Game Preview

Matt Brooks

The Denver Nuggets face the Toronto Raptors in their second home game of the week.

Denver:Alpha Diallo — PROBABLE (Right Wrist Sprain)Cameron Johnson — PROBABLE (Lower Body Injury Management)Spencer Jones — OUT (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

Toronto:Nate Bittle — OUT (Right Avulsion Fracture)Kawhi Leonard — OUT (Left Knee Injury Management)Jakob Poeltl — QUESTIONABLE (Left Shoulder Bursitis)Malachi Smith — OUT (G League Two-Way Assignment)

Denver heads into Wednesday with a 3-3 record.

They're coming off a 118-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. That brought their record at Ball Arena to 1-2.

Jamal Murray was the bright spot for the Nuggets on Monday. He finished with a gaudy scoring line—35 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 4-of-9 from distance, and 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. He's scored 42, 39, and 35 points in his first six outings.

Toronto, meanwhile, sits at 4-3 on the year. They've been mostly without seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard (knee injury), who arrived in Toronto via an offseason trade. The Raptors boast the NBA's sixth-best offense and seventh-best defense.

TUNE-IN: Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 p.m. MT; Altitude TV; Altitude+; Altitude Sports Radio 950 AM

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Nuggets play Raptors at home on Wednesday

The Denver Nuggets host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

Denver:Alpha Diallo — QUESTIONABLE (Personal Reasons)Spencer Jones — OUT (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

Portland:Jayson Kent — OUT (G League Two-Way Assignment)Ja Morant — OUT (Left Hamstring Strain)Shaedon Sharpe — OUT (Right Meniscus Surgery)John Tonje — OUT (G League Two-Way Assignment)

A three-game homestand kicks off on Monday for the Nuggets.

They're coming off a successful road trip that brought their overall record to 3-2. Most recently, Denver got a great win over the Phoenix Suns in their first NBA Cup game.

Christian Braun scored a career-high 31 points on a career-best seven three-pointers. Jamal Murray also had a huge outing, putting up 39 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three-point range and eight rebounds.

Portland has had a strong start to the year at 4-1. They have the NBA's fourth-best offense.

TUNE-IN: Monday, November 2, 7:00 p.m. MT; Altitude TV 2 on KTVD; Altitude+; Altitude Sports Radio 950 AM

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Nuggets host Trail Blazers on Monday

The Denver Nuggets begin their 2026 Emirates NBA Cup journey in Phoenix.

Denver:Alpha Diallo — QUESTIONABLE (Personal Reasons)Cameron Johnson — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle Sprain)Spencer Jones — OUT (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

Phoenix:Oso Ighodaro — QUESTIONABLE (Right Oblique Strain)Drew Timme — OUT (G League Two-Way Assignment)Mark Williams — OUT (Left Shoulder Surgery)

The NBA's inaugural in-season tournament, the Emirates NBA Cup, kicks off on Friday across the league. All 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup trophy, with a winner crowned at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 11th. To begin, teams are separated into six different groups for the NBA Cup Group Stage.

Denver is a part of Western Conference Group A, where they'll play the Houston Rockets, the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Utah Jazz. Should they finish with Group A's best overall record, or lock in a wild card spot, they'll advance to the Knockout Stage. From there, they'll battle with teams from the other groups in a single-elimination tournament, similar to the NCAA's March Madness.

All Group Stage games will count toward the regular season standings. That includes Friday's showdown with the Suns, who have started the season at 1-2. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are hoping to go above .500 for the first time this season, sitting at 2-2.

Some exciting news for the Nuggets is that Cam Johnson and Alpha Diallo have been upgraded to questionable for Friday. It remains to be seen if they'll actually suit up for the game against the Suns, but this injury update certainly indicates they're trending in the right direction.

TUNE-IN: Friday, October 30, 8:00 p.m. MT; Altitude TV; Altitude+; Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM

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Nuggets play Suns in first Emirates NBA Cup game

The Denver Nuggets hit the road for a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Denver:Alpha Diallo — OUT (Personal Reasons)Cameron Johnson — DOUBTFUL (Right Ankle Sprain)Spencer Jones — OUT (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

New Orleans:Malik Dia — DOUBTFUL (G League Two-Way Assignment)Yves Missi — OUT (Left Knee Contusion / Bone Bruise)Jaron Pierre Jr. — DOUBTFUL (G League Two-Way Assignment)Jordan Poole — PROBABLE (Illness)Julian Reese — PROBABLE (G League Two-Way Assignment)

Denver plays New Orleans for the second time in four games.

They hosted the Pelicans in their home opener and won, 141-135, in an overtime thriller. Jamal Murray had a 40-point night, but the story of the game was rookie Trevon Brazile, who put up 17 points and 9 rebounds in just his second NBA game. Brazile was fearless down the stretch and knocked down multiple three-pointers. He also got it done on the defensive end with a pair of three-point blocks. Behind Brazile, Murray, and Nikola Jokić's first triple-double of the season, Denver rallied back from a 22-point second-half deficit, tied for the largest second-half home comeback in franchise history.

The Nuggets then lost to the Golden State Warriors, putting them at 1-2 to begin the season.

TUNE-IN: Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 p.m.&nbsp;MT; Altitude TV 2 on KTVD; Altitude+; Altitude Sports Radio 950 AM

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Nuggets play Pelicans on the road

The Denver Nuggets host the Golden State Warriors for their third game of the season.

Denver:Alpha Diallo — DOUBTFUL (Right Wrist Sprain/Personal Reasons)Cameron Johnson — DOUBTFUL (Right Ankle Sprain)Spencer Jones — OUT (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

Golden State:Charles Bassey — PROBABLE (Right Patellar Tendinopathy)Jimmy Butler III — OUT (Right ACL Repair/Surgery)Moses Moody — OUT (Left Patellar Tendon Repair/Surgery)Kristaps Porziņģis — OUT (Not With Team)Gui Santos — QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee Tendinitis)Williams, Brandon Williams — PROBABLE (Left Low Back Soreness)

The Nuggets take on the Warriors, who have had a disappointing start to the season at 0-3.

Denver, meanwhile, is 1-1 following Saturday's thrilling comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Nuggets were down by as many as 22 points in the second half, but they rallied back behind Jamal Murray's 42-point performance. Rookie Trevon Brazile was a standout in his second NBA game, as he put up 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 28 minutes off the bench.

This was the Nuggets' sixth 22-point second-half comeback in franchise history. It was an exhilarating start to the year at Ball Arena.

It's likely that Denver is shorthanded in Monday's game. Julian Strawther (left knee) and Spencer Jones (hamstring) are still recovering from preseason injuries. Cam Johnson (right ankle) and Alpha Diallo (right wrist) got hurt in Denver's season opener against Oklahoma City and are listed as doubtful against Golden State.

TUNE-IN: Monday, October 26, 8:00 p.m.&nbsp;MT; Altitude TV and NBC; Altitude+ and Peacock; Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM and TICO Sports

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Nuggets host Warriors for third game of 2026-27

Denver:Alpha Diallo — OUT (Right Wrist Sprain/Personal Reasons)Cameron Johnson —OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)Spencer Jones — OUT (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

The first game at Ball Arena tips off on Saturday night for your Denver Nuggets.

There, they'll face the New Orleans Pelicans, who have started the season 0-2 following losses to the Indiana Pacers and the Utah Jazz.

The Pelicans played the Jazz on Friday night, meaning they're on a back-to-back against the Nuggets. That's a tough schedule—flying into Denver the night of a game, and then playing the next day in high altitude on no rest.

Denver is 0-1 to begin the season after falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 96-84, in their season opener. They had issues scoring the basketball in the second half of Thursday's game, putting up just 28 total points in the final two quarters before the third-stringers checked in during garbage time.

Granted, the Nuggets are already dealing with some injuries. Cam Johnson sprained his ankle in the first half of Thursday's game and is listed as "out" against the Pelicans. Spencer Jones is sidelined with a hamstring injury, which he sustained during training camp. Julian Strawther's knee injury is more long-term; he'll be evaluated in six weeks after a nasty fall in Denver's second-to-last preseason game.

TUNE-IN: Saturday, October 24, 7:00 p.m.&nbsp;MT; Altitude TV on KTVD (My20); Altitude+; Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM

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Nuggets host Pelicans for home opener

The Denver Nuggets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 96-84, in their first game of the 2026-27 season.

The Nuggets put up a valiant defensive effort, especially in the first half, but unfortunately couldn't get their offense going. Collectively, they shot 38 percent from the field, 27 percent from three-point range, and 64 percent from the free-throw line.

Aaron Gordon led Denver in the scoring department with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 3-of-4 from distance. He added 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block as well.

Off the bench, DeMar DeRozan contributed 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Rookie Trevon Brazile was another standout for the reserves, ripping down a whopping 12 rebounds in his Nuggets debut.

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Nuggets lose to Thunder in season opener

The 2026-27 NBA season is officially underway for your Denver Nuggets.

Denver:Spencer Jones — QUESTIONABLE (Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management)Julian Strawther — OUT (Left Knee Sprain)

Oklahoma City:Otega Oweh — OUT (Right Achilles Tendon Repair/Surgery)Thomas Sorber — OUT (Right Knee Surgery)Nikola Topić — OUT (Low Back Surgery)

Denver opens its season in Oklahoma City. There, they face the Thunder.

Denver and Oklahoma City are the two most recent championship winners from the Western Conference; they're the best the West has to offer.

They've played each other a lot over the past couple of seasons. Denver and Oklahoma City are in the same division, the Northwest, meaning they match up four separate times annually. The two Western Conference heavyweights also met in the second round of the 2025 postseason; that series went a full seven games and was a total classic.

Last season, Denver led the NBA in offensive efficiency with a ridiculous 121.2 offensive rating. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, was the NBA's best defensive team and limited opponents to just 106.5 points per possession.

The Thunder kicked off their season on Tuesday and thoroughly defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 116-104, the latter of whom represented the Western Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals. Oklahoma City shot a whopping 45 percent from three-point land in San Antonio, while two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 32 points on 13-of-27 shooting.

TUNE-IN: Thursday, October 22, 7:30 p.m. MT; ESPN; Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM

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Nuggets take on Thunder in 2026-27 season opener

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