Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 104-95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in a game that was a tale of two halves, or at least the first quarter versus the other three. He begins by talking about big nights from Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray as well as the defense by Aaron Gordon. He then discusses the difficulties of the second unit, a lineup built around defense that is struggling to score. Finally, he looks ahead to Thursday's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, an opportunity for Denver to make up some ground in the standings.

Ryan Blackburn is joined by Daniel Olinger of Liberty Ballers to discuss the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams will play on Tuesday night, and Dan shares his thoughts on how the Sixers look without Joel Embiid, their ceiling in the Eastern Conference, and how the Nuggets and Sixers match up. Then, they discuss the MVP race and why Nikola Jokić remains the leader in the clubhouse.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the 126-102 win by the Denver Nuggets over the Atlanta Hawks, headlined by the debut of Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets offense operated almost seamlessly with Gordon out there, and Nikola Jokić benefitted from having Gordon out there to finish passes for dunks.Ryan breaks it all down, from Denver's starting unit clicking on all cylinders, to JaMychal Green's big night off the bench, to a session of Monday positivity.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down a great 113-108 win by the Denver Nuggets over the New Orleans Pelicans. Nikola Jokić was his normal incredible self, Jamal Murray had a season high 11 assists, and Michael Porter Jr. looks unstoppable from beyond the three-point line. The Big Three combined for 85 points tonight, and Ryan discusses how they all made it happen.He also talks about Zion Williamson and the Nuggets defense, Denver's shorthanded bench unit that needs Monte Morris to come back ASAP, and gives a shoutout to Will Barton for an understated performance. Then, Ryan goes around the league to discuss the Western Conference standings and an early playoff discussion.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Aaron Gordon trade and all of the Denver Nuggets news from the NBA Trade Deadline with the help of three special guests.(3:30 ish) Orlando Magic media member Stephen Cameron of The Close Up Magic stops by to help break down the Aaron Gordon trade from both sides. What will Gordon (and Gary Clark!) bring to the Nuggets? Did the Nuggets give up too much in the deal? Is Gordon the best possible fit next to Denver's Big Three?(36:00 ish) Cleveland Cavaliers media member Justin Rowan of The Chase Down Podcast checks in to give Nuggets fans a scouting report on the JaVale McGee trade. What will McGee add to Denver's rotation and locker room? They also discuss the Gordon deal and what it means for Denver.(53:00 ish) Jeff Morton of the CSG Podcast stops by for a discussion on Aaron Gordon, JaVale McGee, the Nuggets rotation, and whether the Nuggets are legitimate championship contenders.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the awful loss the Denver Nuggets suffered at the hands of the Toronto Raptors on the second night of a back to back. The Nuggets were outmatched in all facets, and Michael Malone was unhappy with how his team approached the game.Ryan discusses the loss, then pivots to trade deadline discussion in segment two, including the Aaron Gordon rumors and what Denver will do if those talks fall through.Finally, Ryan discusses the Nuggets tenures of both Gary Harris and Will Barton who, after over six years with the Nuggets organization, may (or may not) be traded on Thursday.

Ryan Blackburn shares a brief word on the mass shooting in Boulder, CO before breaking down the Denver Nuggets win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday evening. Nikola Jokić continues to dominate offensively, and tonight, he even held Magic all-star Nikola Vucevic to 18 points on 25 shots. Ryan breaks down Jokić's performance, along with some words on Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and some weaknesses emerging on the bench unit.Then, Ryan dives into the NBA Trade Deadline with an assortment of mailbag questions covering several players the Nuggets are interested in acquiring before Thursday afternoon. From Aaron Gordon, to Harrison Barnes, to Lonzo Ball, to some names currently not being discussed, Ryan shares his thoughts on Denver's current approach at the deadline.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the 113-108 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans that could have been a lot worse than it was. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram combine for 60 points, and the Nuggets clearly need another guy who can match up with players like them. Steven Adams was a beast on the boards, and the free throw disparity was nuts, but this is a game Denver can sweep under the rug for a variety of reasons.Ryan talks about the game, then about how the rotation is playing itself into its playoff form prior to the trade deadline. Do the Nuggets have enough on their roster to win big? Do they need more? Who's going to start when fully healthy? How do the Nuggets make up for their weaknesses?Then, Ryan does Monday Positivity, Changing of the seasons Edition.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the wild comeback victory from the Denver Nuggets as they overcome the odds to beat the Chicago Bulls 131-127 in overtime. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić were incredible, especially in the clutch. Facundo Campazzo made the most clutch defensive play of the season. Michael Porter Jr. was solid. Zeke Nnaji had some good contributions.The Nuggets are rolling now, and Ryan shares his notes on the win. Then, he discusses the Western Conference at large and how the Nuggets are creeping higher and higher in the standings, sitting 0.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for a top 4 seed. Can Denver keep it going?

Ryan Blackburn is joined by Stiff Emeritus Zach Mikash to break down the journey the Denver Nuggets have sustained ever since The Bubble. They talk about the long road COVID-19 has put the NBA world through; Pandemic Exhaustion is a real thing, and it might be why the Nuggets struggled to begin the season.Then, they pivot to the Nuggets and how much confidence the recent stretch has given Ryan and Zach in Denver's playoff future. They talk about which players the Nuggets can trust in the playoffs. Finally, Ryan shares several fake trade ideas (~53:00) to fill in the gaps on Denver's roster in the short and long term, including one that sends Zach into a four-minute rant.