Nuggets tip off season with week in Boulder
While the Nuggets didn’t get the victory they chased against the Jazz, their tip-off in Boulder, hosted by the Colorado Buffaloes, was a huge success.
Instead of playing at home, they spent their week west of Denver beneath the Flatirons. Practicing at the CU Events Center, staying in a hotel and exploring the city gave the Nuggets opportunities to bond.
Head coach David Adelman acknowledged the impact of their time away before the game.
“Boulder’s been awesome all week,” Adelman said. “Just running into people on the street, going out to eat, the whole thing. People seem to be really excited about it, which is really cool. It’s fun to see Nuggets Nation here, as opposed to Denver.”
The game was about bridging the communities together to rally around Colorado basketball. At halftime of the NBA game, the men’s and women’s basketball teams from CU were honored. Nuggets players even attended the Buffs football game against No. 12 Texas Tech on Saturday.
“Not to mention it's fun to be on a college campus. The energy's great, homecoming, the football game,” Adelman said. “It's just really cool; it’s a unique experience for us. It’s cool for our guys to see the fanbase. It's not just where we're at, but it’s down the road in Boulder.”
The Nuggets-Buffs crossover ended in a 109-97 defeat to Utah for Adelman’s squad. However, since it was preseason, the loss carried no stakes. It did, however, give Julian Strawther the opportunity to play the most minutes in the game.
He led the team in scoring with 14 points and was one of the guys who visited Folsom Field as well. Postgame, he shared what the week was like for him.
“It’s been real fun. I don’t know how many of the guys have been out here; it was my first time,” Strawther said. “I enjoyed it a lot; we got out, we got to bond a lot, go out to eat and things like that. It was a great week.”
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