The AP reports: Allen Iverson squared up, hit a 3-pointer and raised his arms to the air, having thwarted Golden State’s final charge. There was no downplaying the importance of this win that put the Denver Nuggets in control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith added 24 off the bench and the Nuggets overcame a 16-point deficit in the first quarter to win their playoff showdown with the Warriors 114-105 Thursday night… Golden State committed an uncharacteristically high 18 turnovers, missed nine of 24 free throws and got poor shooting nights from Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Davis had a triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but shot only 9-for-25. Jackson had 18 points on 5-for-17 shooting. Monta Ellis led the way with 29 points and Al Harrington added 20.
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Apr. 8: Nuggets 117, Clippers 99
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points to give him 121 in the last three games, and the Nuggets routed the injury-plagued Los Angeles Clippers 117-99 Tuesday night to remain tied with Golden State for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth. They meet Thursday night in Oakland… Anthony, the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer, shot 13-of-17 from the field and 9-of-12 from the foul line in 33 minutes… Allen Iverson added 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Linas Kleiza scored 15 points, and Marcus Camby had 13 points and 18 rebounds for the Nuggets (47-31), who snapped a two-game losing streak to teams already out of postseason contention… Cuttino Mobley led the Clippers (23-54) with 25 points. Elton Brand, playing his fourth game after missing the season’s first 74 while recovering from surgery on his torn left Achilles’ tendon, added 17 and Quinton Ross scored 10.
Apr. 6: Sonics 151, Nuggets 147 2OT
The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored a season-high 37 points and fellow rookie Jeff Green had a season-high 35 to lead the Seattle SuperSonics to a 151-147 double-overtime victory over Denver on Sunday night, damaging the Nuggets’ playoff hopes. Green, whose previous high was 23 points, scored 24 in the second half and overtime. His five quick points to start the second overtime gave the draft lottery-bound Sonics (18-59) the winning cushion… Carmelo Anthony, who scored 47 points Saturday in a 118-115 loss to Sacramento, led the Nuggets with 38 points. Allen Iverson added 26 points and Kenyon Martin had 22.
Apr. 5: Kings 118, Nuggets 115
The AP reports: Kevin Martin scored 36 points despite missing Sacramento’s shootaround with the stomach flu and the Kings capitalized on Kenyon Martin’s one-game suspension by getting 29 points from Francisco Garcia and 23 from Mikki Moore… The Kings, out of playoff contention and missing Ron Artest (thumb) and Brad Miller (leg), won their fourth straight game and snapped Denver’s nine-game home winning streak. They took advantage of sloppy play and silly mistakes by the Nuggets, who got 47 points from Carmelo Anthony, two shy of his career high… Linas Kleiza started in place of Kenyon Martin and scored 28 points, 21 in the first 18 minutes, helping Denver take a 41-32 lead.
Nuggets assign Taurean Green to D-League
The Denver Nuggets have assigned G Taurean Green to the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
Green, 6-0, 177, has averaged 1.6 ppg in 17 games with the Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers this season.
This marks the 50th player assignment to the NBA Development League this season with 31 different players having been assigned, including Green earlier in the year. While with Portland, Green was assigned to the Idaho Stampede and averaged 19.3 ppg, 9.8 apg and 5.3 rpg in four appearances.
Green was acquired by the Nuggets from Portland in exchange for Von Wafer on February 21.
Apr. 1: Nuggets 126, Suns 120
The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets frittered away a big lead over Phoenix for the second time in 24 hours, but unlike their drubbing in the desert, they recovered from their latest meltdown for a crucial 126-120 victory over the Suns at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday night… “I love playing back-to-back games, especially after a loss,” said Allen Iverson, who led Denver with 31 points… Carmelo Anthony grabbed two key rebounds and sank two free throws in the final 27 seconds and finished with 25 points. Kenyon Martin chipped in 18 points and Smith had 17. Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 27 points but missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 15 seconds left… After Nash (17 points and 18 assists) missed a 3-pointer, Shaquille O’Neal got the rebound and drew the foul but missed both free throws.
Mar. 31: Suns 132, Nuggets 117
The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire scored 41 points and Steve Nash had 36, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 22-point second-quarter deficit to overcome the Denver Nuggets 132-117 Monday night for their 50th victory of the season. In reaching at least 50 wins for the fourth straight season, the Suns tied the idle Los Angeles Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division and strengthened their position in the tight Western Conference playoff race. The comeback matched the third-best in Suns’ history… Stoudemire also had 14 rebounds, while Shaquille O’Neal had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Raja Bell had 15 points and 10 rebounds. J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 23 points, Allen Iverson scored 21, Kenyon Martin 19, Carmelo Anthony finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Marcus Camby scored 16.
Melo and Martin feeding off each other
I’m watching the Suns and Nuggets, and several plays in a row now Carmelo Anthony has gotten the ball around the right elbow, with Kenyon Martin around the free throw line. And when Melo got double-teamed, Martin immediately cut to the rim, caught a feed from Melo, and scored.
But now, for a play or two in a row, the Suns aren’t doubling Melo, and backed off of Martin, letting him shoot from just outside the free throw line instead of slashing at the rim, and it’s worked for Phoenix.
J-Rich and Melo win Player of Week
The Charlotte Bobcats’ Jason Richardson and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 24, through Sunday, March 30. More info here.
J-Rich is playing well but it’s too little, too late for the Bobcats, who need a miracle to make the playoffs and may be having issues with head coach Sam Vincent, who several newspapers recently reported may not be kept around next season.
As for Melo, all recent talk was that they might miss the playoffs, as they were sitting in 9th place in the West for a while, but as of today they’ve jumped up to 7th, but only by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Mavericks and Warriors. I think Denver may stay in there.
Anyway, the Western conference playoff race is awesome. Even if you’re a fan of an East squad, watch the West closely, because that’s where it’s at.
Mar. 29: Nuggets 119, Warriors 112
The AP reports: Allen Iverson’s 4-for-20 performance hardly mattered thanks to Kenyon Martin, who scored a season-high 30 points, leading the Denver Nuggets past the Warriors in the wild, wild Western Conference playoff race with a 119-112 win Saturday night… So did Carmelo Anthony, who hit 11-of-16 shots for 25 points, and a trio of reserves whose third-quarter play keyed the victory: J.R. Smith (20 points, seven assists), Eduardo Najera (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Linas Kleiza (8 points)… Martin’s biggest bucket was a buzzer beater from the left corner that made it 115-110 with 1:11 remaining, and Baron Davis, who led the Warriors with 28 points, misfired twice on 3-pointers in the final minute. Stephen Jackson added 25 points for Golden State, Monta Ellis had 22 and Andris Biedrins 17 points and 17 rebounds.