Petro, Andersen fuel Nuggets past Trailblazers
When the Trailblazers got within ten late in the 4th Quarter, it was JR “Swish” again who started the Rain of Threes that has become the Nuggets’ trademark in big wins.
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Johan Petro started this game.
Believe it. Petro… started. And yet somehow it all made sense.
Petro started at Center, played for seven minutes, didn’t take a single shot, grabbed five rebounds, and dished a single assist to Melo out of a double-team for a huge early dunk.
Then Johan vanished.
Petro was replaced by Chris Andersen, their shared singular task to guard the paint against the very tall, skinny Portland Trailblazers. In the absence of the injured Kenyon Martin, smallish Center Nene played Power Forward while two beanpole goliaths swatted away Blazers. It was brilliant.
By the time Denver went to their smaller lineup, bringing in JR Smith for Andersen, the Nuggets had a 61-42 lead with under two minutes left in the first half. Denver finished that half on the strength of a bullying Carmelo Anthony drive down the right side of the lane for two points and a 66-49 lead.
Then the world went crazy. Avatar missed out on Best Picture (The Hurt Locker), and James Cameron didn’t win Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow, also The Hurt Locker). Somewhere, an Avatar fan is actively fantasizing an Oscar sweep.
But the Nuggets were unfazed. Towards the end of the 3rd Quarter we got a great example of why Denver is so functional in the midst of seeming chaos.
JR Smith took a terrible fading jump-shot from 24 feet with two Blazers in his face. Portland drove the court, worked the left side, and Martell Webster charged in for a sure score. Then Chris Andersen rose from the paint and swatted the would-be dunk aside. Nene grabbed the rebound, chucked a strong pass over two Blazers, and JR Smith slammed a half-windmill in front of a rabid Denver crowd.
Smith, who took a bad shot & got beaten defensively, had the presence of mind to charge upcourt as soon as he saw a block. The Nuggets thrive on playmaking, and they are a team of versatile, athletic basketball players. That’s why Denver is virtually unstoppable when they find a groove.
The groove is contagious, and that’s why we saw Aaron Afflalo, Johan Petro and even Anthony Carter making plays throughout a 3rd Quarter where Portland fought tooth & nail to scrape their way back into the game.
And when the Trailblazers got within ten late in the 4th Quarter, it was JR “Swish” again who started the Rain of Threes that has become the Nuggets’ trademark in big wins.
The Denver Nuggets took down a big divisional matchup against the dangerous Portland Trailblazers 118-106 at Pepsi Center.
