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LA Clippers: Three things to watch for in tonight’s season opener

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 9: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers shows a serious face against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 9, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 9: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers shows a serious face against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 9, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 9: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers looks on against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 9, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 9: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers looks on against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 9, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The LA Clippers will face off against the Denver Nuggets in tonight’s regular season opener. Here are three big things to watch for.

LA Clippers basketball has finally returned, and the team will be facing a tough challenge straight from the gate.

The Denver Nuggets will travel to Los Angeles tonight, featuring a balanced scoring attack led by Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Gary Harris that ranked sixth in scoring last season.

Like Los Angeles, Denver made a few changes over the summer to improve. They drafted Michael Porter Jr. in the NBA Draft, traded Wilson Chandler to the Philadelphia 76ers, and signed Isaiah Thomas in free agency. The Nuggets also locked up Jokic on a max deal in early July.

What Denver will benefit most from, though, is time. Most of their core players are young, and with plenty of time and work, will only continue to improve. It’s the reason why several projections have the Nuggets slated to be a mid-to-bottom tier playoff team this season.

Fortunately, the LA Clippers will have the one thing they went almost the entire 2017-2018 campaign without — health.

Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, Milos Teodosic, and Danilo Gallinari each missed significant amounts of time last season, and will each return tonight with full strength.

This will also be a night highlighted by unique and first-time opportunities for many of the team’s players. Let’s get started with the first:

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