Losers of 12 out of their last 13 games, some might say the Minnesota Wolves Schedule has not been kind to them this season. The only problem is the NBA season is a heartless grind that sometimes seems to never relent.
I said before this game started that the Nuggets should have a double-digit point lead by halftime. The Timberwolves, who did beat the Nuggets once already this season with Denver winning the other two previous meetings, are the worst team in the Western Conference at 14-50 overall coming into tonight's game and anything but a win tonight would eat at me from the inner sanctity of my very being.
George Karl did not coach this game due to undergoing cancer treatment and I thought the rotations in the first half were terrible. I know that the Nuggets are trying to find their way without Kenyon Martin and Ty Lawson, but there was a stretch in the first half where Adrian Dantley had Chris Andersen, Malik Allen, Joey Graham, Anthony Carter, and J.R. Smith all in the game at the same time. This left J.R. Smith as the only scorer and primary ball handler and it didn’t work out. In fact, he finished 0-4 from the field in the first half with the T-Wolf defense able to key on him defensively. Thankfully, Chauncey Billups was too much for the smaller rookie, Jonny Flynn and worked over the youngster for eleven points in the first half.
The Timberwolves, despite their record, didn’t settle for mediocre basketball and worked the ball inside for better shots than the Nuggets did in the first half. Denver settled on the offensive end for jump shots and at times struggled to get inside the Timberwolves’ perimeter defense. The result was Minnesota shooting 18 free-throws compared to just nine for the Nuggets, and to their credit, the Timberwolves made good on 16 of them. The T-Wolves also got the better of the rebounding battle by pulling down eight offensive boards in the first half.
The culmination of all these things left the Nuggets trailing by five, 53-48, at intermission.
Another point I’d like to illustrate about the first half was how the Nuggets were flat out-energized by the Grizzlies. To me, this is a problem when a team with playoff seeding on the line is not bringing the game to a team that is already planning their off-season vacations. Injuries are no excuse for this when a win here or a win there could mean the difference between having home court advantage in the playoffs and playing a lesser foe or being in a dogfight with a potential 4-5 match-up.
Sigh.
J.R. Smith did keep me from having a sleepless night and came alive in the third quarter after a scoreless first half. With the Nuggets still trailing by three midway through the third quarter, Smith was lighting in a bottle with three consecutive three-pointers all within a minute to put some swagger back in Denver’s step. Chris Andersen was also special tonight off the bench. The Birdman was soaring around the basket changing at least five or six shots, including forcing a 24-second clock violation after Big Al Jefferson was afraid to challenge him in the paint, blocking three others, and offering 14 points and ten rebounds when all was said and done.
The combined efforts by J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen off the bench were contagious as the rest of the Nuggets slowly but surely came around into the rhythm of the game. It was the Bird’s tip shot that tied the game at 72 all with under three minutes to play in the third and with Chauncey scoring the final five points of the quarter. Denver took a, 79-72, lead into the fourth. Those five by the King of Park Hill were the first of an 11-0 run spanning 5:15 over the course of the end of the third quarter and the first two minutes of the fourth which afforded the Nuggets a 13-point lead, 85-72.
Then with the game basically in hand with four minutes remaining in regulation, Earl J. Smith essentially blew my mind with a 360-alley-oop from Chauncey Billups on the fast break that made me jump up off the couch, do a little spin of my own, and frantically search for the DVR remote to verify what I thought I had just witnessed was, indeed, humanly possible.
Chauncey trotted the ball up on the fast break when Smith came streaking down the right side of the floor. At first, it looked like Chauncey was going to be late with the pass and pull up for one of his patented three’s in transition instead. But, when the lob was thrown late it was also touch behind Smith who not only had the presence of mind to corkscrew his body - in mid-flight, mind you - to catch the pass but also had the altitude to continue spinning all the way around and slam the ball through the net with what is easily the dunk of the year up to this point. League-wide. Hands-down. Amazing.
Smith finished 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals without a single turnover. Chauncey Billups was the Nuggets’ high-scorer with 25 points, including the dagger three with 1:13 remaining to put the Nuggets up by eleven, before Denver won it’s 43 game of the season, 110-102. Carmelo Anthony didn’t reach 30 points for the first time in three games finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a block.
The Nuggets are in New Orleans on Friday to take on the Hornets where they will be looking to win their fifth straight game.
(Denver-CO) The Denver Nuggets finished their three-game unblemished after outpacing the Pacers, 122-114, and blazing the Trailblazers, 118-106. Both games were must wins with the Dallas Mavericks continuing to fruit wins in succession. Currently, the Mavericks are a full game ahead of Nuggets in the Western Conference standings with the same number of losses while posting two more wins. The loss against Denver was the fifth straight on the Indiana Pacers Schedule.
In the Pacer game, the Nuggets led the whole way after early in the first quarter largely in part to J.R. Smith scoring ten of the Nuggets last twelve points in the period. It was critical for Smith to come off the bench and give the Nuggets that kind of lift because Denver is still shorthanded with the injuries to Ty Lawson (shoulder) and Kenyon Martin (tendonitis). Smith finished with 20 points and career-high eight assists in 32 minutes of action. J.R. has noticeably cut down on the turnovers (averaging 1.4 miscues over his last five games) while following up the career night dishing the rock with seven assists against the Trailblazers. But more on that later.
J.R.’s big first quarter paved the way for Denver to take a ten-point lead into the second quarter and the Nuggets held on to that lead to enter halftime up, 64-56.
Indiana, losers of their last five straight, did put a scare in the Nuggets in the third quarter when Josh McRoberts gave Chris Andersen, who had a game-high three blocks, a taste of his own medicine when he dunked on the Bird to trim the Nuggets’ lead down to six, 82-76, with four minutes remaining. However, sensing Indiana was getting too close to comfort, Carmelo Anthony took over the remaining third quarter offensively scoring seven of his game-high 34 points as the Nuggets outscored the Pacers 15-6 to close out the quarter. And as we know… Denver is nearly unbeatable in the fourth quarter, not to mention at home, when they lead after three quarters of play.
Carmelo Anthony regained his scoring touch against the Pacers by finishing with 34 points on an economical 12-20 from the field while snagging six rebounds and handing out four assists. Chris Andersen and Nene each scored 13 points while the Bird nabbed his third double-double of the season with ten rebounds. “Big Brazil” finished with six boards against Indiana and has not reached double figure rebounds since the Nuggets lost to the Lakers on 2/28. As for the Pacers, the Nuggets have now beaten Indiana in both their meetings this season marking their fourth time doing so in the last six years.
So, if the Indiana win was nice the W against the Portland Trailblazers was so much nicer. For starters, Portland is a divisional foe. Additionally, they are trying to become the fourth team out of the Northwest division to make this year’s playoff landscape with the Jazz currently in the fourth seed and the Thunder not far behind in the six slot. And in my opinion, the Portland Trailblazers have been the most overrated team in the Western Conference for quite some time (or since they miraculously landed Greg Oden two years ago).
I digress, but it was enjoyable to watch the Nuggets prove they are, indeed, the cream of divisional crop. Denver was all over the Blazers from the second the ball was put into play shooting 70% from the field in the first quarter while handing out nine combined assists on their twelve made field goals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Nuggets play their finest basketball when they share the wealth offensively. And with that being said, it wasn’t any surprise that Denver was leading by 13, 34-21, after one quarter of play.
The Nuggets extended their lead at the half to 17 points while continuing to shoot a blistering 67% from the field. The trio of Carmelo Anthony (19), J.R. Smith (12), and Chauncey Billups (12) combined to score 43 of Denver’s 66 points at the break while Arron Afflalo’s three, three’s and the Birdman’s three blocks were nice side notes. And in a statistical anomaly, the Nuggets failed to grab an offensive rebound in the first half while allowing the Blazers nine offensive boards. The goose egg is something we can look over because, quite frankly, the Nuggets weren’t missing many shots, but the breakdowns on the defensive glass for Denver are an area of concern. Especially when u consider that Johan Petro, in rare playing time let alone an even rarer start for the still ailing Kenyon Martin, was the leading glass cleaner for the Nuggets with five rebounds.
Where’s Nene? Where was the Bird?
In the second half, and just like in the previous game against the Pacers, the Nuggets let their foot off the gas a touch. Instead of completely blowing the Trailblazers out, Denver allowed Portland to get within eight with three minutes remaining in the third quarter after an 11-6 run was started by Andre Miller’s dunk and Martell Webster added a three and a free-throw. But, just like in the Pacer game, the Nuggets reacted favorably when the opposition got within striking range. J.R. Smith found Nene for an and-1 and Nene reciprocated Smith with a nice dish for an easy dunk. Those five points were enough for Denver to keep Portland on the outside looking in and the Nuggets took a 14-point lead into the money quarter where they are almost unbeatable when ahead on the scoreboard.
J.R. Smith followed up his career-high night in assists against the Pacers by following up with seven dimes against the Blazers. He also scored 22 points coming off the bench while making up some of the scoring load vacated by the still injured Ty Lawson and Kenyon Martin.
And speaking of scoring loads… Carmelo is piling up the points again! His 30 points against Portland marked the third consecutive game he has popped off for 30+ points. Chauncey Billups added 21 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Johan Petro finished with a team-high ten rebounds while also showcasing a tender jump shot on his way to six points. Chris Andersen three shots and for the third straight game has blocked at least three shots since not recording a rejection in the previous two Nugget losses.
Up next for the Nuggets is a four-game road trip that starts up in Minnesota before heading down south to take on the New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets.
(Denver-CO) I knew this game was about as sure of a sports betting lock as they come from about two minutes into the second half. The Nuggets completely blew the Oklahoma City Thunder away tonight, 119-90, by means of a 31-12 third quarter to kick-off their current three game homestand with a much needed win. Kevin Durant scored just 19 points as the Denver defense held him under 20 points for the first time in 2010.
Carmelo Anthony jumped out to a quick start offensively with 15 points in the first quarter. ‘Melo, who took fluids intravenously early today, said he hadn’t felt like himself in the last few days.
The fluids must have worked.
Carmelo finished the first half with 23 points before concluding tonight’s game with 30 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block while playing sparing minutes in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets led by seven after one quarter of play and extended their lead to 15 points midway through the second quarter after an alley-oop from Anthony Carter to the Birdman and a dunk by Nene. From that point on, the Nuggets only let their lead dip below double figures once before entering halftime up, 61-52, after Russell Westbrook took a defensive rebound 90 feet in the final three seconds to close out the first 24 minutes of action.
It’s at this point that I could start singing the praises of George Karl’s scheme to disrupt Durant by sending various different defensive looks ranging from the strength and size of Kenyon Martin to the speed of Arron Afflalo. But, Karl’s plot to foil one of the best scorers the league has today was just beginning to take form despite Durant scoring 16 points in the first half. In all reality, it wasn’t until the second half that Karl’s plan completely took over.
The Nuggets allowed Durant to covert just 1-4 field goals in the third quarter while limiting the Thunder to their lowest point total in a quarter so far this season (12). Durant, who also committed two turnovers in the third quarter, continued to struggle as Denver poured on 31 points on the other end. Durant finished with just three points in the second half and without him the Cinderella team from OKC lost it’s thunder.
I mentioned in my last recap that this team, when playing as one, is one of the best in the league and no quarter of play in the last handful of games proves my point more than the third quarter against the Thunder. Forget about only allowing twelve points for a minute while focusing on the fact that Denver was 10-23 from the field in the third quarter and ten of those buckets were assisted. That’s Denver basketball at its finest, Nuggets Nation. When guys are sharing the basketball, turning down good shots for better shots, forcing seven turnovers in the third quarter alone, and overall just playing for each other this team is as dangerous as any in the league. The Nuggets, even without the Thunder going completely dead offensively, were out to put a drumming on whoever was going to show up in the third quarter by playing the game the right way.
The Denver lead quickly ballooned to 30 points in the first minute of the fourth quarter and the Nuggets did push things to 40-points, 106-66, before pulling their starters after a 10-0 run..
Nene scored 20 points on 9-13 from the field, Chauncey Billups finished with 13 points and five dimes in only 25 minutes of burn, and J.R. Smith led the Denver reserves with 18 points and two steals.
The Indiana Pacers pay the Nuggets a visit on Friday night before the division rival Portland Trailblazers storm the Pepsi Center on Sunday.
(Denver-CO) The Phoenix Suns Schedule had them playing the night before against the Spurs and they still took care of business when they came to the Mile High City. So much for having to play them on the second game of a back-to-back. Against Alvin Gentry's squad, the Nuggets did two things yesterday in their, 101-85, loss and neither are very good. The first is matching their lowest point total for a quarter with eleven points in the second against the Phoenix zone defense. The second is Denver hadn’t lost consecutive games since 2009 when they dropped three straight late in December.
Chauncey’s offense was sustaining early in the first quarter. He was too large and strong for Steve Nash to guard in the post and the respect that Nash had to surrender on the perimeter was deadly as Smooth peppered the net. Additionally, Carmelo absolutely tutored Jared Dudley in the latter half of the first quarter, including a fast break possession where he grabbed his own offensive rebound twice before putting the rock to rest and an overpowering drive right at Dudley for an easy deuce.
At this point, the Nuggets were rolling, but the wheels were soon about to go flat.
Phoenix switched to a 2-3 defense three minutes into the second quarter and without Chauncey Billups in there (or Ty Lawson for that fact of the matter) the Nuggets looked confused offensively. The results were horrendous as the Nuggets fell right into the hands of the defense and began settling for jump shots. The Nuggets then went 0-7 shooting after starting the quarter 2-2 as Phoenix went on a 15-0 run spanning over five minutes. Overall, Denver was 5-16 from the field in the second quarter and scored just eleven points as they fell behind by 13 points, 57-44, at half.
Bench scoring was also a big factor in the second quarter. Phoenix’s bench came up huge with 24 points compared to just four points by Denver’s in the first half. Simply stated, the Nugget subs were sub par without the help of Chris Andersen, who left the game with knee tendonitis, and Ty Lawson.
Denver continued to struggle through the majority of the third quarter before back-to-back-to-back three’s by Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, and J.R. Smith cut what was once a 20-point Phoenix lead down to twelve, 76-64, with under three minutes remaining. Sadly, it was the last time the Nuggets were striking range.
J.R. Smith came in and gave the Nuggets some much needed scoring in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points off the bench after hoisting a total of ten three-point attempts. Unfortunately for Denver, it was only enough to balance out what was otherwise a dominating performance by the Suns’ bench who combined outscored the Denver subs 37-20. Carmelo was held under 20 points for the first time in seven games finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. Chauncey Billups led all Denver scorers with 21 points.
Up next for the Nuggets is a three game homestand which includes match-ups with divisional foes Oklahoma City and Portland and Indiana. All three are winnable games for the Nuggets who are 25-5 at the Pepsi Center this season.
(Denver-CO) The Los Angeles Lakers may have been able to beat the Nuggets in the regular season for the first time yesterday, 95-89, in LA, but in my eyes Denver made a statement. The message was clear: We're in the hunt and just who is the hunter and who is the hunted is yet to be determined.
The Nuggets commanded this game for most of its duration before a terrible start to the third quarter erased a double-digit lead only to be rebuilt and lost again before losing in the final possessions (more on this later). Arron Afflalo was suffocating on Kobe Bryant. Kenyon Martin picked up right where he left off with a knee contusion and anchored the Nuggets front line. However, ultimately, Carmelo fouled out on a pair of questionable calls late in the fourth quarter after struggling with Ron Artest's physical brand of defense and the Nuggets were unable to convert possessions into points in the final three and half minutes without him.
What I loved about the first half of play was how the Nuggets were the aggressors both in the physicality of the game and on the offensive end of the floor. On the defensive end, the Nuggets forced L.A. to commit seven turnovers in the first quarter alone and twelve overall in the half. The defensive leader for Denver was Arron Afflalo, who took the challenge of guarding Kobe Bryant to heart, and kept Bryant to just two points in the first quarter. Afflalo did an excellent job fronting Bryant and keeping him from getting to the spots on the floor he wants to get to and when Kobe did get the ball Afflalo was physical and relentless. Kobe finished the half with four points on 1-5 from the field and four assists.
Offensively, the Nuggets jumped out to an early eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter after Chauncey Billups hit a technical free-throw and a three in the final 1:13. Kobe Bryant was hit with the technical after he let J.R. Smith, who was talking a little well-spirited trash before the game, get under his skin after Smith stole an errant pass by Lamar Odom. Denver then went on to extend their lead to 13 points, 40-27, with seven minutes remaining in the half after a combined seven straight points by Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo. Ty Lawson's speed proved once again to give L.A. fits in transition as he scored six points in five minutes in the first half, but he left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return in the second half.
Denver was able to build the aforementioned lead with defense and physical play. Offensively, this translated into Denver taking the ball to the rim and ending up shooting 23 free-throws in the first half (making 16). Nene was able to finish three, three-point plays and Ty Lawson pushing the action earned him two trips to the line for a perfect 4-4.
Up by by nine entering the second half is when disaster struck for the Nuggets. Denver missed its first seven field goal attempts in the third quarter and saw their lead carved down to one within the first four minutes. The Nuggets did show some resiliency in the form of a 10-0 run to once again take the lead by eleven, 64-53, with 5:22 remaining, but Denver didn't have any answer for Lamar Odom defensively late in the third as Mr. Khloe Kardashian scored five of L.A.'s final ten points in quarter to lead L.A. into the fourth down by three, 70-67.
Lamar Odom aside, I hated the Nuggets' shot selection in the third quarter. The passing stopped, as evident by Denver notching just five assists in the quarter, and the Nuggets were 7-19 from the field in the third. It cemented, in my mind at least, that this team is at its best when the ball is moving and the assists are piling up. They can win with 'Melo doing his one-man show. Chauncey and J.R. Smith can pull this routine on occasion too, but nothing compares to when this team plays as an unselfish unit.
How Denver finished three quarters of play up by three still on the defending champs after the kind of start they had to the second half was a testament to the level of defensive intensity that was sustained by Afflalo on Kobe and the rest of the Nuggets following suit. That being said, the Nuggets lost the lead quickly in the fourth quarter and fell behind by eight with six minutes in regulation. They once again showed some resiliency by tying the game at 89 with under four to play, but Carmelo fouling out on a very questionable offensive foul after he and Artest had done everything but Indian leg wrestle all game long and questionable shot selection left Denver scoreless for the duration and on the losing end in L.A, 95-89.
Could it have been a win for Denver with a few different shakes of the dice? Sure.
Did the Nuggets deserve such favor? No.
Am I anxiously anticipating this match-up come playoff time? You bet your sweet ass!
(Denver-CO) Good morning, Nuggets Nation. After a month long hiatus, I am returning to cover the rest of the regular season and the Nuggets' pending playoff run. My initial intent was to return after the All-Star break, but such a comeback wasn't possible. Please accept my sincerest apologies for leaving the blog abandoned for such a lengthy duration.
I have teamed up with Don from With-Malice for a quick and fun interview to get you ready for today's afternoon meeting of the Western Conference's top two teams. The rest of the regular NBA season should be crazy as we get ready to make our March Madness Picks with Tournament Projections right around the corner.
So with no further delay, let's get ready for today's great match-up!
Here are five questions I needed Don to shed some light on for me:
1. Is there any other team in the Western Conference that strikes as much fear in L.A. as the Nuggets? Be honest. Ha! No need for the "be honest". It's a 'no'. Dallas don't scare me, and Utah? LA've had their number for a while. But the Nuggets have the pieces to win against LA in a seven game series. They're tough, but I'm hoping that Ron Artest puts some steel in LA's backbone come playoffs... and maybe fangs. Yeah... fangs'd be good. Claws too. The only thing for me is that I still see Denver as somewhat fragile mentally.
2. Have you noticed any diminish in Kobe's hunger since winning a championship without Shaq? Not as yet. I don't think he's trained harder in the off-season than last. Added to his game, and is just as ferocious as ever. To be honest, I think Kobe has his eye on bigger things than a comparison with Shaq. Worth noting: Shaq's never won a championship without a HoF-worthy swingman. 3. Ron Artest: Biggest upside and most cringe worthy aspect? Ron Artest: freakishly strong and tenacious defender. The biggest upside is that his opponents never know when he's going to do the unpredictable and decapitate someone and do an "Alas, poor Yorick..." with the head. Most cringe-worthy? His team-mates never know when he's going to do the unpredictable and decapitate someone and do an "Alas, poor Yorick..." with the head... 4. What do you feel is the Lakers most vulnerable area? I think LA play best when they're moving the ball, and not waiting for Kobe to do something special. When they're all just in the moment. It gets dangerous (for LA) when they sit back and rely on Kobe. True, part of that's on Kobe, but the large part is that the team gets passive, and waits too much for him to initiate. I don't buy the PG-woes that "supposedly" ail LA. Sure: it's not a strength, but LA's damn strong in most areas on the floor, and if everyone (on both LA and their opponent) is playing at 100%, then LA wins. The thing about LA is that because they're strong through positions 2-5, people look at the 1 (which is merely average) and declare it a weakness. 5. Chances Khloe Kardashian plays any minutes this season? She's not? Who the hell's #7?
Don also needed clarification from me on a few things Nuggets related, but to read my answers to his questions head over to With-Malice before the game.
1. At times Denver have looked damn good, at other times pretty damn ordinary. Please explain. 2. Another writer at With Malice thinks that the most important player on the Nuggets is Kenyon Martin (not that he's the best tho'). Do you agree? 3. What the hell is a "lark bunting" any way? 4. Denver match up well with LA, but my perception is that the Nuggets biggest weakness is their mindset. Has anything happened that could change my mind? 5. My game prediction is that at some stage during the game, DJ Mbenga reveals a massive "I love Kiki Vandeweghe" tattoo on his back, just prior to clothes-lining JR Smith. What game prediction do you have?
(Denver-CO) We knew the Denver Nuggets’ eight-game win streak had to stop sometime. And when you look at the Oklahoma City Thunder schedule, you knew that with their list of impressive wins over other good teams that they were definitely capable of doing just that on their home floor. An ice storm gave them an extra home court advantage and the weather froze the Nuggets offensively as Denver lost, 101-84, while shooting just 40% from the field.
The Nuggets didn’t even know if this game was going to be played due to a pending ice storm jeopardized their ability to make it to OKC in time. Thankfully, they did, but Carmelo Anthony missed his third game and the Nuggets struggled offensively in his absence.
In the first quarter, the Nuggets looked strong offensively, but were horrendous on the defensive end. Lay-up after lay-up, Denver allowed the Thunder to eat them alive on the offensive glass and in points in the paint (something that would haunt the Nuggets all game). To their credit, the athleticism of the Thunder players Jeff Green and Thabo Sefolosha seem to catch the Nuggets off guard as they combined to scored six first quarter points, all at pointblank range.
Kevin Durant is also pretty damn good for being 21 years old.
Durant proved too quick for Kenyon Martin and too long for Joey Graham, who started for the injured Anthony, as he scored 15 points in the first quarter and looked unstoppable.
Still though, Denver managed to score 26 points and trailed by just one heading into the second quarter before the wheels fell off. The Nuggets managed to momentarily take the lead with three minutes remaining in the second quarter before heading into the half down by six following a 19-point quarter disaster that included J.R. Smith chucking seven shots (to be fair, he did make three, three’s) as the Nuggets stood around and watched lethargically.
Things then officially bottomed out in the third quarter as Denver mustered just 15 points due to their field goal percentage plummeting and gave up 28 on the other end. The Nuggets managed to score the first five points of the quarter to bring the game margin back to within one, but then scored just two points over a five minute stretch while falling behind by nine and ending the final 3:19 scoreless to enter the fourth in a 19-point hole was about the time I checked out.
So did the Nuggets.
They didn’t put up much of a fight in the fourth and looked content to just get out of town and get Carmelo back in the line-up. The Nuggets failed to produce a 20-point scorer, but were led by Chauncey Billups’ 19 points and seven assists. Kenyon Martin flirted with a double-double, but fell short with a respectable line of 13 points and nine rebounds. J.R. Smith took ten three-point attempts, making five, and finished with 18 points and two steals.
The real story was Durant. The youngster became the youngest player to score 25+ points in 20 straight games (he has a league best 26, 30+ point games on the season) with a line that reads 30 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block. He was good inside, outside, at the three-throw line, and turned the ball over just twice while providing the highlights.
The 17-point loss was the second largest this season for Denver who hopes to have Carmelo Anthony, the NBA’s scoring leader, back today for their match-up with the Spurs on national television.
(Denver-CO) Good morning, Nuggets Nation. Believe it or not, I’m going to write an op-ed piece for the first time in what seems like an eternity. The Nuggets have quietly become the hottest team in the NBA by winning eight straight games and have improved to 31-14 overall or, if you will, are currently the third best team in the NBA by league standings.
Even with Carmelo, the league’s currently leading scorer, having missed the last two games guys on this roster have picked up his slack and given me reason to believe that with the right trade. The Nuggets really could be a contender at the end of this thing.
But…
If there has been an area the Nuggets could improve themselves the most at it would in the middle and the recent rumblings with J.R. Smith’s immaturity have made him the speculation of trade talks as well.
So…
Why not kill two birds (no pun intended, Nene) with one stone?
I was catching up with childhood friend, former high school football teammate, and current Denver Bronco, Matt McChesney this morning when, naturally, our conversation turned to the current sports landscape and we broached this very topic.
And after many a debate, explanations of countless trade exceptions, and failed trade machine scenarios we had done it (theoretically)!
Amare Stoudemire for Nene and J.R. Smith.
Amare Stoudemire’s salary for this season is $16,378,325 and he has a player option for next year worth 17,686,100. Nene is slated for $10.52 million this year and $11.36 million next with a player option on a third year for $11.6 million. J.R. Smith has two years at 5.5 million and $6 million.
The numbers work according to ESPN’s Trade Machine and with the trade exceptions the Nuggets actually free themselves up a bit financially for the upcoming feeding frenzy of big free-agent names.
That aside, can you imagine this team with Amare Stoudemire in the starting line-up with Carmelo, Chauncey, Kenyon, and Afflalo? Scary. Stoudemire is averaging 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, a block, a steal, and an assist and he plays on a team where the opposition matches up with him in accordance to their best front line defensive player whereas in Denver, it’s Carmelo.
This also keeps the Birdman, the under-utilized Joey Graham, Ty Lawson, and the seldom used veterans Malik Allen and Anthony Carter all coming off the bench while letting someone else put in their time with the erratic and unpredictable, J.R. Smith.
To me (and Chez), this trade made Denver every bit as equipped to compete for a title because it puts the Nuggets with a complete package of inside scoring, outside scoring, and leadership. Amare can get his inside. Camelo can just flat out get his. And with Chauncey’s leadership at the helm, I like our chances against the other elite, triple-threat, teams in both conferences.
Remember, Boston has Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo. The Cavaliers have LeBron, Shaq, and Mo Williams. The Lakers have Kobe, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest. The Nuggets COULD HAVE Chauncey, ‘Melo, and Amare Stoudemire…
(Denver-CO) Today, Nuggets Nation, you are in luck because this article is a double-dip recap sans Carmelo and the Denver Nuggets are the hottest team in the NBA! That’s right, Mile High City, the Nuggets have won eight straight games and are having guys step up in the absence of Carmelo (as they have all year long when players have gone down with injury) as the team keeps the W’s stacking up.
We start off with getting caught up on the Charlotte Bobcats who came into the Pepsi Center on Monday night and were defeated, 104-93. I give the ‘Cats a lot of credit though because this game was a whole lot tighter than the final score indicates. Through the first half, the Bobcats never trailed by double-digits and were able to close each of the first two quarters down by less than a handful.
That’s not to say there wasn’t fireworks in the first half. Kenyon Martin was hit with a technical foul after Gerald Wallace hit J.R. Smith in the face with an elbow on the low block and Martin came into the make Wallace stand down. After Stephen Jackson missed the T (the ball never lies, especially when Smith was tagged with the foul), Martin then adamantly applauded the miss so that Referee Ken Mauer could clearly see him and was hit with his second technical foul and the early shower.
Now down Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets could have faltered and had plenty to blame it on, but instead they showed some tremendous character and put the Bobcats down in the third quarter with the help of guys stepping up. Joey Graham scored eleven of his 13 points in the third quarter and Arron Afflalo scoring six of his career-high tying 24 points in the quarter and handing out a career-high seven assists when all was said and done led the Nuggets to victory.
Major kudos need to be given to Arron Afflalo for his play as of late. Earlier in the season, “Double A” was flying a little bit under the radar and as a result was not getting the attention or praise he was due. However, his defense and fluidity in the starting line-up has never faltered and now that his offense has come around it really has been a pleasure having him here in Denver. He’s made the Nuggets Nation forget all about Dahntay Jones on the defensive end and has given the Nuggets a new dimension offensively that DJ never could. Afflalo is averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and two assists over his last five games despite notching just two points and six rebounds against the Rockets.
There was a scary moment at the end of the third quarter for the already shorthanded Nuggets when the Birdman Chris Andersen got his legs tangled up in the paint and appeared to twist his ankle, but the Bird came back last night to help the Nuggets win again over the Rockets so the injury must not have been serious.
Chauncey Billups led all scorers against the ‘Cats with 27 points and finished with a double-double of eleven assists and an economical two turnovers. Also of note is how the Nuggets picked up the rebounding slack with five players grabbing five or more rebounds with Kenyon ejected
In last night’s victory over the Rockets, Denver looked like a team that had traveled the night before and came out very sluggish. The Nuggets managed to put up only 16 points in the first quarter and trailed by 15 at the end of one after their defense was basically a mirror image of their lethargic offensive start.
Thankfully, Denver got back down to business in the second quarter by getting to the rim early and with the help of high-percentage shots and by making 15 of 16 of their combined free-throw attempts in the quarter were able to rally all the way back and take the lead, 40-38, after a pair of free-throws by Chauncey Billups with 5:16 remaining in the half.
The Nuggets trailed by one, 51-50, at the start of the second half and played the third quarter tight to trail by two heading into the fourth, 74-72. But, witht he game's outcome in the balance, Denver didn’t dilly-dally long in the money period taking control of the tempo of the game. Denver dominated the fourth quarter with defensive effort that held the Rockets to just 18 points after they missed ten of their first twelve field goal attempts and laid the foundation for a 10-0 run capped off by back-to-back three’s by J.R. Smith to take a nine-point lead, 89-80, with under six minutes remaining in regulation.
It’s reassuring to see the Nuggets, minus the league’s top scorer, find a way to win with their defense. It shows that this team is adaptable to not only the teams they are facing each night, but also to the team they are able to field. This aspect of the Nuggets’ identity is going to pay dividends in the final half of the regular season and should provide the Nuggets some solidarity come playoff time when it’s not the opponent who changes every night.
J.R. Smith scored a game-high 22 points and chipped in five rebounds, three steals, and two assists in a Nuggets’ best +18 overall +/-. It was a breath of fresh air to see J.R. bounce back with a solid performance after all the negativity swirling around his attitude on the bench and his decision to skip an optional practice last weekend. And on a side note that I was unaware of… ESPN’s game recap stated that, “Smith had an eventful day (in Houston), making a last-minute payment to Houston attorney Rusty Hardin before the game to stall a lawsuit. Hardin was seeking unpaid legal fees after representing Smith in 2006, when Smith was accused of breaking a player's jaw in a pick-up game. Smith paid a chunk of the fees, and has 30 days to settle the debt and void the lawsuit.” Why trouble seems to swirl around J.R. like a cloud of dust does to Pig Pen of the Peanuts gang, I’ll never know.
Kenyon Martin also had a great performance coming off of the ejection on Monday night. Martin added his twelfth double-double in his last 16 games with twelve points, 15 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal without a single turnover in 35 minutes. Chauncey Billups continues to also be a rudder for this team with another steady performance against the Rockets. Mr. Big Shot finished with the cascading line of 21 points, four assists, four rebounds, and three steals. If Chauncey’s 19.2 points, six assists, three rebounds per game averages and a 90 free-throw shooting percentage don’t warrant him a coach’s decision to the All-Star game then maybe the Nuggets sporting a 31-14 record overall should!
The Nuggets have now won five out of seven games without Carmelo Anthony this season and own a four-game lead over the Utah Jazz in the Northwest Division.
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