With Coach George Karl making it clear that cancer will not hold him back from his life, let alone coaching, the emotional and inspired Nuggets may have stamped their letter of commitment to chasing down an NBA title.
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Fresh off the All-Star break, Carmelo had a long distance call to answer from his pal LeBron James in Cleveland. The Denver leader and the Cavaliers’ savior did not disappoint onlookers tonight, as the league’s two brightest superstars ran the hardwood for a combined 83 points (35% of the total points) in a charged overtime bout.
Nuggets star Melo had a a rhythmic night scoring 40 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Team leader Chauncey Billups carried the tempo and got his scoring; 18 points with 8 assists. The two starters earned their ice-packs for the night, with Melo putting in 48 minutes and Billups chewing up 43 minutes in this back-and-forth game.
Coming down the stretch I had concerns with Kenyon Martin handling the ball too much, but Cleveland was never able to capitalize on a late-game fumble by the veteran. Kenyon did, however, hook 17 boards for Denver. Cleveland’s own Shaquille O’Neil did not pose a threat down the stretch either, missing 2 important free throws late in the fourth quarter (only 52% from the line this season). LeBron was unable to come up with his usual clutch 3 pointers late in the fourth quarter & overtime allowing Denver to come out victorious against a strong Cavs team, 118-116 in OT.
The Nuggets won’t get much rest tonight as they head south into the Capital City to meet the Wizards tomorrow night.
Denver currently holds a 1.5-game lead over the Utah Jazz in the Northwest Division.
