What to Watch for in Brooklyn Nets vs. Nuggets

The Brooklyn Nets will face off against the Denver Nuggets for the first time this season.

The Nets have dropped three straight games after a hot 7-3 stretch, including a loss to the bottom-feeding Washington Wizards on Friday.

The Nuggets are coming into Barclays Center a bit beat up, as they'll be without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun.

To Denver's credit, they were able to defeat the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and kept things close against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, but it's hard to win a game without four key pieces, let alone your MVP candidate.

It'll be up to Jamal Murray to carry the load offensively for the Nuggets, as he can light you up from 3-point range, in the midrange, and at the rim. Murray is coming off a 34-point, seven-assist, and six-rebound performance.

The Nuggets will also likely rely on a combination of Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, Zeke Nnaji, and Bruce Brown to pick up some of the offensive slack as well.

Michael Porter Jr. has been out for the last two games due to an illness. Assuming he's good to go, though, MPJ will likely use this as an opportunity to show his former team how much he's worked to expand his all-around game, especially as an off-ball scorer.

Nic Claxton was also out on Friday due to personal reasons, but assuming he's back, expect Claxton to get right back to work as an interior threat on both sides of the floor and as an on-and-off-ball screener.

Porter and Claxton make each other better out there on the court, as Claxton's screens open Porter up to get free behind the arc and as a cutter to the rim.

The Nets should also continue to give their rookies more run, especially Nolan Traore.

Traore has had many sharp drives and finishes to the rim in recent games, showcasing the burst of speed that can help push pressure on interior defenses for years to come.

Egor Demin actually took more 2-pointers than 3s on Friday, but he shot a paltry 3-of-12 from the field overall. I'm looking at Demin to be less deferential with the ball in his hands and attack the rim more often, which will also open up his playmaking skills.

If Cam Thomas returns, this could also be a good opportunity for him to showcase better playmaking and defensive skills if he hopes to get more playing time moving forward.