The Denver Nuggets have a chance to start a winning streak if they win against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. They are coming off a big win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and have been getting plenty of rest between the two games. A win today would go a long way toward easing some Nuggets fans’ nervousness about the team. The Knicks’ game is still up in the air and Jamal Murray still hasn’t quite found his form.

December is here and perhaps the holiday season will bring good news for Nikola Jokic and Co. Jamal has been a slow starter in the past and will start again in December. Last year, he played 12 games in December and averaged 21.5 points per game, 5.4 assists per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. He efficiently managed 50/45/90 splits and 61% TS%. This type of production would make a big difference for the Nuggets right now as they could use some efficiency.

Good news for the Nuggets is that Aaron Gordon may be coming back soon. Michael Malone said he has been getting closer in training recently and he was upgraded to doubtful for today’s game after being out since his injury on November 4th. It’s been almost a month and the Nuggets could use getting him back. Peyton Watson stepped in admirably, but AG is arguably the team’s second-best player at times.

The essentials

WHO: Denver Nuggets (10-7) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (12-9)

When: 8:00 p.m. MST

Where: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, California

How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not tolerate piracy. Altitude television when available. NBA League Pass for those not participating in the Nuggets market. Altitude 92.5 FM.

Injury report: Peyton Watson – probable (adductor), Aaron Gordon – doubtful (calf), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee), Daron Holmes II – out (hamstring), Jalen Pickett – out (G-League), Spencer Jones – out (G- League), Trey Alexander – out (G-League); Kawhi Leonard – out (knee), PJ Tucker – out (personal reasons), Kevin Porter Jr. – out (ankle), Norman Powell – questionable (thigh), Kobe Brown – questionable (back)

The three things

What you should pay attention to: The form of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr

Michael Porter Jr. has had some good games lately and Jamal has been a little better since the start of the season. MPJ’s shooting has been a big help to the Nuggets and their spacing lately, but Jamal has been lackluster despite a slight uptick in form. They need to strengthen both top players to make Nikola Jokic’s job easier. He’s obviously played great, but the Nuggets can’t play Jokic for as long as he currently has at 37 minutes per game. If MPJ and Jamal improve, they can probably reduce the time to around 34 minutes per game.

Here’s what you should remember: It’s December

It’s still early days this season and of course you have to keep that in mind. However, we are getting closer and closer to mid-season. We’re almost a quarter of the way through the season and as mentioned – Jokic is still playing a ton of minutes. There are still many questions, but there are a few answers. Christian Braun’s shooting is still holding up, Peyton Watson seems to be coming into his own, and Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the world. So while you can still say it’s early in the season and use that as an excuse for some things, there’s not much time left for those excuses.

The right thing to listen to: Buy Us A Drink by The Irish Rovers

Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know the answer, but for some reason I have an affinity for Irish drinking tunes. Given the ups and downs of this season, Jamal Murray’s struggles, and the realization that the team is most likely not as good as it used to be, perhaps a drink could help? So enjoy a drinking tune about buying a drink and hope for a good time tonight!