The Nuggets haven’t lost two consecutive games yet this season as they prepare for 10 of the next 13 on the road.

Bates has spent most of his team in the G League with the Grand Rapids Gold this season.

Notes on injuries to Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther as the Nuggets gear up this week for a Christmas Day marquee game followed by a seven-game road trip.

“As a man, there’s certain things you don’t say to another man,” Bruce Brown said after tensions were high between him and Kevin Durant.

The Nuggets are still plenty good enough to clinch home-court advantage in the West. But they’re not good enough to win a series on that home court, against a fellow contender, if they’re not at full strength. Bruce Brown needs some backup if he’s going to take a swing at Kevin Durant.

David Adelman’s coaching rite of passage wasn’t enough to spark the Nuggets to an improbable comeback.