If the Denver Nuggets have any chance at eclipsing last season’s sterling 31-10 home record, the fourth-best in the NBA, they need to beat teams they are favored to beat.
The first such test this season is the home opener Saturday night against Phoenix.
Only two of their home losses last season came against teams with a sub.-500 record (Atlanta and the Suns), meaning there wasn’t often a letdown at the Pepsi Center. It was championship contenders Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston and Golden State –which, not ideally, travels to Denver on Sunday – that overcame the Mile-High advantage.