Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 121-111 win, led by incredible bench defense and cohesiveness at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Paul Millsap and JaMychal Green were great, Austin Rivers and PJ Dozier were both pests, and Michael Porter Jr. tied the unit together with blocks and timely buckets. Ryan breaks down a night where Nikola Jokić was disrupted but still good, where Facu did Facu things, and how the Nuggets may have changed their playoff fate.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down a vital 114-112 win by the Denver Nuggets over the New Orleans Pelicans. The game went down to the final seconds where Nikola Jokić made a key defensive play at the rim against Zion Williamson. Block or foul? Who cares, Nuggets won. Ryan discusses Jokić's game, the career night from Facundo Campazzo, the ups and downs from Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, and some concerns with the JaVale McGee bench unit. Then, Ryan does Throwback Thursday on MPJ's journey and a quick standings update.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets easy 120-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, anchored by strong defense and another star caliber performance from Michael Porter Jr., who put up 31 points on just 19 shots. Denver held Memphis to just 4-of-32 from three, and PJ Dozier was a major piece of Denver's defensive excellence. Ryan breaks down notes on Porter, Dozier, Nikola Jokić, and more statistical tidbits in today's episode.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 129-116 blowout win over the Houston Rockets that wasn't as close as the score indicated. PJ Dozier and Nikola Jokić got the party started, but Michael Porter Jr. stole the show with a career high 39 points. Dozier and Facu Campazzo also set career highs, and the bench was good with JaVale McGee in the rotation altering shots at the rim. Ryan breaks down the good performance while also highlighting some concerns about Jokić and Aaron Gordon in the final segment.

Ryan Blackburn discusses the Denver Nuggets losing badly to the Golden State Warriors in a 119-97 blowout. Will Barton goes down with what may be a severe hamstring injury in the first minute, and the Nuggets were playing the rest of the game with both hands tied behind their back because of it. Ryan breaks down the loss, the offense reaching awful levels especially with the bench, and how this Nuggets team may never be able to defend Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Ryan Blackburn brings on Jeff Morton, the King of Thornton himself and host of the CSG podcast, to discuss how the Denver Nuggets have adjusted to life without Jamal Murray. The Nuggets have changed their play style, and they've also added new players to the rotation. Ryan and Jeff discuss Will Barton, Aaron Gordon, Facu Campazzo, Shaq Harrison, and much more on Denver's roster, as well as a playoff discussion at the end.

Ryan Blackburn discusses the Denver Nuggets 106-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers as the Nuggets hold Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in check for most of the game. It wasn't a perfect performance from Nikola Jokić, and there was some weird stuff with Michael Porter Jr. and the offense, but Denver still squeezed out a victory. Ryan breaks it all down, including the performances of newcomers Shaq Harrison and Austin Rivers off the bench.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down an incredibly fun Denver Nuggets 139-137 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in a double overtime thriller. Nikola Jokić and Ja Morant put on a show, with Jokić putting a stamp on the MVP award with 47 points in dominating fashion. Will Barton made some clutch plays. Michael Porter Jr. stayed the course and bailed Denver out. Facu Campazzo got in on the action defensively. Ryan discusses the details of an important win that keeps Denver within striking distance of a top three seed in the West.

Ryan Blackburn brings on Matt Moore (@HPbasketball) of The Action Network and Locked On Nuggets to discuss this season's MVP race. How many competitors are there? Is Nikola Jokić the runaway leader? What is the case for Joel Embiid and others? Will Jokić actually win?Then, they discuss the key factors that have worked against Jokić in the national discussion and why there seems to be a lack of acceptance for Jokić around NBA culture.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 128-99 blowout win over the Houston Rockets. Nikola Jokić dominated, Michael Porter Jr. shot the ball well, and Denver's bench continued to find their footing with a defense-first approach led by...Facundo Campazzo?Next, Ryan discusses the current MVP discourse: how availability and showing up to play games is actually a big deal despite what some might say. Ryan then goes over West standings and playoff matchups.