from 3 with nine assists. He scored more efficiently against Portland with 18 points on 13 shots, but he committed nine turnovers against four assists. That brought his turnover total to 19 in the last three games.
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4. The realness of Aaron Gordon’s career-best shooting season has been hard to gauge given his struggles staying healthy this season, but the last three games without Jokic have been promising. Gordon’s 10 for 18 from 3-point range in the last few games even though teams haven’t had to worry about Jokic. That has him at 46% through 42 games played. His previous best over a full season was 35% from deep. Significantly improving that number looks like a certainty. Gordon’s shot looks mostly the same as it has in previous seasons. He’s cited repetition as the source of increased efficiency. Cheating off Gordon to pay more attention to Jokic has been a popular strategy the last couple of postseasons, but Gordon’s improved stroke might have teams thinking twice about trying it again.
5. It’s a good thing Gordon’s been hot, because Michael Porter Jr.’s shot has slumped. Porter is 7 for 22 (31.8%) from 3-point range on the trip. The small sample size is made more concerning by Porter’s shaky commitment to defense and rebounding when the shot isn’t falling. There was a 10-rebound game at Golden State followed by nine combined boards in the last two games. He’s averaged two steals per game on the trip but his lapses on that end have been more frequent and impactful. Porter is a big benefactor when Jokic is on the court, but the struggles without him have continued a concerning trend since he scored 30 or more points in the three games leading up to the All-Star break.
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