Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith went bonkers in a win over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:
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The game ceased being a game — like, you know, with five-on-five competition — and it became one man’s crowd-rising, hair-raising exhibition (think Evel Knievel with a jumper).
In the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 124-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, J.R. Smith would collect a pass and the Pepsi Center fans would pop out of their seats, their “aaahs!” increasing until Smith’s release — for then they became capital-A “AAAhs!”
The Denver guard sank four fourth-quarter 3-pointers and was 10-for-17 on the night from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 41 points, five short of his career high.
“It’s like throwing rocks into the ocean,” said Smith, who became the first player in NBA history to tally multiple games with 10 or more 3s in his career. “I really established that (rhythm) early. They started doubling off me and going on (Carmelo Anthony). Everything else was like throwing darts.”
On Wednesday, Smith shot 15-for-25 from the field but 1-for-6 from the foul line, where he has struggled all season.
Watch video highlights here.
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