NBA Matchups: February 4

The next few days are going to be chaotic with players on the move. Chances are that something already happened from when I wrote this on Tuesday evening to now. I’m not going to dig in too much because so much of this slate will be about who is available. Plus, three teams are on the front end and five teams are on the back end today. It’s just madness, and so much is going to change today. I’ll also be on for both shows to add more thoughts.

DEN @ NYK | MIN @ TOR | BOS @ HOU | NOP @ MIL | OKC @ SAS | MEM @ SAC | CLE @ LAC

Denver Nuggets (back end) at New York Knicks (back end)

Team Totals: Nuggets 108.8, Knicks 115.3

Injury Report: Both teams on a B2B

Nuggets projected starters: Jamal Murray, Jalen Pickett, Spencer Jones, Peyton Watson, Nikola Jokic (Note: Think Jokic might miss)

Knicks projected starters: Jalen Brunson, Landry Shamet, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns (Note: Josh Hart hurt his ankle, and I’d expect him to miss)

Adelman quotes: Said they didn’t have clean rotations against OKC to put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a good spot, said they needed to have a more physical mindset against OKC, said they know they could’ve played better against OKC regardless of minutes limits, said they couldn’t get any transition against OKC, said Peyton’s next step is to create more corner 3-pointers for his teammates.

Brown quotes: Said Hart did a fantastic job on Luka, said their 30 assists to 10 turnovers was fantastic, said Landry’s “been impactful for us all year” and he’s contributed on the defensive end, said KAT has to not get sped up when teams put smaller guys on him, said they had great spacing against the Lakers and it led to the 30 assists.

Stats and Notes: 

*Both of these teams played yesterday, and there’s a chance that the Nuggets manage guys. In their first two games with Nikola Jokic back, the Nuggets were not able to generate much rim scoring, which may be tied to their opponents (OKC and LAC). The Nuggets were also beaten on 3-point shots a good bit in the two games (before yesterday), and Jokic may continue to play a bit more drop as he gets back to form. The Nuggets have also been solid in transition, and of course, their rebounding woes for most of January should go away now that they’re healthier at center. The Knicks have finally found their footing again with six consecutive wins, and they dominated with a ridiculous +24.3 net rating in that span (Cavs second at +12.5). They were first in defensive rating thanks to weaker opponents and some favorable 3-point shooting luck. They have been able to protect the paint lately, and their transition defense has been back as well. This will certainly be their toughest test, assuming Jokic is in the lineup.

*Nikola Jokic got off to a sluggish start last night, and he still hasn’t looked 100% just yet. This matchup isn’t great for him with the Knicks rebounding the ball well, and I’d expect OG Anunoby to get a good amount of him here. There’s a chance that the Nuggets will limit him in a B2B.

*Jamal Murray gets a solid matchup against Mikal Bridges. He may have his minutes managed slightly, especially after the Nuggets had to run him up for 37 minutes last night in Detroit. There’s still enough upside against a team that has been more vulnerable to PNR handlers at times (not so much lately).