The Nuggets dropped their first game of the season this week, but they took games from the surprisingly frisky Kings and the Pelicans, a win that could be important later in the season as playoff seeding comes into play. As expected, their defense has regressed somewhat from the elite territory they were playing in over the season’s first week, but they’ve offset that with some progression on offense as well.
Jamal Murray began to hit his stride this week, averaging 21.3 points per game and shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Gary Harris joined him by knocking down 4-of-10 3-pointers in three games. Their offense is definitely missing Will Barton, especially his ability as a secondary creator, but Monte Morris has given them some nice minutes and Malik Beasley looks like he might be able to offset at least of what they’re missing from Barton in terms of energy and athleticism.