Denver Nuggets 2022-2023 home opener pregame #shorts #nba #nuggets #denver #denvernuggets

The 2022-2023 home opener wasn't just another season tip-off. Jamal Murray was back. Michael Porter Jr. was back. And Nikola Jokic was walking into Ball Arena as a two-time MVP. That combination had me driving downtown on a Tuesday night with zero hesitation, which is not something I say about many Tuesday nights.

Getting to Ball Arena from downtown is straightforward enough. Parking near the arena on game nights is its own project — I usually aim for the lots further up toward Wewatta Street and walk over, which adds maybe ten minutes but saves real money. The Plaza of the Americas area around 1550 Wewatta gives you a decent anchor point if you're trying to orient yourself before the crowds thicken up. Give yourself extra time. The area fills up faster than people expect, especially for a marquee game like this one.

What Game Night Actually Feels Like

Walking in before tip-off, the energy was noticeably different from a mid-January matchup against a middling Eastern Conference team. People were genuinely excited — not just performing excitement. Murray's torn ACL had cost him the entire previous season, and seeing him warm up on the court had a kind of relief to it that you don't usually get at a home opener. The ring ceremony was kept tight, which I appreciated. Denver does not have a reputation for over-producing its own moments, and the organization seemed to understand that the basketball itself was the point.

The arena is loud when it's into a game, and it was into this one from the first quarter. Jokic does things on a basketball court that make the crowd react in ways you can't quite predict — not always a dunk or a buzzer shot, but some pass at an angle that shouldn't work, and the section around you just kind of exhales. That happened several times. If you haven't seen him play live, it's a genuinely different experience from watching on television, and that's not me being dramatic.

The Practical Side of a Night Game Downtown

If you're planning a Nuggets night and want to make an evening of it, Larimer Square on Larimer Street is a reasonable pre-game destination — it's close enough to be walkable to the arena and has enough going on that you can kill an hour without circling a parking garage. It's not a sports bar setup, but it works if you want to eat before the game rather than dealing with arena prices.

The arena food situation is what it is. Prices are high, lines are long, and the quality is exactly what you'd expect from a stadium concession. My move is to eat beforehand and budget for one drink inside. The sightlines at Ball Arena are genuinely good from most sections — it's a compact enough building that you're rarely far from the action, even in the upper levels.

If you're bringing kids or visiting from out of town and want to structure a whole day around a night game, the Denver Zoo is up in City Park and makes for a solid afternoon before heading downtown. It's not a spontaneous add-on — you'd want to plan for it — but it's the kind of combination that makes a sports trip feel like more than just the game.

Worth Going?

A Nuggets game during a season where the roster is healthy and clicking is one of the better live sports experiences in Denver. The team that came back together for 2022-2023 — Murray returning, MPJ returning, Jokic already the best player on the floor most nights — made those early home games feel like something was about to happen. As it turned out, something was. If you can get seats in the lower bowl without completely breaking your budget, do it. If you end up in the upper level, you'll still have a good time — just maybe bring a jacket because it gets cold up there.