ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The Nuggets dropped both preseason games against the Celtics this weekend in the Middle East, but unlike the competitive and largely encouraging first matchup, Denver lacked energy and rhythm Sunday in a 130-104 blowout Sunday. With Michael Malone resting multiple starters, the rematch was more focused on evaluating second- and third-unit players before the Nuggets’ long flight home and subsequent week off between preseason games. The results were mixed. Here are three takeaways from the game and the atmosphere at Etihad Arena. Malone runs out of timeouts early Their regular-season rotation might go deeper than nine some games, but as general manager Calvin Booth put it, the Nuggets have nine players who they think would be in any rotation in the NBA. But with three of them resting Sunday — Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook — the weaknesses further down the roster were susceptible to being accentuated. It was a lethargic game from the beginning, but after Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were done at halftime, it spiraled out of control. The Celtics won the third quarter, 42-16, with turnovers and lackadaisical defense from Denver’s third unit causing Malone to call two heated timeouts 47 seconds apart, a inspired snippet of frustration worthy of the playoffs. He was out of timeouts by the 9:38 mark of the fourth. “I don’t get caught up in the losses in preseason. I get caught up in, ‘Are we getting better?'” Malone said afterward. “And that’s the most disappointing thing about tonight. It wasn’t about missed shots. It was about turnovers. Transition defense. The breakdowns that we had. And if you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, that’s the definition of insanity. So we’ve gotta do a better job of understanding what we’re trying to do, adhere to the game plan, have discipline within the game plan and find guys that are capable of doing that.” Strawther’s offense stands out The main event at Summer League for the Nuggets this year, Julian Strawther continued to showcase that his multi-level scoring capability is pretty advanced for a second-year player who was drafted at the end of the first round. He’s doing more with his game than just spotting up, and he got to the foul line for five attempts in the loss. The Gonzaga alum finished the game with 17 points (second on the team Nikola Jokic’s 20) on 6-of-12 shooting. He got to the foul line for five attempts as well. If that translates to regular-season, it’ll be an underrated boost for the second unit. The Nuggets averaged the second-fewest free throw attempts per game in the league last season. The consistency of Strawther’s defense remains the attribute that could jeopardize his playing time, but he was nonetheless a bright spot on an underwhelming night for his team, with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting (and no turnovers, unlike the 10 other Nuggets who played 10 or more minutes). The scene in Abu Dhabi There were moments early in the game during live play when the squeaking of shoes on a seemingly mic’d up court was the loudest noise in Etihad Arena. It was Boston’s turn to oversee the in-game entertainment as the home team after Denver’s staff ran the show Friday. During several Nuggets possessions, the Celtics’ arena DJ queued up a “DE-FENSE” chant by playing two quarter-notes of bass over the arena speakers. Nobody answered with a chant. About those entertainment staff: The league covers expenses for the teams traveling to Abu Dhabi, so the Nuggets aren’t footing a bigger bill just to bring the Skyline Drumline along (even if the drums themselves are a bit of a hassle). Related Articles Denver Nuggets | Nuggets, Denver legend Chauncey Billups, Mr. Big Shot, says Hall of Fame induction next week starting to sink in. “It’s kind of crazy” Denver Nuggets | Dikembe Mutombo always had dreams beyond basketball. His second family in Denver heard them all. Denver Nuggets | Nuggets Journal: Michael Malone vouches that “I have seen a healthy Jamal Murray” in Nuggets training camp Denver Nuggets | Renck & File: Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic has never ridden a horse. Wait, come again? Denver Nuggets | The most encouraging aspect of Russell Westbrook’s preseason debut with Nuggets: “He needs to be who he is” “We have about 3 million fans in the market, about 15 (million) in the region,” said NBA executive George Aivazoglou, who oversees fan engagement in Europe and the Middle East. “But still a lot of those fans are what we describe as curious or casual fans. So they’re attracted to the NBA entertainment product. And basketball is a big part of that, but it’s not just about basketball. … Having team entertainment staff, the dancers, the mascots … that helps build fandom.” The two games in Abu Dhabi this weekend certainly backed up that assessment, often in amusing ways. Late in the first game, dueling chants of “Let’s go Nuggets!” and “Let’s go Celtics!” broke out, but the line was just repeated consecutively without the usual clapping between each refrain. One of the moments of audible wonderment from the crowd (also Friday) was in response to DeAndre Jordan leaping to snag a Boston 3-point attempt out of the air after the play had already been whistled dead — something that NBA centers often do just because. And during a trivia segment at a timeout Sunday, a fan incorrectly guessed Ray Allen when asked which Celtics legend wore No. 34 and was nicknamed “The Truth.” The NBA hopes its presence in the region continues to cause an increase in basketball fandom, as league-issued surveys have found to be the case since it started bringing preseason games to Abu Dhabi. That both underscores the league’s impressive influence and the fact that the reason it puts stakes in the ground anywhere has little to do with already-devoted fanbases. Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.