The Nuggets can’t have nice things, apparently

After a four-year playoff drought, the Denver Nuggets looked to be one of the warm and fuzzy stories of the young NBA season. Building around wunderkind point center Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets added tough, smart Paul Millsap on a huge contract this summer. It worked: the team’s defense toughened up and Millsap and Jokic looked like one of the more reliable frontcourts in the West. Through 17 games, Denver was in the mix for a top-4 seed.

Welp.

Millsap tore a ligament in his wrist, requiring surgery. He’ll be out 2-3 months. You don’t want your second-best player having injuries where the recovery is measured in months. Millsap will miss up to half the regular season with this injury. The good news is that he should be back for the stretch run and playoffs. The bad news is that the cluttered West might leave Denver in the dustbin by that time.

In any event, a top-four seed seems out of the question. Adam Mares hits the changing dynamics this creates for Denver. It’ll be interesting to see who takes the defensive baton, if anyone.

CHI 94, LAL 103

I am unafraid to admit I had no idea who Kyle Kuzma was as of the NBA draft. Dude is a shoe-in for first-team All-Rookie at this point.

If you believe in the concept of clutch play, Kyrie Irving this season is your god. He always looks extremely relaxed, and I think that’s part of it.

What a fun Q&A from Tim Cato with the man whose voice you know from those awesome top-10 highlight videos.

How dreadful! Michael Porter, Jr., a potential No. 1 overall prospect, is having back surgery due to herniated disks. At age 19! This is bad for college basketball fans, especially Missouri fans, and means that Porter will probably not go No. 1 overall in June.

Jarrett Allen, the Nets rookie, seems like a real good dude. This charity event in which 25 middle school kids are given $70 and receive a lesson on budgeting for a Thanksgiving meal, and then go shopping ... how wonderful is that?! I see you, dude with the $70 in Cool Whip, though.

Eight reasons to be glad LeBron James is voicing a yeti in an upcoming animated film.

Michael Pina is right: time is already running out on the L.A. Clippers. Losing both point guards at the same time was brutal.

LaVar Ball does not think the Lakers know how to coach his son.

Zito Madu with a sober, smart take on the intersection of sports and the President of the United States’ Twitter rage.

Klay Thompson explaining when he will and won’t walk under scaffolding on New York local news is so lovely.

Wow. Kevin Garnett says Thon Maker will be an MVP some day.

Today I learned Thunder GM Sam Presti has a friendly relationship with Branford Marsalis, and invited him to visit with Billy Donovan and himself to take about teamwork and chemistry in a jazz band. How neat.

The Warriors play the Thunder on Wednesday. Kevin Durant alleges it will just be a regular game for him now. Russell Westbrook is rolling up with his new best friends and KD is acting like he won’t notice. Uh huh. (Actually, because the Thunder have struggled so much, he might be right.)

NBA agent Andy Miller’s role in the ongoing FBI investigations into college basketball could be mighty important in changing the sport forever.

Leave LeVar Burton alone!

Twenty-eight teams are in action Wednesday because there are no games on Thursday. ESPN has Warriors-Thunder at 8 p.m. ET and the Lonzo Ball-De’Aaron Fox showdown at 10:30. The Celtics are in Miami to try to move their streak to 17, as well. Good night for baking and basketball. And by baking I mean literal baking. Like, pies and stuff.

And, finally: Rumpman Rumpman Rumpman, them bootlegs up to something.

Be excellent to each other.