Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 122-110 loss to the Utah Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back. The Nuggets avoided injury disaster to Nikola Jokić as he bumped knees with Rudy Gobert rather than something more serious, and Denver's starting lineup performed reasonably well in his absence. The bench continues to be awful though, and Ryan discusses the decision to stick with the same 5-man unit and a lot more of Denver's issues, including Michael Porter Jr.'s role in the offense.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 99-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in all of its glory. Ryan discusses the turnover issues, Michael Porter Jr. and his troublesome shooting profile, the bench and its struggles, and much more. He also discussed the debut of Bones Hyland and why we probably will see much more of him going forward.

Ryan Blackburn shares his thoughts on the first week of the Denver Nuggets season through the lens of questions he still has about the team. Is Nikola Jokić reaching a new level? What about Michael Porter Jr.? Where does the bench scoring come from? Are the defensive numbers for real? Ryan answers (or at least gives his best guesses) those questions and more on the latest episode.

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 102-96 victory over the San Antonio Spurs that saw Nikola Jokić dominate at an MVP level. Jokić scored 36 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, and picked up 3 steals and a block for good measure in an all-around exemplary performance against the Spurs. Ryan discusses Jokić, a so-so starting unit, and an improved bench that still has some questions in this latest episode.

Ryan Blackburn shares his thoughts on the NBA's Top 75 at 75 list and why he believes Nikola Jokić (and Alex English!) deserved a spot among the NBA's pantheon. Then, Ryan goes around the league, beginning with the introduction of his MVP tracker and finishing up with a disastrous beginning to the Jason Kidd era in Dallas. Finally, Ryan previews Friday's matchup between the Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs.

Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets 110-98 road win over the Phoenix Suns in the season opener. Nikola Jokić looked like an MVP once again. Michael Porter Jr. adapted his game well. Will Barton played well with the starters and saved the bench unit in the second half, a group that appeared hapless in the first half. Aaron Gordon and Monte Morris helped fill in the gaps. There were a lot of positive indicators for Denver in the first game of the season, and Ryan discussed them all.

Ryan Blackburn is joined by Dave King of Suns Solar Panel (and editor for Bright Side of the Sun) to preview Wednesday's season opener between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns. They first get into the contract extension discussions surrounding both teams and how Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges compare to Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon. Then, they preview Nuggets-Suns from interesting matchups to preseason appearances to style of play before making predictions on the game outcome.

Ryan Blackburn is joined by Matt Moore (@HPbasketball) of The Action Network and Locked on Nuggets to discuss the Denver Nuggets and their readiness for the 2021-22 season in the wake of Saturday's practice rant from head coach Michael Malone. Then,Ryan and Matt share their season predictions for the Nuggets and the NBA through the lens of questions facing the team and the league at large. They talk over/unders, matchups, and the important players before making major predictions.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 113-107 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in which Markus Howard led the comeback by scoring 31 points on nine three-pointers. Howard and Bones Hyland led the charge down the stretch, while Vlatko Čančar, Bol Bol, and Zeke Nnaji each contributed in their own ways. Ryan breaks down the bench performance, Will Barton's strong first half, Facu Campazzo's struggles, and much more on the preseason at large.

Ryan Blackburn discusses the Denver Nuggets 108-99 preseason loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in which the Nuggets failed their dress rehearsal. Nikola Jokić looked good, and Will Barton appeared healthy, but the rest of the Nuggets showcased some major concerns in how they performed in the first game where the outcome was supposed to matter. Is it simply preseason malaise or something more?