Preview: Denver Nuggets look to finish preseason on winning note against Trail Blazers

The Nuggets displayed their offensive potential with a robust 126-point outburst in a win against the Blazers Wednesday at Ball Arena. They hope to repeat the feat less than 48 hours later in the second of consecutive outings against Portland.Here is what to look for in Friday’s contest: Lineups, lineups, lineupsNuggets head coach Michael Malone insisted there were as many as three starting positions open throughout training camp. In the opening two preseason games against Golden State and Portland, the Nuggets have stayed the course with their starting lineup: Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr., Paul Millsap, and Nikola Jokić. Where things have been interesting has been in the second unit.Malone has shifted roles and experimented with using different lineups when bringing players off the bench. Will Barton III’s return from an injury layoff adds to what was an already good problem for the coach to have for the group. Friday could cement what Malone’s final rotation looks like.“It’s hard when you have a really deep and talented roster, when you have guys who are proven in this league, you can’t play everybody,” Malone explained after Wednesday’s win against the Blazers. “My job isn’t to keep everybody happy. If I wanted to keep people happy, I’d sell ice cream for a living.”Although there might be some tough decisions made following the Nuggets’ preseason finale, there is a high probability that all 17 players on the roster could be counted on during various parts of the season.“In this season, especially with COVID-19, [there] could be delays, postponed games [or] injuries. Everyone is going to have to stay ready because [as] we’ve seen every year, someone is going to have to step up for us.”Will the offensive approach remain the same?One of the more fascinating aspects of Wednesday’s game was the sheer aggressiveness of the Nuggets' offense against the Trail Blazers. Over the past two seasons, the Nuggets have been a largely conservative team when it comes to taking threes but they let it fly in their 126-95 win.The team launched a whopping 46 threes Wednesday night, matching their season-high from a season ago. That is a dramatic shift as it took 25 threes in the preseason opener and averaged 30.6 attempts last season – good for 25th. While many will ask if the approach will continue Friday, it is important to reflect on the catalysts that opened things up for the team—rebounding, ball movement, and penetration.The Nuggets dominated the glass to the tune of 55-33 and generated 39 assists on 45 made baskets. The team also went to the line 23 times, continuing a positive trend in that area. Last season, Denver was 26th in the league in trips to the charity stripe, going 20.6 times a game. All of those factors played a part in allowing the Nuggets to find openings from long range.Friday will be an important test to see if those habits will continue. Despite its showing on Wednesday, Portland is significantly better on the defensive end than it was a season ago thanks to the arrival of Robert Covington. With the team having more time to adjust the altitude in the Mile High City, it will likely home in on those areas. How the Nuggets respond Friday will be interesting to watch.Could we see more players involved?As mentioned previously, Malone has largely kept to his starting five and despite chopping and changing with the second unit, the usual suspects have seen their share of minutes. There is a good chance he scales it back with his starters Friday and that could open up some valuable opportunities for Zeke Nnaji, R.J. Hampton, Vlatko Čančar, Bol Bol, Greg Whittington, and Markus Howard to see some more playing time. Nnaji, Bol, and Čančar have all displayed flashes of their potential in limited action. Friday could give them a chance to build on that. Howard made his preseason debut and drained a long-range jumper, displaying what could be his calling card in the league. Whittington has dealt with a minor injury and could make his debut in the team’s preseason finale.