Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 123-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs as the Nuggets drop below .500 once again. It was a back to back at the end of a road trip, and the Nuggets played with a level of energy and attention to detail that represented that fact well.Ryan discusses Denver's perimeter defense, Nikola Jokić, and the bench unit tonight while putting into perspective Denver's long journey this season.

Ryan Blackburn is joined by Tommy Knowlton, a new(er) writer at Denver Stiffs who writes The Sixth Man, to discuss the Denver Nuggets 120-114 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Nikola Jokić had a 39-point triple-double and was spectacular down the the stretch, and the Nuggets bench did just enough to help the Nuggets get to 3-2 on their current road trip. Ryan and Tommy discuss the game, trends for the Nuggets this year, and which West playoff teams they do or don't fear at the current moment.

Ryan Blackburn shares his initial thoughts on the trade market as December 15th approaches. The Denver Nuggets bench has struggled in every configuration on the roster so far, and it's possible that Denver's solution to their bench issue is a player (or multiple players) on another team. Ryan discusses the availability of backup guards, wings, forwards, and centers that could help the Nuggets, including names like Daniel Theis, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kyle Anderson, and Justin Holiday, along with a slew of other targets.

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 109-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls as the bench falls into complete disarray once again. Nikola Jokić had an off night and still broke a record held by Larry Bird. The Nuggets starters had a positive plus-minus for the most part. The bench was still destroyed though, and Ryan discusses JaMychal Green and the rest of the bench options in bitter detail, along with mistakes made this offseason by the Nuggets front office.

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 113-99 win over the New York Knicks that saw Nikola Jokić bounce back in a big way. He had 32 points on 19 shots in just 27 minutes, looking like the best player in the NBA once again. Zeke Nnaji also had a career high of 21 points as his three-point shooting continues to impress. Meanwhile, newcomer Davon Reed scored nine points and did bit of everything in his Nuggets debut. Ryan discusses it all, especially Reed, in the latest episode.

Ryan Blackburn shares his thoughts on the Denver Nuggets 108-103 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Nikola Jokić had a bad game and a terrible second half. Aaron Gordon's return was spoiled, Facu Campazzo's defense was bad, but the truth is, this game doesn't really matter. Ryan explains why, along with more important concerns. Then, he discusses Zeke Nnaji in more detail and why he deserves to play more going forward.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets overall performance through the quarter mark of the season, a 10-10 record marred by injuries to Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and P.J. Dozier, as well as the absence on Jokić that saw the team lose its footing. Ryan breaks down what excites him about the group right now, what concerns him most about the injuries, and what to expect from the Nuggets from now until the midway point.

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 120-111 win over the Miami Heat to break the six-game losing streak. Nikola Jokić returned and played to MVP form. Bones Hyland set a career high in his return with 19 points off the bench. The Nuggets made their shots tonight, and everything became easier as a result. Ryan discusses the win, the vibes, Michael Porter Jr.'s back surgery, and more.

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 120-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, marking their sixth straight defeat and the most since Michael Malone's first season as the Nuggets head coach. Denver appears overwhelmed by the injury bug, and though players continue to have good games here or there, the defense has suffered, the starters are tired, and there's nowhere else to turn until health improves. Ryan discusses the play of Facu Campazzo, Will barton, JaMychal Green, Zeke Nnaji, Vlatko Čančar, and more in Denver's latest defeat on Friday night.

Ryan Blackburn and Gage Bridgford, lead writer for Denver Stiffs, discuss the ACL tear for P.J. Dozier that will force him to miss the rest of the 2021-22 season. They discuss Denver's injury issues before transitioning into Thanksgiving discussion, where Ryan and Gage do a fantasy draft of Thanksgiving dishes while on a budget. They then pour over comments from Nuggets fans on what they're thankful for this year.