Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 119-116 victory over the Orlando Magic as Nikola Jokić hits the game-winning three-pointer over Franz Wagner with 0.2 seconds remaining. Jokić finished the game with a triple-double, leading the Nuggets to a shaky win that still counts the same. Aaron Gordon hit two clutch free throws after struggling, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a clutch three-pointer to keep Denver in it. Ryan discusses the starters, the bench struggles, and goes over major second half storylines for both the Nuggets and the NBA.

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Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 115-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. step up in the absence of Nikola Jokić, who rested a sore wrist and didn't make the trip to Los Angeles. Murray and Porter were both great, but it was an entire team effort with AG, KCP, and DeAndre Jordan rounding out the starting lineup with quality play. The bench remained functional as well and helped earn a tough W. Ryan discusses the starters, the bench, and the meaning of self-belief for a Nuggets team reaching new heights.

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Ryan Blackburn evaluates the first half of the season by handing out midseason grades to Michael Malone, Calvin Booth, and every Nuggets player on the roster. Who met expectations? Who exceeded expectations? Did anybody have a failing grade? Ryan discusses it all before going over his Two-Man Net Ratings chart at the midseason point as well, sharing takeaways and proclamations along the way.

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Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 126-97 thrashing of the Phoenix Suns, who maaaay have been missing one, two, or seven of their rotation players on the second night of a back-to-back. Still, the Nuggets dominated, from Nikola Jokić's interior presence to Jamal Murray's slick shotmaking to Bones Hyland's firepower. Ryan discusses the starters and the bench before transitioning into trade talk. He shares what he expects the Nuggets do to solidify their roster by the trade deadline in February, which is less than a month away.

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Ryan Blackburn goes over the mid-season media survey released by NBA.com on Wednesday, sharing some interesting content and takes from beat writers across the association. How do the Nuggets fare? How does Nikola Jokić fare? Who represents the West in the NBA Finals. Ryan reacts to some interesting answers before pivoting to Denver's defensive improvement over the last 12 games. What's working well? What's real vs not real? Are the Nuggets capable of this defense for the rest of the season?

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Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers as Jamal Murray sets a new season-high with 34 points and Nikola Jokić has a perfect triple-double with just five shot attempts. LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn't play, and the game felt devoid of competition as a result. Ryan discusses the starters continuing their strong performance and the bench finding ways to be positive before transitioning into All-Star discussion. Could Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon join Joker in Salt Lake City?

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Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 121-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers as Nikola Jokić goes for a solid 25-15-10 triple-double against a talented Cavs frontline. Jamal Murray played in his first back to back since tearing the ACL. The starting unit played beautiful basketball around Jokić. The bench was good enough to not be an issue, even if there were some points of contention. Ryan discusses the starters, the bench, and how the Nuggets just might be the best team in the NBA now.

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Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 122-91 blowout win by the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers as the Nuggets dominated in every aspect of the game, so much so that the Clippers starters packed it up at halftime. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon got things going in the first quarter, and the bench picked up right where they left off. Ryan discusses the starters, the bench, and the parity facing the NBA right now along with how it affects the Nuggets.

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Ryan Blackburn discusses what happened at Wednesday's practice, including notes from Michael Malone, Vlatko Čančar, and Zeke Nnaji interviews. Then he delves deep into the rotation with a listener mailbag. What's going on with the bench rotation? Why isn't Christian Braun playing? Why are Bones Hyland and Jamal Murray playing together so much? Why isn't Christian Braun playing? Also, why isn't Christian Braun playing? The listeners want to know, and Ryan shares his thoughts.

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Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back-to-back, one day after defeating the team with the best record in the NBA. Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon struggled with a matchup decision the T'Wolves made. Jamal Murray took too long to get into the game. The bench struggled against a bigger, stronger T'Wolves second unit. Ryan goes over what went wrong, what to be concerned about and whether various stats are "something, nothing, or everything" at this point in the season.

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