On the day that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were named to the NBA Western Conference All Star Team, the Denver Nuggets ran the Clippers out of their own building in Los Angeles.  The Nuggets outscored LA in each of the last three quarters, finishing up 112-91.

Paul and Griffin slowed down after a hot first quarter on Thursday night at Staples Center.  LA was playing their third game in as many nights, and the Denver fast break quickly stretched the Clippers thin.  The Nuggets’ deep bench spurred a series of Denver runs through the second and third quarters that saw LA outscored 35-67.  Without any reliable depth past their starting five, the Clippers simply could not keep up.

The Cardiac Nuggets were in need of a win after consecutive losses by a total of 7 points – the last an OT heartbreaker in Memphis that saw Denver give up a sizeable second half lead.  Both teams came out swinging in the first half Thursday night, and the Nuggets made no qualms about roughing up Chris Paul on the perimeter.   Aaron Afflalo and Ty Lawson took turns playing physical defense on the Clippers’ point man, and Paul had trouble creating plays off the drive during a third quarter dominated by Denver.

This win was doubly important for the Nuggets as they begin their own run of three straight games.  Tomorrow night they will play a marquee matchup against the Lakers in Denver before heading right back to the coast for a Saturday night divisional brawl in Portland.  The Lakers – A.K.A “LA’s Second-Best Team” – have played very poorly on the road so far this season, racking up 7 losses in 9 tries away from home.  The Trailblazers have also struggled on the road, but are 11-1 at home.  Portland will get a day to rest up at home after a tough loss in Sacramento on Thursday.

Perhaps the best part of this victory for the Nuggets (15-7) is that it propelled them back in front of the Clippers (13-7) in the Western Conference standings by a full game.  Denver returns to second place in the West just 2.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Denver’s Danilo Gallinari – fresh off a new five year contract – led all scorers with 21 points in just 27 minutes.  Gallo shot 70% from the field and was a game-changing 5 of 5 from three point range.  Afflalo and Lawson put up 15 and 18 points respectively, and the Nuggets also got double digit contributions from Timofey Mozgov and Rudy Fernandez.

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Looking healthy and energetic following his second defeat of cancer, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl finally has the team he has always wanted.  On any given night, the Nuggets could dominate with their starting five or cobble together a win with contributions all the way down the bench.

The Nuggets currently lead all NBA teams in points per game at 105.5 – a tick better than the Miami Heat’s 105.4 – and are perched firmly at second place in the Western Conference.  Only the division rival OKC Thunder are better in the West right now, but watching these young Nuggets you get the feeling that they are still a month or two away from playing their best basketball.

George is living in a coaching dreamland in Denver.  He’s got the kind of depth and athleticism that even most big market NBA teams lack.  Karl just has to decide who has the hot hand, who makes the best matchup, and which of his ten floor-worthy players get time each night.

Coming over from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005, George was heralded as a matchups guru with the ability to challenge the best coaches in the league.  Now that Phil Jackson has retired from Lakerland, Coach Karl may be the best matchups coach in the league.  And with Carmelo Anthony slowing the offense to a crawl in New York, the Nuggets have the cap space and floor time to run the most dynamic, team-oriented style in the league.

In his early years with the Nuggets, Karl had the pitiable task of making sure Melo got his points every game.  Now George can watch five players score double-digits and have a half-dozen guys geared up to make big shots in the final minutes.  Plus, an increased load on the bench means the Nuggets can throw a relentless up-tempo attack at their opponents for 48 minutes.  No wonder Denver leads the league at 24.5 assists per game.

On Wednesday night Karl’s Nuggets will have a chance to close out an undefeated five-game road swing.  Four victories so far include overtime triumphs versus the surprising 76ers and the struggling Knicks.  Now Denver draws the defensively challenged Kings in Sacramento.  With six Nuggets averaging 10+ points per game, Denver looks strong to return home Friday with one of the best records in the NBA.

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By knocking off the 76ers in Philly on Wednesday night the Denver Nuggets grabbed their 10^th win in 15 games played and handed Philadelphia its first home loss.  The improved 76ers were 6-0 at home this season, and have played as well as any team in the NBA to this point.  The final score in overtime read 108-104 in favor of the Nuggets thanks to a breakout 28-point effort by backup point guard Andre Miller.

Denver’s 10-5 record locks them into a four-way tie for the third best winning percentage in the Western Conference.  That group includes the LA Lakers and Clippers plus the San Antonio Spurs, with Denver legend Chauncey Billups keeping the Clippers afloat while Chris Paul recuperates from an injury.

In a topsy, turvy NBA season the Nuggets are still getting their footing like most other clubs.  On Wednesday it was great to see the guard duo of Lawson and Miller pick up where Lawson and the departed Raymond Felton left off last year.  Against the 76ers Lawson and Miller combined for 84 minutes of floor time, 41 points and 17 assists.  Nene chipped in 14 rebounds and 20 points, including 4 of the Nuggets’ 12 points in overtime.

Denver still sits behind the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder in both the Conference and Northwest Division standings.  But the Jazz are playing over their heads thanks to a favorable opening schedule where 14 of their first 20 games will be played at home.  Brutal February and March road trips will bring Utah back down to earth.

The Thunder are another story entirely.  OKC stands at the top of the NBA with a 12-3 record following their first bad loss last night in Washington.  The young, athletic Thunder are primed for this fast-paced season, and it will take some incredible consistency from the Nuggets to keep pace.  Oklahoma City is bound to have its share of off nights – like losing to the 12 loss Wizards – but stand to be the NBA’s best club barring major setbacks or a surprise run by another young team like the Clippers.

Luckily Denver has a pretty smooth schedule through the rest of January.  If the Nuggets can keep ahead of both Los Angeles-es and the Spurs, they can put pressure on these depth-challenged squads as the unusual 2011-2012 NBA Season wears on.  Just as younger teams have a chance to jump ahead in the standings, older clubs like the Lakers and Spurs will be dropping winnable games come March and April.

For the Nuggets – who have a nice blend of veteran presence and ample young talent – it will simply be a matter of building offensive chemistry and playing the brand of aggressive defense that made Denver a tough out in last season’s NBA Playoffs.  With a healthy and energized George Karl at the helm, the Nuggets may not be far off from realizing their potential as an elite Western Conference contender.

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I got here late.  Gotta start paying attention to the game, no time for pregame comments.  I will say this… considering the way the Nuggets and Hornet played last week in New Orleans, the Nuggets should win this game by about 15 point with a big run in the third quarter.

1^st Quarter

 

9:39 The game begins as expected with the Nuggets running isolation to Nene and Carmelo Anthony, and the Hornets pulling up on drives for midrange jumpers.

7:51 Okay, now the Nuggets have decided they like the midrange jumpers too. Denver made two in a row; one by Anthony, one by Johan Petro.  (Something about Petro taking jumpers gives me the willies).

5:37 Darren Collision has had 2 bad passes in a row result in turnovers, but there is a deeper problem for the Hornets.  The Nuggets are playing at about 75% effort and are leading by 3.  If things continue as they are the Nuggets will coast to a double digit victory.   This won’t necessarily be the best thing for the Nuggets; they still need to learn that when they play with full effort few teams can hang with them.

2:50 The lack of effort continues and the deficit remains intact.  It should be more though. The Nuggets should be at least 6 points ahead by now, and it’s only a lackadaisical attitude that is to blame.   New Orleans has taken a timeout, but it should be Adrian Dantley that should be yelling at his team.

2:36 Nuggets come out of a timeout and run a good offensive play. Melo drives down the lane, kicks to Aaron Afflalo on the left side corner, fake a three drives to the lane for a high percentage jump shot, 2 points.   2 drives on the same play and both were done with urgency.

2:36-0:00 Nuggets close the quarter on a 10-2 run, due to simply upping their effort.  It is amazing how perfectly designed the Nuggets are for the Hornets.  The Hornets can’t stop the jump shots unless they give up drives, can’t keep up with Nuggets in transition, and have no answer for Melo.

End Quarter. Nuggets 27-17

 

I try not to jump to conclusions too much, but from my point of view this game looks over.   The Nuggets already have the Hornet by the throat, and Denver isn’t even playing their best basketball.  This game might become a perfunctory exercise really quickly.

2^nd Quarter

 

12:00-8:44 Nuggets open the quarter on an 8-4 run. (Yes, I know, not quite a run by standards, but I’m gonna count it because it makes for an 18-6 run spanning the break.)  Nuggets are beginning to show signs of recklessness; they aren’t fighting as hard for rebounds and are taking low-percentage shots.   The shots are falling though.  The run ends with a New Orleans Timeout.

6:30 All of a sudden the only way anyone can score is with offensive rebounds.  Seriously, shooting has dropped like a rock but scoring is holding because both teams are crashing the O-Boards on every shot and putting it right back in.  It seems like the first team to play defense will win this standoff.

6:29-2:38 Nuggets go on a 17-4 run with 1 FT coming. New Orleans calls a timeout, but I haven’t typed anything recently so I decided to take advantage.   New Orleans had officially given up at 3:00 left in the 2^nd Quarter (mark it down) by leaving J.R. Smith wiiiiidddde open in the right corner for 3 whole seconds before he drained a 3 pointer.  This run may continue through the timeout.

2:16 Credit where credit is due, the run ended at 18-4 after Nene’s FT with a solid isolation by Emeka Okafor on Nene. After the post-up on the left side, nice fake to the baseline, jump shot from 10 feet, all on the first play after the timeout. (Note: Nuggets follow the play with a backdoor pass to driving Anderson for 2 that was poorly defended, but hey… it’s not like they haven’t already given up.)

End Quarter. Nuggets 62-37

 

What can you say? The Nuggets have the best team ever created to beat this New Orleans team, and they are showing it by dominating with subpar effort (though they have picked it up a bit since those first few minutes of laziness).  You would expect New Orleans to show a little fight, given their playoff situation (or lack thereof).   I guess losing by 58 in the ’09 playoffs at home has long-term effects.  Who knew?

3^rd Quarter

 

8:43 The Nuggets have moved into “Maintain the Deficit” mode.  They are making sure to take at least 14 second off the clock before most shots, and are playing tenacious but cautious defense. (Between you me this is the effort of defense they should play all the time.)  The Hornets, predictably, have stepped up the effort out of halftime, but still look inferior to a Nuggets team that is playing more patient and decisive than lazy this half.

5:41 New Orleans, with slow and steady play, has clawed back to 20 points down.  It might be time for a timeout to talk about the focus.  New Orleans has decided the only option is to move the ball into the paint (entirely different from every other team’s desperation game plan) which is exactly what they should do.  I hope Dantley sees what I see and revs up Nene, Petro and Birdman.

5:01 New Orleans scores on a low post pass to duck again and Dantley calls a timeout with the Nuggets up by 17.  It is my opinion that Dantley should be given a shot as a head coach somewhere is the league in the next two years.  He has earned it.

3:32 With New Orleans threatening to climb back in, the Nuggets grab three offensive boards. The sequence ends with a Nene going to the charity stripe for 2 shots.  Note: all three misses were by JR Smith.

0:31 The Nuggets have committed 3 turnovers in a row and the lead has been cut to 16.  New Orleans has begun swatting at every ball.  The Nuggets should move back into the isolation, drive with this defensive strategy, and then wait for the fouls.

End Quarter. Nuggets 77-61

 

Pretty bad quarter for the Nuggets in any other game, but the massive 1^st half will easily negate a lousy third quarter.   However, it was a high shooting percentage quarter for New Orleans( 9-15); it would be a surprise if they kept it up.

4^th Quarter

 

9:42 Things are starting to get a little scary. The deficit has been narrowed to 12 and the Hornets look like they think they still have a shot… which apparently they do.

8:16 I just saw a stat flash up on the board: the Nuggets shot 50% in the first half and are shooting 24% in the second… and they’re up by 13.  This is how much better they are than New Orleans. If they just focused a little more on offense this game would still be a rout.  And Anderson just missed two FT’s.

5:55 I take back everything I said about the Hornets giving up on the game.   New Orleans has brought the Denver lead down to 10 with great defense (though Nene gets two shots) and poor shooting by the Nuggets.  This is reminiscent of the Nuggets of old, when there offense would just go flat at 15-minute intervals.

4:20 Thanks God for Melo. He is still a problem for every other team in the league.  Two isolations on the right side (Melo’s side), 4 points.

2:52 After a great defensive play by New Orleans to earn a two-on-one, Afflalo comes from behind to steal the ball mid-break for an even defensive play.  The Nuggets follow that up with an Iso to Melo on the right side, 2 points.  Huge swing, probably the dagger.

1:14 Melo has taken it upon himself to end this basketball game.  10 points since the dreary middle of the quarter to ice the contest.  Game Over.

End Game Nuggets 93-80

 

The rout was in question for a while, but the Nuggets pulled it out.  Melo deserves the vast majority of the credit for stopping the bleeding.  He owned the second half of the 4^th quarter when the outcome of game was beginning to come back into question.

It turned out to be a defensive game to be sure (isn’t it nice that the Nuggets can win the defensive games now?) but a quick look at the stats shows the two reasons for the rout:

Turnovers:                          Hornets 21-Nuggets 10

Offensive Rebounds:     Hornets 11-Nuggets 20

That equals 20 extra possessions at 40% shooting, good for around 18 extra points.  (Of course some of those possessions would be fouls and the Nuggets had a subpar night from the line at 15-21.)  New Orleans simply couldn’t take care of the ball, and the Nuggets on-and-off night was more than enough to deal with a lousy Hornets squad.

The Nuggets have a game against Milwaukee next, which they must win both to even the score and to keep pace with the other contenders. Then comes the final East Coast swing.  5 games in 7 days all on the road.  It will be the last, biggest test of the Nuggets before we see if they have a shot at the 1^st seed in the Western Conference.  They must win 3 of those five to have a shot.

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So here we are, at the outset of the gauntlet. The Nuggets are venturing forth to play 4 games in 4 cities in 5 days. This could be the kill stroke for the LA Lakers to clinch the conference or it could be the Nuggets’ chance to show the conference is still up for grabs. In the next five days, they must play in New Orleans, Memphis, Houston, and then return home for Washington. Do not be deceived by the quality of the teams… four cities in five days is tough for everyone no matter what cities they are. The only way they pull off the top seed is if they win 3 out of 4.

Also, let’s not forget that The Hornets hate the Nugget for last year’s playoffs. They will leave everything on the court tonight. The Nuggets had better be prepared to deal with a high energy team, and that pick and roll will be everywhere.

1st Quarter

9:32 Nuggets open the game with a quartet of quick passes to mid range jumpers by Carmelo Anthony, Nene and Chauncey Billups; and some bad defense to play to an even first three minutes. If this accurate jump shooting keeps up, the Nuggets will win by double digits.

7:56 Johan Petro has some nice defense on a David West drive to the right side of the hoop. He might just play himself into a starting role with another team with what he’s done in the last three games.

6:01 Anthony looks pretty unstoppable in the first 6 minutes. He has scored easily on the drive and has his range with his jumper.

2:23 Apparently nobody want to play defense right now. Neither team is rotating back to the play side on dribble drives, and thus we get a lot of paint points. Nene and Julian Wright love it.

1:56 It’s clear the refs want to be in control of the game. There have been at least two phantom fouls by both teams.

End Quarter Tied 29-29

The refs are unwilling to let anything go. This favors the Nuggets. The Hornets seem commited to tack away the Nuggets jump shots and turn this game in to a paint game. This favors the Nuggets. Melo has been able to do whatever he wants. Obviously, this favors the Nuggets and yet the game is tied. The Nugget defense has left something to be desired (especially the transition defense).

Also, despite a large number of fouls called, no Nugget has taken a free throw.

2nd Quarter

10:30 The Nuggets appear to have an answer for the transition defense and it’s transition offense. 2 breakaways and 4 quick points separated by 22 seconds. J.R. Smith’s hustle was key in both breaks.

9:17 After two New Orleans three pointers, Anothny Carter steals the ball on a fast break with an opportunity to break back. He holds up to slow the game down. Wise move. Carter is a smart basketball player.

6:58 The Hornets have decided to pack the middle and leave Malik Allen open. The Nuggets are doing what they should; driving and dishing out to Allen. Too bad the Hornets are right, Allen can’t hit anything (2 midrange misses from the left side).

4:59 The Hornets are certainly showing the effort I expected, thought the pick and roll has been absent. They are dominating the transition once again and playing tenacious (though suspect) defense.

3:16 You dance with one who brought ya. Nugget have gone back to Melo and Billups isolations. New Orleans is still packing the paint leaving some wide open midrange shots for the second option on the play.

2:12 Somebody has got to knock Marcus Thornton off his game (I’m looking at you Aaron Afflalo). He is single handedly keeping the Hornets in the game (4-5 3-pt, 16 points)

End Half Hornets 52-51

I didn’t think I would ever say this about this Nuggets teams, but if they want to win they had better slow this game down and make it a half court game. The Hornets are passing the ball much better off the rebound and are leading the TO and Steal categories.

The Nuggets for their part are playing well (especially for a team that isn’t in control of the game). They need to take care ball better and they need to play smarter defense. To tell the truth, it kind of feels like the Nuggets are toying with them. Now as cool as torturing a lesser team with hope might sound, the Nuggets should just put this thing away quickly and then rest their starters for the remainder of the 4 cities in 5 days trip.

Point of interest: No runs. The most amount points in a row either team has scored has been 6 (New Orleans on 2 shots) For it to be a run in my book a run requires two things 1) at least 7 points more than your opponent must be scored and 2) at least 5 possessions combined must have elapsed. Now both these teams have been to grind out wins when they haven’t had their A game, but you would think sooner or later one of these teams has to put together 4 solid minutes, right?

3rd Quarter

8:05 The Nuggets opened the quarter strong with some nice ball movement to get the ball down to the hoop. But then they started launching shots from the perimeter for no good reason (and Smith isn’t even in the game!). Defense has improved.

5:53 The game has slowed down to the a half court like I wanted but the Nuggets aren’t winning in the half court like they were in the first. They are trying mini dribble drive-pass out to the perimeter and launching 3s from low percentage spots.

3:46 Petro is having a hell of game in Kenyon Martin’s stead (10 point, 9 boards). I tell you the truth, he’s beginning to reenter a lot of people’s minds as a starting center with quality minutes like he was in Seattle.

1:51 The Nuggets take 4 smart jump shots in row, and miss all of them (2 by Smith, 2 by Chauncey) Fortunately, it isn’t costing them anything since they’re playing great defense but at some point if you want to win you have to make a shot you should make.

0:42 Lo and Behold, the Nuggets go to the paint and score easily. Chauncey drives, pass to Melo right side baseline, dunk.

0:01 The refs just made an awful call. The Hornet inbound to Morris Peterson for the final shot, J.R. steps into his path and clearly establishes position, Peterson runs into him accepting the pass, foul on Smith. One of the worst calls I’ve seen this month. J.R. had the right to space and wasn’t moving. Peterson further clarified the bad call by missing two out of three FT (THE BALL NEVER LIES!).

End Quarter Hornet 75-73

This game began with a load of whistles and now the refs are swallowing them (except to blow calls that would be obvious to a fourth grader). Bad time considering the Nuggets can’t make a shot. The game is still in question though and one good quarter is all it takes.

4th Quarter

10:34Three quick fouls on the Hornet have the Nuggets poised to take control. It’s time to isolate Melo.

9:42 Nuggets follow up the three fouls on New Orleans with 6 quick points to take back the lead (2 on a Melo isolation at the top of the arch). I personally smell blood, and New Orleans is reeling; they call timeout before things get out of hand.

6:14 Both teams are getting good chances to score but neither team can put it in; New Orleans on the transition Nuggets on the drive. The only points being tallied are by FT.

5:07 The Nuggets have looked like the better team all quarter, but every time they look to pull away with the game, the Hornets reel them back in. The Nuggets have to figure out a way to stop the Hornets transition game. I don’t know if they need to rotate the free attacker up or fight harder for offensive rebounds or what, but the Hornets are flying down the floor on every possession.

3:29 There we go, 4 points in transition, are hard fought defensive set that yield no shots, and Chauncey stills the following inbound to earn a foul. Dare I say……

4:20-2:36 Nuggets go on a 8-0 run due to what I wrote in the previous comment and a nice little drive and ditch in the paint from Chauncey to Nene. Nuggets can now play solid the rest of the way and win fairly comfortably. The run ends with a Hornets time out.

1:26 The Nuggets make a valiant attempt to give the give back with a TO and some lousy rebounding, but the Hornets can’t capitalize. And now the Nuggets are into clock burning mode.

0:26 Another turnover draws the Hornet to within five; too little too late because now the Nuggets are in foul shots.

End Game Nuggets 102-95

Tough game, all the way around. Tough game to play on both sides, tough game to lose. Tough game in every way except to diagram down to a single series, because that late game 8-0 run was easily the deciding factor in the game. Chauncey Billups steal of the inbound half way through the run was the key play. The Hornets were already reeling from a Nuggets breakaway, followed by a brutal (literally, very physical) Nuggets defensive stand, followed by another Nuggets breakaway. Easy to feel frustrated and toss the ball back in with a little emotion and Chauncey just jumped in the way and earned his way to the line a few seconds later. Shame to lose a game that way but hey, basketball is just like Miss America. Poise Counts.

Defensively a pretty good game, but the passes out for the transition were slow for most of the game. The Nuggets might have won much more comfortably if they ran the way New Orleans did. Speaking of…

The Nuggets transition defense was terrible and it’s tough to put my finger on what went wrong. Maybe the Nuggets weren’t fighting hard enough for the rebounds, maybe the ball was just bouncing the Hornets way off the rim, but ever single play the Hornet were pressing the issue and the Nuggets struggled to come up with an answer.

As far as individual performances go, it was a pretty ho hum night for everybody except Johan Petro. Petro got a double-double (10 points, 10 boards) and kept us in the game during the stretches when the Nuggets couldn’t make a basket with his defense on West. The man is gonna play himself into a starters spot on another team before long.

Oh and credit where credit is due: Nuggets were 25-28 FT shooting. Do this every night and they will win 60 games every season.

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Dr. Jumper spent a lot of time on the court Monday night when the Nuggets took on the Suns in Phoenix.

The Nuggets scored 33 points in the 1^st Quarter, predominantly by creating isolation situations for their big, strong frontcourt.  (Melo grabbed 10, Nene dropped 6.)  Denver gave every one of those 1^st Quarter points right back in 2^nd Quarter defense, allowing the Phoenix Suns to drop 33 of their own.

Phoenix switched to a zone defense in that 2^nd Quarter, stifling the lazy Nuggets passing game.  Denver settled for jumpers throughout the frame, only managing 11 points.  The lopsided 2^nd was good for a 44-57 halftime deficit.  Kenyon Martin looked absolutely awful, handling the ball carelessly when he wasn’t playing at half-speed.  The team combined for 11 turnovers in the first half alone.

The 3^rd Quarter saw Denver merging its two personalities into an abomination of sorts.

The Nuggets came out bad and finished worse, finding a little time in between to nearly pace the Suns in points.  Denver hit rock-bottom on a 9-point Phoenix run that didn’t stop until the home team was up by 20.  From there, the Nuggets’ talent took back a few but the team forgot to play defense on the other end.  Denver was still settling for jumpers, but managed to knock down a high percentage to finish the quarter down 67-84.

The 4^th Quarter saw more of the same, as the Nuggets turned from a 1-dimensional shooting offense to a 1/2-dimensional three-point shooting offense.  The Dr. Jumper Nuggets may actually be better off this way… if they’re going to run a half-assed offense, they might as well run it from beyond the arc.

In the end, the Nuggets dropped to 21 losses on the season with an 85-101 loss.

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It all started with an innocuous free throw miss in the third quarter.  Carmelo Anthony was just two points shy of 12,000 for his career, and the Nuggets were ahead by double-digits.  Melo hit his first free throw, but missed the second to leave him at 11,999 career points.  The Nuggets tried to force several plays to Anthony in isolation to get him over the hump, but each try resulted in a turnover or missed shot.

Carmelo went on to miss consecutive free throws on his next trip to the free-throw line with 1:10 left in the 3^rd Quarter.  From there, the game was all downhill for Denver.

Carmelo came out with 0:28 left in the 3^rd, and didn’t return until 5:35 left in the 4^th.  Coach George Karl was clearly upset that his team had taken advantage of a big lead to feed the ball to a single player, and the Nuggets failed to play team ball the rest of the way.  The Nuggets’ bench, less Chris “Birdman” Anderson, paled in comparison to the Wizards’ bench, and Denver gave away every inch of their 13-point lead.

Down by two when Anthony reentered the game, the Nuggets could not keep pace with the now energized Washington Wizards.  The result was a slow widening of Washington’s lead.  Carmelo saw several shots rim out, one dropping most of the way into the cylinder before swirling back out.  The final score: 97-107 Wizards

In the end, Carmelo Anthony failed to record his 12,000^th point, and the Nuggets failed to record their 37^th win of the season.  A win would have also bumped the Nuggets above .500 on the road this season.  Instead, they fell to 13-14 away from Pepsi Center, where they will play the Boston Celtics in a nationally televised game Sunday afternoon.

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With all the success as of late, I remain apprehensive of this team’s ability to make a serious playoff run if they cannot remain at full-strength. Looking back to the 10 games the Nuggets were without their one shot “Mr. Big Shot”, after his groin injury against Oklahoma City, Denver lost 6 of 10, and I believe they would have lost more if not for some late game magic throughout that stretch.

Luckily Chauncey made his return just in time to welcome “King” James and the Cleveland Cavs into Denver on January 8th, a game in which Melo was unable to take the floor. Denver, despite some poor late game ball handling, was able to hold off the Cavs 99-97.

The following night, the Nuggets carried a hometown hangover into Sacramento where they spoiled a dominating first half performance, falling to the unworthy Kings 102-100.

Since the Sacramento sleep walk, the Denver Nuggets have managed to gather their feet and boost their stride to go on a 6 game rip, including 2 overtime victories in Golden State and again tonight against Chris Paul and the Hornets.

Denver and New Orleans locked heads once again in the Pepsi Center tonight; Denver was out bested in their last meeting 98-92 in the bayou. Both teams established themselves early on, going shot for shot. Coach Karl made one of his better decisions of the season by entrusting the vet Afflalo to encase the speedy CP3. The Denver starting five maintained a high level throughout the game, eventually smothering the lingering Hornets in OT as Aaron Afflalo made his shot known, sinking 2 overtime 3 pointers to lock a ‘W’ over the opponents. Chauncey put in work gathering 20 points and 9 assists, and Melo crashed the Hornet party adding 30 points and 11 boards.

Denver will attempt to defend their 6 game win streak at home against the erratic Charlotte Bobcats who dropped the Nuggets by 12 in their previous meeting. From there, Denver takes a three game road trek into Houston, Oklahoma City and finally San Antonio. I say, let’s hope for a healthy return when they meet Sacramento at the Pepsi Center on February 1st.

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The Good News:
Last Wednesday, December 23rd, the Nuggets were without Chauncey Billups (groin) so rookie Lawson and the rediculous Smith were handed the keys and let loose in the Pepsi Center. Who knew that night would result in a bench domination over ATL’s finest. Melo quietly filled the basket with 24 points, and the newly nabbed Tar Heel, Ty Lawson, dropped 16. But the lights and the night belonged to the one J.R. Smith, who went batty on the Hawks, seemingly lapping defenders around the court to find space with the rock. Teammates, feeling the heat coming off J.R.’s fingers gave up some good looks out of respect to the hot handed Smith who finshished the Hawks and the game with 41 points as Denver dropped the Hawks 124-104.

The Bad News:
On Friday, December 25th, the Nuggets celebrated Christmas in the grand city of Portland; however, Denver would regret ever stepping foot into the Rose Garden Arena. Chauncey returned to the lineup for Denver, contributing 10 points and 5 assists before sitting the second half for precautionary reasons, leaving an injured Billups to watch his team get torched by a motivated Blazer squad. The Blazer Brandon Roy took charge scoring 41 points, supported by ex-Nuggets point guards Steve Blake with 17 and Andre Miller’s 14. Carmelo did his best to recover the Nuggets early lead fumble adding 32 points, and J.R. Smith continued his hot hand with 20, but the lack of defensive consistency from Denver allowed Portland to pull away as Steve Blake dropped 3 from beyond the arch in the final 4 minutes. Denver left Portland in a not so jolly mood, losing 107-96.

More Bad News:
On Sunday, December 27th,  after shaking off the ash left over from Portland, the leagues best home team in Denver would try their hand against the struggling Mavericks. Before stating the outcome, what do you as a fan think would be the outcome if I stated the following statistics for the night: 7 Mavs score in the double digits; Melo scores 16; Mavs Drew Gooden grabs 19 boards (8 more than the leading Nuggets rebounder); Kenyon Martin leads the Nuggets in scoring with 18. I’ll tell you what that sounds like, it sounds like a home town train wreck, and it was. Denver was once again without team leader Chauncey Billups, and once again they never seemed to keep a defensive or offensive rythm. Despite the horrific stats, Denver kept themselves in the game, but the clutch shooting Nowitzki kicked the comeback the ladder aside with a late 4th quarter 3 pointer as the Mavericks out gunned and outmanned the Nuggets 104-96.

Even More Bad News:
And finally, last night, December 28th, the Denver Nuggets found hope to discontinue their recent losing habit, meeting the young and frail Sacramento Kings. The game started as expected by NBA enthusiasts, as the Nuggets bruised the Kings early ending the first quarter ahead by 6. Now was the time for Denver to unleash their frustrations and roll-up the Kings to help put aside the last two defeats, now was the time to show that Denver can bounce back from adversity…dang it! Why couldn’t the Kings just go away? Sacramento came out in the second quarter alive and agile, unwilling to accept defeat as the team compiled 3 pointer after 3 pointer. Andres Nocioni scored his season high with 21 points, hitting 4 from beyond the arch and helped spoil a Denver revival game, as they conquered the Denver Nuggets 106-101.

I understand the ratio of good to bad news is not appealing, but the Nuggets performance as of late has been nothing short of shoddy. How and when will they find a foothold and regain a dominant stance in the West and once again strike fear into opponents who dare to enter the Pepsi Center, home of Melo, Mr. Big Shot and the Brazilian? When will the Nuggets overcome injuries to hold off the opposition? Hopefully some time soon. A few bright lights ahead are Chauncey’s return to full strength on Saturday, the ever increasingly confident Nene and the rise of J.R. Smith as he once again takes us on the ramp of his abilities.

Luckily Denver has a 4 day break before ringing in the New Year and riding the slopes to Utah on Saturday, then heading back over the mountains home to match up with the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

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Melo goes to the rack against PHX.

After breaking even during a four game road trip, Denver fans jolted the jet-lagged Nuggets awake over three raucous home games.  The Nuggets faithful were rewarded with an alert, locked-’n-loaded squad fixated on a home court stand.

Melo and the Nuggets played host to three teams in five days at the Pepsi Center, and would not be bested by any opposition.

On Saturday, December 12th Denver hosted the rising Phoenix Suns, who came to burn the Nuggets’ nets.  Instead they froze in the headlights.

After scrambling just to survive the 1st half, Denver found the right juice to fuel their fire and came out rejuvinated in the 2nd half.  Chauncey Billups found his range to help Denver fly out of the gates with a 3rd quarter 18-2 run.  Kenyon Martin was finally able to find a full size “Hello Kitty” bandage to cover his booboo, and he supported his team with 12 points and 9 boards.  Melo did his usual damage to the Suns, cranking out 32 points.  With a strong 2nd half game, Denver was able to eclipse the Suns 105-99.

With a days’ rest, the Nuggets were back on the home floor awaiting the roller-coaster team that is the Oklahoma City Thunder.  No need for me to tease you with this one; at no point  in this game was Denver in any danger of falling to a tender young Thunder squad.

Chris “Birdman” Anderson laid a giant golden egg with his best outing of the year, scoring 15 points and perching above the rim to collect 11 rebounds.  Carmelo Anthony again maintained his average, spotting 31 points for the Nuggets as they blew through the Thunder 102-93.

To conclude the 3-day homestand, Denver locked onto the visiting Houston Rockets Wednesday night.  With no threat of Ming in the paint and little ‘trace’ of McGrady, the Nuggets big men Nene, Martin and Anderson found plenty of space to work around the rim.  While Denver was never really threatened in the game, Houston kept the spread close and managed the occasional tie.  However, the Rockets found no answer for the sharp shooting JR “Earl” Smith (21 points) or the maturing Melo (38 points).

It was refreshing to see Nene attack the rim and create contact in the paint; maybe the confidence he needs to be consistently productive finally came through.

Billups left the game in the 3rd quarter due to a groin injury after scoring 15 points.

Houston was hot, coming into Denver on a three-game winning streak, but the Nuggets prevented a Houston problem, beating the Rockets 111-101.

Sitting at 19-7 and gaining altitude atop the Northwest Division, Denver will head back on the road to visit the New Orleans Hornets on December 18th.  From there, the Nuggets head slightly north to meet the Grizzlies in Memphis on December 20th.

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