Rockets provide Nuggets' first real measuring stick since opening night

The Nuggets opened up the season with a marquee matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game in which their offense didn’t show up and they got humbled on national television. The ensuing panic over the team got a little out of control as they struggled in their next few games, but they’ve largely righted the ship with a 5-3 record early in the season.

But due to the way the schedule has fallen and some injury luck, Denver hasn’t gotten a real test since that opening night debacle.

They’ve scored two bizarre wins over an equally bizarre Pelicans team that hadn’t quite figured out what they wanted to do and who they want to be. They got embarrassed by the Warriors just as they were…