Denver Nuggets Blog – Page 79 – NBA Blog

Nuggets waive five players

The Denver Nuggets have waived G Mateen Cleaves, F Nick Fazekas, F James Mays, G Smush Parker and F Ruben Patterson, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

Cleaves, 6-2, 188, averaged 3.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 2.0 apg in five preseason games (one start). Fazekas, 6-11, 253, appeared in four preseason games posting averages of 2.0 ppg and 2.5 rpg. Mays, 6-9, 230, tallied averages of 4.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg in two preseason games. Parker, 6-4, 190, averaged 5.3 ppg, 3.3 apg and 1.3 rpg in four preseason contests. Patterson, 6-5, 223, appeared in six preseason games posting averages of 7.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.2 apg.

The Nuggets roster now stands at 14 players.

Oct 21: Nuggets 105, Raptors 94

The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 105-94 in the first NBA game played in the Alberta capital in nine years. Forward Chris Bosh scored 17 points and point guard Jose Calderon had 18 points for the Raptors, who trailed 24-17 after the first quarter of the exhibition and never seriously challenged the rest of the way… Bosh was 5-for-8 from the field with three rebounds. Calderon was 5-for-11 to go with five rebounds and seven assists. He made two 3-pointers.

Oct 19: Wolves 111, Nuggets 107

The AP reports: Kevin Ollie made four free throws in the final 16 seconds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 111-107 preseason victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Ryan Gomes scored 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field for the Timberwolves (5-1). Mike Miller had 17 points, Al Jefferson added 15, Craig Smith 13 and Randy Foye 12. Foye also had 15 assists… Anthony Carter led Denver (4-1) with 17 points, Carmelo Anthony added 15, J.R. Smith 14, Linas Kleiza 13, Kenyon Martin 12 and Nene 10. Kleiza shot 11-for-12 on free throws.

Oct 17: Nuggets 94, Suns 91

The AP reports: As soon as he was introduced to an ovation that shook the teflon roof of the Carrier Dome, the night belonged to Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets. Anthony, who as a freshman led Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA championship, wowed his adoring fans with 14 first-half points and the Nuggets remained unbeaten in the preseason with a 94-91 victory over the Phoenix Suns… J.R. Smith had 19 points to lead Denver (4-0), Linas Kleiza had 11, and Anthony Carter finished with 10. Iverson had four points, four assists and five turnovers. Raja Bell had 15 points for Phoenix (2-3), Matt Barnes and Grant Hill had 13 apiece, and Robert Hite had 12, all during a fourth-quarter rally that fell just short, and Leandro Barbosa had 10 points. Shaquille O’Neal had four points and four rebounds in 12 minutes, while rookie Robin Lopez, the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft, finished with seven points and five rebounds.

Oct 15: Nuggets 120, Jazz 119 OT

The AP reports: J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza each finished with 19 points but were criticized by Karl for wanting to cheat out on the fast break instead of focusing on rebounds that would have sealed the win earlier. Deron Williams tuned up for his homecoming at Champaign, Ill., by scoring 22 points and collecting eight assists for Utah. Next up for the Jazz superstar is a trip to face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Assembly Hall on the Illini campus, where Williams is revered for leading the Illini to the 2005 NCAA championship game, where they lost to North Carolina… Carmelo Anthony finished with 16 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes, his first game action since the Americans beat Spain in the gold medal game in China.

Oct 11: Nuggets 77, Suns 72

The AP reports: Whether it was the wind, the temperature or just a different environment to play in, the NBA’s first outdoor game in more than three decades was an offensive struggle. The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 77-72 on Saturday night in the exhibition game billed as “NBA Outdoors!” at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Both teams struggled from the field and the free-throw line and combined to go 3-of-27 from 3-point range on a night when the temperature dipped into the 60s with some wind hitting the court by the end of the game.

Insidehoops.com Stat Notes: For the Nuggets, JR Smith (just 6-of-16) had 12 points. Mateen Cleaves (4-of-5) scored 11 off the bench. Nene (4-of-10) had 10 points and 7 rebounds. No other Denver players reached double digits. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson didn’t play. For the Suns, Steve Nash (5-of-12) had 16 points, just 2 assists and 6 turnovers. Raja Bell (3-of-8) scored 9. Robin Lopez (4-of-7) had 8 off the bench. The Nuggets shot just 37.7%, the Suns just 33.3%. The Nuggets hit just 1-of-10 three-pointers, the Suns just 2-of-14. The Nuggets hit just 50% of their free throws, while the Suns connected on 69.2%. Rebounding was close. The two teams combined to dish just 15 total assists.

Oct 10: Nuggets 118, Wolves 95

The AP reports: The Nuggets dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-95 on Friday night, as reserve J.R. Smith finished with 21 points and Chris Andersen grabbed 11 boards. Now, they’re off to Indian Wells, Calif., to play the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in the NBA’s first outdoor basketball game in more than 35 years… Al Jefferson grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 10 points for Minnesota (2-1), while Corey Brewer had 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter… Rookie Kevin Love turned in a nine-point, 11-rebound game, while reserve Blake Ahearn finished with 17 points and Randy Foye chipped in 16.

Melo may not play tonight

The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports: Carmelo Anthony is listed as questionable for the Nuggets’ preseason opener at the Pepsi Center on Friday night because of a hand injury, and even coach George Karl isn’t sure of his star’s status. The fifth-year forward suffered a contusion on the fourth finger on his left hand in practice Thursday when a teammate slapped the ball out of his hand.

InsideHoops.com editor says: In preseason most star players are on the court for very limited minutes, so even if he was healthy Melo may have only played 10 or 15 minutes. All that really matters here is that the injury is very minor and will soon heal up.

Nuggets sign Juwan Howard

The Denver Nuggets have signed F Juwan Howard to their training camp roster, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today. Both local newspapers covering the Nuggets have said this will be a nonguaranteed deal.

Howard, a 14-year NBA veteran, played in 50 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season. In 1,001 career regular season games, he has averaged 15.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg and was an All-Star with Washington in 1996.

Howard, 6-9, 250, played in 105 games for the Nuggets from 2002-03, averaging 18.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg. Originally drafted by Washington with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft, he has also played for Orlando and Houston.

The addition of Howard brings Denver’s training camp roster to 19 players.

Michael Ruffin to Bulls training camp

The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports: Forward Michael Ruffin was hoping to stick around his hometown in the hope his parents could see him play regularly. Instead, the 1995 Cherry Creek High School graduate will go to training camp with Chicago rather than the Nuggets. Ruffin didn’t feel good about his chances of making the roster with a nonguaranteed contract on the cost-cutting Nuggets, who have 13 players with guaranteed deals and aren’t certain if anybody else will be kept.