The Oklahoma City Thunder visit Denver for the second and final time during the regular season on January 4. Russell Westbrook should be back with the Thunder by then and no doubt Nuggets fans will be ready to boo him after last season's antics involving the Nuggets beloved mascot Rocky. The Thunder and Nuggets have had one of the better rivalries in recent years and both teams usually rise to the occasion for an exciting battle. Kevin Durant put up a then career-high 51 points against the Nuggets in 2012.
After last summer's addition of Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, plus the trade for James Harden, the Houston Rockets were one of the most exciting, young NBA teams to watch in 2012-13. With the offseason acquisition of Dwight Howard, the Rockets look to be a contender in the Western Conference. Their lone date in Denver is April 9.
The Miami Heat marched to their second NBA title in a row in 2012-13. They look to be on the road to the first NBA three-peat in a decade. Dwyane Wade had never won a game in Denver until last season with the help of Chris Bosh's 40-point game. The only chance Nuggets fans will get to see the Heat and LeBron James in Denver is December 30, the last Nuggets game of 2013. It will also be a homecoming of sorts for former Nuggets fan-favorite the "Birdman" Chris Andersen.
The most exciting games that the Nuggets played last season seemed to come against the Golden State Warriors. Add in some playoff bad blood and the defection of Andre Iguodala to Golden State and these two teams will take the rivalry to another level. The Warriors visit Pepsi Center on December 23 and again on April 16 for the regular season finale. These games could likely have playoff implications for both teams as the Nuggets battle to stay in the top eight of the Western Conference and the Warriors look to ascend further.
Carmelo Anthony will visit Denver for just the second time since forcing his way to the New York Knicks via trade during the 2010-11 season. Melo was welcomed back to the Mile High City in the manner most expected - he was booed out of the building with chants of "who needs Melo" that were deafening. Anthony ended up running back to the visitor's locker room with his tail between his legs after a timely injury while the Knicks were down by 20-plus. You can bet that the boo birds will show up for this one as the Knicks make their only stop in Denver on November 29. Former Nuggets JR Smith, Raymond Felton and Kenyon Martin also return.
Peter Sherwill is a Denver Nuggets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeterSherwill, add him to your network on Google or listen to him on the Mac and Pete Sportscast.
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