Coach Malone's first camp finishes with net gains

Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) defends in the third quarter of an NBA preseason basketball game in Oklahoma City, Oct. 18, 2015. (Sue Ogrocki, Associated Press file)

All things considered, the first Nuggets training camp under new coach Michael Malone had to be deemed a success. The Nuggets appear to have made strides offensively and defensively, while learning how Malone and the new staff run things.

Now comes the hard part: translating that progress into the regular season, which opens Wednesday at Houston.

"It's for real now," Malone said. "In the preseason, I don't think anyone cares about wins and losses. It's about…