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The cat’s out of the bag: I wasn’t cut out for All-Star difficulty.

Here are my next seven games after lowering the difficulty to Pro. As you’ll see, I go 5-2: on one hand, maybe it’s a little too easy now, but on the other hand, that’s about a record that a fully healthy Nuggets team should be drawing.

To see how I got here as well as how this NBA 2K25 Franchise is set up, be sure to check out Part 1 of this first-time series.

At Houston Rockets (0-2)

Rockets Starting Lineup: Fred VanVleet (82), Jalen Green (86), Dillon Brooks (81) Amen Thompson (87), Alex Sengun (88)

Game Summary: A back-to-back for the Nuggets, Denver came out hot with a 16-7 lead behind Nikola Jokic doing Nikola Jokic things and Micheal Porter Jr. hitting a pair of three-pointers, breaking out of his cold funk. Nuggets led 35-24 at the end of the first behind 14 points from MPJ.

The Rockets clawed their way back in to the game in the second quarter, with Fred Van Vleet and Dillon Brooks leading the charge, but the Nuggets’ second unit found more answers than usual, with Peyton Watson getting involved on both ends and Julian Strawther hitting a big three-pointer.

Jokic poured it on after he was subbed back in, ending the first half with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, giving the Nuggets a 69-52 lead.

With 7:01 left in the third quarter, Jokic reached a triple double, recording four quick assists in the third quarter. The Nuggets carried an 89-72 lead in to the fourth quarter, as Houston’s offense struggled to find consistency.

Nuggets win 117-95 with Jokic nearly breaking the 30-20-20 for the first time in NBA history, in this 2K universe (he of course, already did this in real life.)

Nuggets Standout Stats

Jokic: 30 points, 23 rebounds, 19 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (13-19 FG) +26

MPJ: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (9-15 FG, 2-3 3PT)

Jamal Murray: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals (8-12 FG)

Rockets Standout Stats

Fred Van Vleet: 24 points, 3 assists (10-27 FG)

Jalen Green: 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists (11-23 FG)

Game Result: Nuggets get first win of the season, 117-95, to improve to 1-4

Trade Offer

Los Angeles Lakers offer SF Dalton Knecht (78) and a 2029 1st Round Pick for PG Russell Westbrook (82). Holy cow. In real life, this would probably be a trade worth taking. But I’m trying to win now, and Westbrook is an important part of the Nuggets championship aspirations. Decline, but a great offer from Los Angeles.

Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1)

Cavaliers Starting Lineup: Darius Garland (88), Isaac Okoro (77), De’Andre Hunter (82), Evan Mobley (92), Jarrett Allen (88)

Game Summary: 26-26 at the end of the first quarter, with 13 points from Darius Garland and 7 points from Jamal Murray to lead the way for both teams.

Cavaliers led 52-47 at halftime behind a balanced team effort: Mobley had 8, Strus had 7, Dean Wade had 6, and Allen had 6, in addition to Garland’s 13. Jokic led the charge for the Nuggets with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but two turnovers: Jamal Murray also had two turnovers.

Nuggets trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but Jokic, Westbrook, Murray, and Daron Holmes III helped Denver take a 79-77 lead in to the fourth quarter as Cleveland’s offense stalled. Jarrett Allen was a defensive liability in the quarter with three fouls.

But Denver fell apart late, falling to get buckets in crucial moments and letting Cleveland’s guards have their way with the defense.

Nuggets Standout Stats

Jokic: 41 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists (15-24 FG, 11-11 FT)

Murray: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists (6-9 FG)

Westbrook: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals (6-12 FG)

Cavaliers Standout Stats:

Darius Garland: 31 points, 7 assists (11-20 FG)

Jarrett Allen: 12 points, 23 rebounds

Game Result: Nuggets lose 110-105 and fall to 1-5, as Cleveland outscores Denver 33-26 in the fourth quarter.

Trade Offer

Los Angeles Clippers offer C I. Zubac (86) and Ben Simmons (78) for PG Jamal Murray (86) and Zeke Nnaji (75). Offers an interesting solution to the Jokic backup situation, but at the cost of Murray? Pass.

Vs. Miami Heat (2-3)

PG Davion Mitchell (78), SG Tyler Herro (87), SF Jaime Jaquez Jr. (78), Bam Adebayo (87), Ke’el Ware (80)

Game Summary: Nuggets lead 31-23 after first. Later on, Nuggets lead 93-65 over the “top-rated defensive team in the NBA” thus far after three quarters. All-around effort, led by Jokic but supported by many. Nuggets win 126-89 in easy win to improve to 2-5. Starters sat out most of the fourth, hampering potential numbers a little but letting bench guys play, including Dario Saric hitting his first three-pointer of the season

Nuggets Standout Stats

Jokic: 27 Points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists (13-19 FG) in just 16 minutes

Porter Jr.: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists (8-13 FG)

Westbrook: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists (7-10 FG, 4-4 3PT)

Murray: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists (9-14 FG)

Heat Standout Stats

Rozier III: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists (6-22 FG, 2-10 3PT)

Game Result: Nuggets win 126-89, improve to 2-5

Random: Free Agent Upgrades to Boost Competition

While I think I am at the right difficulty level now (and still have a ways to go to claw myself out of this 2-5 hole) I’m doing something to arbitrarily increase the difficulty of my competition: giving some big name free agents a ratings boost and seeing where they land.

Let’s start by giving 76 OVR PG Derrick Rose a new lease on life, I turned back the clock six years (36 to 30) and raised his overall to an MVP-level 90 OVR with some his signature explosiveness back.

There weren’t too many more veteran players in free agency to do this with, but I did turn 34-year old 74 OVR PG Ricky Rubio in to 28-year old, 89 OVR PG Ricky Rubio.

We’ll see where these two new potential All-Star point guards land after the next game.

Vs. Orlando Magic (2-6)

Magic Lineup: PG Jalen Suggs 84, SG Kentavious-Caldwell-Pope 76, SF Franz Wagner 89, PF Paolo Banchero 89, C Goga Bitadze 80

Game Summary: Nuggets lead 29-21 after the first quarter, behind 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from Nikola Jokic (6-8 FG, 2-2 FT.) The Magic made it close, 38-35, with Jokic off the court, but the MVP quickly sparked a 10-0 run later in the quarter. Nuggets lead 56-39 at halftime, with a Jokic-Westbrook two-man game doing heavy damage against a traditionally defensive-minded Magic team. Jokic entered the break with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

A 19-7 run by Orlando made the game quickly competitive. Nuggets carry narrow 75-74 lead in to fourth quarter as they can’t stop the bleeding, and the offense slows.

Nuggets win 109-101 behind a monster Jokic triple-double: almost the concerning kind, as Jokic scored over 50% of the Nuggets points. 57 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists.

Nuggets Standout Stats:

Jokic: 57 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, (23-40 FG, 11-12 FT)

Westbrook: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists. 3 steals (6-11 FG)

Murray: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists (4-6 FG)

Magic Standout Stats:

Caldwell-Pope: 21 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 3 steals (7-12 FG, 3-6 3PT) against his former team

Banchero: 21 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists – 1 assist shy of a triple double.

Result: Nuggets improve to 3-5 with 109-101 win

At Washington Wizards (2-5)

Wizards Lineup: PG Jordan Poole 83, SG Bilal Coulibaly 81, SF Khris Middleton 82, PF Kyshawn George 77, C Alexander Sarr 81

Game Summary: Nuggets jumped out to a silly opening lead, by the Wizard quickly recovered to make it a game again: Denver led 27-22 at the end of the first quarter nonetheless. Jokic had a double double in the quarter with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

In the second quarter, the Nuggets went on a 14-4 run without Jokic on the court, including holding the Wizards scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the period. Jokic only helped pour it on as the Nuggets won the second quarter 29-8, taking a 56-30 halftime lead.

Julian Strawther scored 8 in the third quarter as the lead was extended to 88-53.

Nuggets won 109-79.

Nuggets Standout Stats:

Jokic: 20 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists (8-12 FG)

Watson: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists (6-12 FG)

Braun: 9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists (4-7 FG)

Wizards Standout Stats:

Coulibaly and Carrington: 13 points each

Game Result: Nuggets improve to 4-5 with 109-79 win

More League-Wide Buffs

LeBron James: -6 years, 96 to 99 OVR

At Toronto Raptors (2-2)

Raptors Lineup: PG Immanuel Quickley 82, SG RJ Barrett 84, SF Brandon Ingram 86, PF Scottie Barnes 87, C Jakob Poeltl 83

Game Recap: The starters had the game under control, but the second unit was shaky to start. Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook heated up offensively at the end of the quarter, with Westbrook beating the first quarter buzzer with a layup at the basket.

The Nuggets led 60-54 at halftime behind a balanced scoring effort, Jokic didn’t even get too involved until heating up at the end of the half. (13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists on 5-of-7 FG shooting).

Denver cruised to a 118-94 victory, with Michael Porter Jr. finishing with 29 points (including 23 in the second half) along with 7 rebounds, 12 assists, and 2 steals on a career night. Jokic notched a triple double with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Nuggets Standout Stats:

Porter Jr.: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 2 TO (14-23 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-1 FT)

Jokic: 22 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 TO (9-17 FG)

Braun: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO (6-7 FG, 1-1 3PT)

Raptors Standout Stats:

Barrett: 12 points (team-high) no other Raptors players in double digits

Barnes: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists (4-15 FG)

Game Result: Nuggets win fourth straight game, improving to 5-5 on the season

Minutes Change

Deandre Jordan: 6 to 2

DaRon Holmes II: 4 to 7

Zeke Nnaji: 9 to 7

Peyton Watson: 21 to 22

Jamal Murray: 32 to 33

Christian Braun: 26 to 27

Opponent Buff

Karl-Anthony Towns: 93 OVR to 95 OVR

At New York Knicks (4-2)

Knicks Lineup: PG Jalen Brunson 93 OVR, SG Mikal Bridges 85 OVR, SF O.J. Anunoby 85 OVR, PF Josh Hart 85 OVR, C Karl Anthony-Towns 95 OVR

Game Summary: While many shots were taken by both teams, the pace of actual scoring was a bit slowed by good defense on both ends. The score was 49-45 Nuggets at halftime: Jalen Brunson had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting for New York, and Aaron Gordon led Denver with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with Jokic not far behind (14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists on 6-of-8 shooting.)

After his big night last game, Michael Porter Jr. was pretty subpar in the first half: 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist on 3-of-13 shooting including 1-of-7 three-point shooting.

New York opened the second half on an 8-4 run, led by Karl Anthony-Towns getting it done on both ends to tie the game.

The Nuggets briefly retook the lead before allowing a 16-0 run by New York, with a largely second unit (Westbrook, Strawther, Braun, Watson, Holmes) on the court. This included four straight three-pointers followed by back-to-back Brunson baskets: he had 10 of the 16 points for the Knicks.

The Knicks took a 78-68 lead in to the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets offense completely stalled with the starting unit off the floor.

Denver never recovered, and the once back-and-forth game became a runaway Knicks victory as their talented starting five played much of the second half. The Knicks won 112-94.

Nuggets committed an atrocious

Nuggets Standout Stats:

Jokic: 20 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 TO (8-12 FG)

Porter Jr.: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 TO (8-20 FG)

Gordon: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 TO (7-17 FG)

Knicks Standout Stats:

Brunson: 33 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists (14-30 FG, 4-9 3PT)

Towns: 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks (4-10 FG)

Game Result: Knicks win 112-94, Nuggets fall to 5-6.