Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread [Archive] - Message Board Basketball Forum

KRAYZIE

01-24-2009, 03:09 AM

A little more on the showdown vs. the Jazz.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/23/karl-players-agree-utah-game-critical/

NBA players and coaches seem to pride themselves on downplaying the significance of any regular-season game before March.

Well, consider the Nuggets to be thinking outside the box when it comes to their Northwest Division showdown against the Utah Jazz on Sunday at the Pepsi Center.

"I have no problem calling it a big game," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

The Nuggets (28-15) hold a three-game lead on Utah (Portland is 21/2 back) entering the Jazz's home game tonight against Cleveland, but Denver trails Utah 1-0 in the season series. A Jazz win means the best the Nuggets could do is salvage a split of the season series.

"This is huge here for us," Nuggets guard J.R. Smith said. "Even though we don't have (Carmelo Anthony), we have to come out and win this game. This game could linger until playoff time, and this could be the difference in home-court advantage."

A few circumstances are tilting favorably for the Nuggets, including the continued absence of injured Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer. Utah also could be a bit weary after the marquee matchup with the Cavaliers, while Denver has been idle since Tuesday.

However it's sliced, it's not too early in the season to overplay the significance of this one.

"It's never too early," forward Linas Kleiza said. "It's always a big game when we play Utah, our division rival who has won the division the last few years. We have a great chance to do it this year, so we have to take care of business."

Back in action?

The freak right shoulder injury suffered by Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones in pregame warm-ups Tuesday might ultimately be a nonissue.

Karl expects Jones to try to play Sunday - and he said he'll "probably" start him if he's available - despite initial fears the first-degree separation would keep the guard out a few weeks.

Jones missed the game against Sacramento on Tuesday, but the Nuggets didn't need their defensive stopper in a 118-99 rout of the Kings.

Jones had a follow-up exam Friday with Dr. Steve Traina and also performed agility drills with strength and conditioning coach Steve Hess.

Preserving balance

Whether Jones returns, don't expect both Smith and Kleiza to start. Karl replaced Jones with Renaldo Balkman on Tuesday, and probably again would resist the urge to use the offensive-minded Kleiza, who scored 41 in a game against the Jazz last season.

Smith and Kleiza each have started games in Anthony's absence.

"You want to keep your balance of offense and defense among your personality," Karl said. "You put too many offensive players on the court, you'll be too weak defensively."

Smith, who has started the past five games, is starting to adjust to the routine.

"It takes a while to get used to it, but it's just like coming off the bench to me now," Smith said. "As long as I'm in there at the end of the game when it counts, that's all that matters."

Kleiza says he has no preference regarding his role.

"For the 250,000th time, no, it doesn't matter," Kleiza said.

Campaign fliers

The Nuggets sent out fliers to Western Conference teams endorsing Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Nene and Kenyon Martin as nominees for reserves on the Western Conference All-Star team.

Anthony and Billups are considered to have a strong chance to make the team.

The fliers bear the official 2008-09 All-Star logo for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix and contain the players' numbers in the form of a cactus. The back of the flier lists notable achievements for each player, such as, for Anthony: "Tied an NBA record for points scored in a quarter with 33 in the third quarter of the Nuggets' 116-105 win vs. Minnesota on 1 2/10."

Etc.

* The Nuggets are 19-5 when compiling at least 22 assists.

* Martin is averaging 18 points during his past four games.

* Former Nuggets point guard Chucky Atkins entered Friday having not played in the first seven games since being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
I don't know how bad of an injury Dahntay's was, but if it were up to me, I'd rest him or let him play in limited minutes and start Balkman in his place. But, it's all good as long as we win.:rockon:

BTW, Kleiza is averaging 20 ppg and shot 67% from the field in his last four games. Meanwhile, JR is averaging 21.5 ppg whilst shooting almost 70% in his last two. Let's keep these two going til' Melo's return.:bowdown: :bowdown:

daydreamin

01-25-2009, 08:55 PM

I think the Nugs are going to win tonight. I can feel it. (Knock on wood)

daydreamin

01-25-2009, 11:39 PM

Petro and Weems sighting in the crushing of the Jazz tonight. :rockon:

paguy1955

01-26-2009, 12:01 AM

I think the Nugs are going to win tonight. I can feel it. (Knock on wood)

Must be some strong A@@ WOOD:hammertime:

Delta_Hoop

01-26-2009, 12:19 AM

Good thread. :applause:

The Nuggets were pretty good against the Jazz tonight, especially Nene.

KRAYZIE

01-26-2009, 01:36 AM

Nuggets/Jazz Recap:

[QUOTE]DENVER (AP)

KRAYZIE

01-26-2009, 01:37 AM

Must be some strong A@@ WOOD:hammertime:
:oldlol:

KRAYZIE

01-26-2009, 02:30 AM

Petro and Weems sighting in the crushing of the Jazz tonight. :rockon:
I used to have that avy when I first joined too.:rockon:

daydreamin

01-26-2009, 08:51 PM

I used to have that avy when I first joined too.:rockon:

JR SMITH IS GOD :bowdown:

AItheAnswer3

01-27-2009, 05:15 PM

Must be some strong A@@ WOOD:hammertime:
:roll:

KRAYZIE

01-27-2009, 06:57 PM

We got the Grizzlies tonight, then the Hornets tomorrow. Nuggets should be able to split these two games.

OneMoreSucka

01-27-2009, 08:59 PM

They're capable of winning both, but I have a feeling we are going to see a different memphis team tonight, don't sleep on them.

Delta_Hoop

01-27-2009, 09:55 PM

Memphis is giving them a hard time so far.

daydreamin

01-28-2009, 01:07 AM

Boom. Billups puts up 29 and a Nuggets victory.

Richie2k6

01-28-2009, 12:58 PM

Very happy with last night's game. We're winning every game we should win and not slacking off.

daydreamin

01-28-2009, 07:52 PM

Dont think we will win tonight.

Second of a back to back on the road against NO...

KRAYZIE

01-28-2009, 09:09 PM

The good news for us is that both West and Chandler aren't playing tonight.

milehighnuggz

01-28-2009, 09:57 PM

Someone should tell kenyon martin that you arent allowed to shoot 3's if u cant make freethrows.

Serriously, it was cute the first few times he was making them but just stop it, just stop it kenyon ur jumpshot makes me sick to my stomach.

daydreamin

01-28-2009, 10:47 PM

JR has made some sick plays this game...

As I am typing this, he steps back and drains a three...

KING

daydreamin

01-28-2009, 10:48 PM

LOL at the referees with Chris Paul. What a joke.

daydreamin

01-28-2009, 11:33 PM

The game was close....and then NO went on a 22-4 run :oldlol:

Bad shooting night for the Nuggets.

Geandily

01-29-2009, 03:40 AM

Man it will be nice to have Melo back for the Bobcats (hope he makes it)

paguy1955

01-29-2009, 04:54 PM

Anthony cleared to return to Nuggets lineup FridayRocky Mountain News :bowdown: :applause: :rockon: :hammertime:

Carmelo Anthony on Thursday received clearance from the Nuggets' medical staff to return to the lineup.

The sixth-year NBA forward will play Friday night when the Nuggets are host to the Charlotte Bobcats. Tipoff at the Pepsi Center is 7 p.m.

Anthony missed 10 games with a broken right hand. Denver went 6-4 in his absence
:hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime:

KRAYZIE

01-30-2009, 11:30 PM

Nuggets up 15 @ half. Nene hasn't missed a shot yet, 7/7. Birdman has 4 blocks already and Melo has 10 points so far. It's been a dunk fest all game!:party:

KRAYZIE

01-31-2009, 02:18 AM

To repeat what I wrote in the Gamethread that I made in the NBA forum(The one where I was unfortunately talking/typing to myself).:(

Man, where'd all the usual Nugget fans go?

Anyways, good game. Nene almost went 11 for 11. Missed a layup attempt which could've been ruled as a foul, but wasn't. Nene finished with a double double(22/12) though. Our bench showed up tonight and scored 43 combined points as well.

And oh yeah, Melo took just 12 shots. :eek:
Made 5, but still managed to score 19 points.

Good game! :party:

Next up, *gulp* the SPURS!

KRAYZIE

01-31-2009, 02:22 AM

And here's the recap on the Nugz/Cats-Melo's return:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009013007
[QUOTE]DENVER (AP)

Mile High Crew

02-02-2009, 09:49 PM

We play San Antonio tomorrow night and this will show if we need another big or not, because Duncan has killed all of Nene, Birdman, and K-Mart.

If we lose, hopefully the front office will see how much we need a big guy in the middle?

If we win, I still hope the front office gets us a big guy that ACTUALLY PLAYS and NOT SIT ON THE BENCH!

KRAYZIE

02-04-2009, 01:21 AM

Here's the Nugz/Spurs Recap:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009020307
[QUOTE]DENVER (AP)

KRAYZIE

02-05-2009, 12:13 AM

Nugz/Thunder Recap:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/04/melo-scores-winner-against-thunder/

OKLAHOMA CITY — Carmelo Anthony didn’t need to wait until the final second this time.

Instead, the Nuggets forward made a driving layup with 5.3 seconds remaining Wednesday night to give his team a 114-113 win over Oklahoma City at the Ford Center.

Anthony on Jan. 2 had drilled a three-pointer with one-tenth of a second remaining to give the Nuggets a 122-120 win at Oklahoma City.

This time, Anthony, who scored a game-most 32 points, drove the lane against the Thunder with his team trailing 113-112. His off-balance layup put the Nuggets up for good, and all Oklahoma City could get at the end was a desperation 30-footer by forward Kevin Durant.

Durant, who scored 31 points, had given the Thunder a 112-111 lead on a driving layup with 17.2 seconds left.

The Nuggets (33-16) played without starters Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin. But they stormed back for their third straight win.

Billups sat out due to a sprained right ankle suffered in the second quarter Tuesday against San Antonio. Martin missed his second straight game with strep throat and tonsillitis.

With the two out, the Nuggets often looked lost in the first half, and fell behind 70-59. But the Nuggets got their game going in the second half, when guard J.R. Smith scored 14 of his 22 points.

The Nuggets outscored the Thunder (11-38) 30-24 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 94-89. Then they made a big run at the start of the fourth quarter to take a 106-102 lead.

The Thunder came back to take a 109-108 lead on an inside jumper by Russell Westbrook with 1:46 left.

But Smith drilled a three-pointer to put the Nuggets up 111-109 with 1:29 left. Durant tied the score on a pair of foul shots with 1:20 remaining.

Smith then split a pair of foul shots with 22.5 seconds left for a 112-111 lead.

Forward Jeff Green added 24 points for the Thunder.

With Billups out, the Nuggets’ only true point guard was Anthony Carter, who got the start and played 35 minutes. Nuggets coach George Karl had been worried about the minutes when Carter was out and Smith was running the point.

But Denver’s problems early were on defense. The Nuggets watched as the Thunder shot 52.1 percent in the first half.

The Nuggets, though, began to heat up themselves in the third quarter. They shot 14-of-24 in the quarter while outscoring Oklahoma City 30-24 to cut the deficit to 94-89.

In the fourth quarter, Smith heated up, scoring 12 points. When Thunder guard Earl Watson was called for a clear-path foul, it sent Smith to the foul line with 5:32 left. He made the second of two foul shots for a 103-102 lead, Denver’s first lead since 40-39 midway through the third quarter.

The Nuggets soon extended the lead to 106-102. But the Thunder came back, setting the stage for another dramatic ending.

The Nuggets played the first of eight straight games on the road. The trip actually is broken up by the All-Star break, with five games before it and three after it.

The Nuggets next play Friday at Washington. Karl expects Martin to return then, but isn’t sure about Billups.

The teams played for the first time since a Jan. 7 trade in which the Nuggets sent guard Chucky Atkins and a first-round pick to Oklahoma City for center Johan Petro and a second-round pick. While Atkins didn’t play, Petro totaled two points and four rebounds in eight first-half minutes.

The Nuggets also got a solid game from reserve big man Chris Andersen, who had 12 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes in a city where he played for the first half of 2005-06 when New Orleans played the bulk of its games in Oklahoma City due to Hurricane Katrina. Andersen, though, fouled out with 3:13 remaining.

Before the game, Andersen, known as “Birdman,’’ said he wants his new moniker to be “Birdzilla.’’
This one went down to the wire and Melo made the game winning layup! :rockon:

But still, can't believe the Nuggets pulled this one out after being down 16 points at one time. The 1st half was just painful to watch, especially the 2nd quarter. They allowed OKC to score 70 points in that half.:mad: But in the end, what matters is that they fought back and walked away with the W. Let's keep this mini-streak going!:party:

Next up: Wizards!

Cabbage

02-06-2009, 01:27 PM

ridiculous road trip. but i say we get out of it 5-2

@ Washington W
@ New Jersey W
@ Miami W
@ Orlando L
@ Philadelphia L
@ Chicago W
@ Milwaukee W

KRAYZIE

02-06-2009, 03:26 PM

ridiculous road trip. but i say we get out of it 5-2

@ Washington W
@ New Jersey W
@ Miami W
@ Orlando L
@ Philadelphia L
@ Chicago W
@ Milwaukee W
I can see the Nuggets losing to the Nets since it's a back2back/road game. I'll say 50/50 chance they either win or lose depending on how they perform against the Wizards tonight. If it ends up being a blowout game and the starters rest in the 4th, then I like our chances against the Nets tomorrow. Also, we need the team back all healthy if we want to go 5-2 on this crazy ass road trip.

KRAYZIE

02-06-2009, 03:36 PM

Note that Melo's been averaging 39ppg and shooting 65% in his last 3 meetings with the Wizards. Including scoring his career high, 49 points in their last meeting. And Melo's been long due for a 50+ point game, could this be the night? (Hopes):cheers:

Mile High Crew

02-06-2009, 06:28 PM

We could go 6-1, but with Billups uncertainty at this point we might either go 5-2 or 4-3. Hopefully Jr can step up his game and help Melo out

OneMoreSucka

02-06-2009, 08:50 PM

I got 'em going 4-3 with the losses at NJ, Orlando, and Chicago.

KRAYZIE

02-07-2009, 12:46 AM

Great game tonight. Nuggets started off slow in the 1st quarter, but then got it rolling from that point on. Melo had a nice overall game including a sweet 1 handed dunk.:pimp: Billups started off slow, not sure how much the ankle was bothering him, but then he exploded for 11 points or so in the 3rd quarter. Both the Birdman and DJ played great tonight! Birdman had like what, 5 blocks in the 1st half? Ridiculous! And as for Dahntay, I just love how he constantly attacks the basket when given the ball. He also made couple of jumpers in the game as well.:party: And oh yeah, Balkman played good in limited minutes as well. Man, he stole the ball twice in less than a minute or so at one point. Too bad he got hit in the face and didn't return, hope he's alright. As for JR and Kleiza, both played solid tonight. I liked that JR didn't force any bad shots in this game tonight; though he needs to work on his freethrows, sh*ts horrible.:oldlol: :mad: Also, none of the starters played major minutes tonight, which is important cuz they play their final 4th game in 5 nights tomorrow.

KRAYZIE

02-07-2009, 12:53 AM

Here's the Nugz/Wizard game Recap:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009020627
[QUOTE]WASHINGTON (AP)

Richie2k6

02-07-2009, 05:43 PM

On a roll. :applause: Can't say I'm nervous about losing tonight. Have absolutely no doubt the Nuggets will win by a solid margin.

Richie2k6

02-07-2009, 10:48 PM

What in the blue hell went wrong.

KRAYZIE

02-08-2009, 12:41 AM

What in the blue hell went wrong.
:lol :cry: :cry:

KRAYZIE

02-08-2009, 01:05 AM

Here's the Recap to one of the most depressing loss of this season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009020717

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—The young New Jersey Nets are getting over their inconsistencies and starting to show signs they can be a playoff team.

Devin Harris scored 14 of his 28 points from the free-throw line and the New Jersey Nets posted their second biggest victory in franchise history with a stunning 114-70 decision over the frustrated Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.

“It’s good for us, good for our egos,” Harris said after the Nets posted their season-high fourth straight win. “Obviously we feel good about ourselves and now we’ve got to continue to keep it going.”

The Nets (24-27) have posted some impressive wins in this post-Jason Kidd era, knocking off Dallas and Detroit here. Their problem has been failing to show up for some games they should win.

“We can come out and play the tough basketball against the best teams, now we just ask for some consistency,” Vince Carter said. “If you’re going to be a good team like that one, then you have to come with the same mentality against teams that aren’t that good. We talk about playing at a high level, and we talk about playing playoff ball, let’s go play playoff basketball.”

For one night, the Nets looked like a serious contender in handing the Nuggets their worst loss since a 107-63 setback to Portland on April 16, 1997.

“Sometimes you’re one step slow,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “Tonight we were two steps slow. Offensively we were slow. Defensively we were slow. Rebounds, hustle points, all that we were slow on. This is the first time all year we haven’t had the energy to fight back.”

New Jersey built a season-high 20-point lead at the half and extended it to 37 points after third quarters in handing the Nuggets their worst loss of the season, one that saw Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Karl all hit with second-quarter technicals for arguing with the officiating crew.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak and was only the 17th of the season for Denver, which was off to its best 50-game start since joining the NBA in 1976.

“I’ve been in this league a long time and I know you’re going to have three to four games like this on both sides,” Billups said. “It’s over. We washed it off in the shower.”

Rookie Brook Lopez added 15 points and nine rebounds for New Jersey, while Carter had 12 points and eight assists.

Anthony had 15 points to lead the Nuggets on a night that the Nets refused to let them get to the rim, one of the staples of an offense that was averaging 104.7 points, fourth best in the league.

The 70 points were a season low and the final margin was a season worst. It was also only their second loss in 22 games against a team with a sub .500 record.

“We caught them on a good night, but our guys took full advantage of it,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said.

The Nets took command with a 26-8 spurt that bridged the end of the first quarter and the start of the second.

Harris hit six free throws in an 11-2 spurt that gave New Jersey a 24-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. Carter hit a jumper, converted a three-point play and scored eight points in the 15-6 run that started the second quarter.

Denver’s frustration with the officiating came to the surface in the second quarter. Karl was called for a technical foul after Anthony seemed to get hit on a rebound follow and nothing was called.
Denver Nuggets' Linas Kleiza, left, Chauncey Billups, center, and Kenyon Martin, right, watch from the bench during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the New Jersey Nets, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Nets defeated the Nuggets 114-70.
Denver Nuggets' Linas Klei…
AP - Feb 7, 10:54 pm EST

Anthony and Billups both got technicals with 26.7 seconds left in the half, with Billups seemingly stunned that he was getting his right after his buddy.

New Jersey shot almost 69 percent in the third quarter in turning the game into a rout. Harris had 11 in the quarter and Lopez added nine.

Nets rookie Ryan Anderson finished with his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Notes

The Nuggets took a train ride north after Friday night’s game in Washington. … New Jersey’s biggest previous halftime lead this season was 13. … The loss prevented Denver from getting 19 games over the .500 mark for the first time since 1987-88. … The loss also snapped the Nuggets’ three-game winning streak against New Jersey. … The Nuggets previous worst loss this season was 18 points. Denver’s previous season low for points was 81. Harris’ 14 free throws made matched Denver’s total made.
I know that this was Denver's 4th game in 5 days and the players are a little worn out and whatnot, but for ****s sake, show some pride! 44 pt loss to a team that was 4 games below .500 coming in. Unbelievable!:banghead:

I'm done ranting now.:lol

Next Game: Miami! (Please, rebound the ball Denver!)

Delta_Hoop

02-08-2009, 01:52 AM

Damn.

KRAYZIE

02-10-2009, 06:57 PM

[CENTER]Melo vs. Wade Tonight!
http://bleacherreport.com/images_root/image_pictures/0123/6237/carmelo_anthony_auto_photo4_mid_feature.jpg
http://s5.tinypic.com/beud8k.jpg
{PREVIEW}
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009021014
[QUOTE]Coming off their worst loss in 12 seasons, the Denver Nuggets are hoping a trip to Miami will get their eight-game trip back on track.

The Heat, meanwhile, are looking for their sixth win in seven home games on Tuesday night when they host the Northwest Division leaders.

Denver (34-17), which has won three straight in Miami and seven in a row overall against the Heat, is looking to rebound from Saturday

KRAYZIE

02-10-2009, 07:03 PM

Two of my fav players going at it. Am anxious to see how the Nuggets respond after that horrible loss to the Nets the other day. Miami's great at home(17-8), so this will be a challenge for the Nugz. Hopefully, Nuggets get the win and both Melo/Wade play great tonight!:cheers:

paguy1955

02-10-2009, 11:18 PM

KRAYZIE

02-11-2009, 01:17 AM

Well did you get your answer????:hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime:
YES!
Except, I didn't get to watch the game. Had to go to class, but maybe I can catch the rerun on Altitude tomorrow. (Sorry no Tivo:cry: ):rockon::cheers:

KRAYZIE

02-11-2009, 01:27 AM

Here's the Nugz/Heat Recap:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009021014
[QUOTE]Once again, facing the Miami Heat was all the Denver Nuggets needed to get back on track.

Chauncey Billups scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Nuggets swept the series with Miami for the fourth consecutive year, beating the Heat 99-82 on Tuesday night.

Kenyon Martin had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while J.R. Smith scored 10 for Denver, which wasted much of a 20-point first-half lead and still defeated Miami for the eighth straight time. It was the Nuggets

Cabbage

02-11-2009, 03:04 AM

What a beautiful performance by the nuggets. K-mart played to his strengths offensively. AC was a pest on defense. Chauncey and JR put the game away with late three pointers.

Some bad notes: Kleiza continues to be the most inconsistant player in the NBA. Birdman got hurt, hope he isn't out too long. Rediculous calls for dwyane wade that carmelo didn't get.

KRAYZIE

02-11-2009, 03:34 AM

Cabbage

02-11-2009, 06:27 AM

A sprained wrist and hip contusion. Sure he'll be back to sending shots into the stands soon ;)

KRAYZIE

02-11-2009, 04:26 PM

A sprained wrist and hip contusion. Sure he'll be back to sending shots into the stands soon ;)
:cheers: Although we could use him against the Magic tonight. Either way, I think Nuggets lose the game. Orlando, without Nelson is still a great team. Plus, it being a back2back game doesn't help the Nugz at all.

KRAYZIE

02-12-2009, 12:01 AM

Here's the Nugz/Magic Recap:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009021119
[QUOTE]ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)

paguy1955

02-12-2009, 12:29 AM

:cheers: Although we could use him against the Magic tonight. Either way, I think Nuggets lose the game. Orlando, without Nelson is still a great team. Plus, it being a back2back game doesn't help the Nugz at all.

Well looks like you MAGIC crystal ball failed you!!:banana: :cheers:

Cabbage

02-12-2009, 05:05 AM

Sloppy game offensively. Fantastic game defensively.

Orlando is one of the most explosive teams offensively. But the nuggets allowed only 29 first half points while scoring 46 themselves. Didn't let a team that lives off of the three ball get going.

Linas needs to be traded. Seriously, you can only gain something from trading a guy who shows no effort for rebounds and loose balls, travels THREE times, and misses wide open shot after shot.

Also, Nene needs to regain that confidence he had earlier. He's so worried about missed calls by the officials that i feel like he isn't as accertive offensively as he has been.

KRAYZIE

02-13-2009, 01:00 AM

Well looks like you MAGIC crystal ball failed you!!:banana: :cheers:
Hah!:D

KRAYZIE

02-20-2009, 02:06 PM

[CENTER]{Nugz/Sixers Recap}

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090219/capt.45ec7f674b214c4a8867ea9c9b69e662.nuggets_76er s_basketball_patm107.jpg

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/18/nuggets-shake-rust-defeat-sixers/
[QUOTE]
PHILADELPHIA

KRAYZIE

02-20-2009, 02:16 PM

[CENTER]
{PREVIEW}

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/den.gifVShttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/chi.gif

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009022004
[QUOTE]While the Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets stood pat at the trading deadline, the Chicago Bulls tried to help their playoff chances with two deals to bring back familiar faces.

While they wait for all of their new arrivals, the Bulls will try Friday night at home to cool off the Nuggets, who are searching for a fourth straight win on their season-high eight-game road trip.

Before Thursday

KRAYZIE

02-20-2009, 02:24 PM

BTW, Melo suffered a bruised knee last game and is listed as probable for tonight's game.:(

KRAYZIE

02-20-2009, 10:26 PM

Nene's a beast tonight! Hasn't missed yet, 8 of 8. Had a sick block on rose and then posterized Tyrus on the other end.:cheers:

*EDIT*

Nuggets looked good early on, but then fell apart in the 2nd half. Man, they just couldn't match up w/ the Bulls intensity-wise tonight. Tough loss.

KRAYZIE

02-21-2009, 01:32 AM

[CENTER]{Nugz/Bulls Recap}

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090221/capt.433c3fa1d9314a72b09be406b87000a6.nuggets_bull s_basketball_cxa105.jpg
[QUOTE]CHICAGO (AP)

KRAYZIE

02-21-2009, 01:34 AM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090221/capt.9c0829d9cbd64c289ead4b2a988de5b8.nuggets_bull s_basketball_cxa102.jpg
:roll: :wtf: :eek:

Cabbage

02-27-2009, 05:17 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_11801290

Nene's a go.

The Nuggets center, as he suggested earlier this week, will indeed play tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. Nene hasn't played in Denver's past two games, after suffering a knee bruise in Sunday's game at Milwaukee.

"I want to help, I don't want to do nothing that is me," Nene said at this morning's shootaround. "This is a very important victory we need here, to get confidence and be in a good position for the playoffs."

Nuggets coach George Karl said that Nene will play 20-25 minutes and will come off the bench. Johan Petro, who has actually played pretty well of late, will get the start.

Nene leads the NBA with a 60.9 field-goal percentage, while averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds.

Benjamin Hochman:

KRAYZIE

02-28-2009, 01:23 AM

{Nuggets/Lakers Recap}

http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Los+Angeles+Lakers+v+Denver+Nuggets+Game+Three+2EK BlpRZS4il.jpg

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290227007

DENVER -- J.R. Smith scored 22 points and the Denver Nuggets beat Kobe Bryant and cold-shooting Los Angeles 90-79 on Friday night to end a nine-game losing streak against the Lakers.

The Nuggets got solid performances from reserves Smith and Chris Andersen, who tied a career high with seven blocks, pulled down 12 rebounds and chipped in 11 points.

The Lakers has their second-worst shooting night since the franchise moved to Southern California from Minneapolis -- 29.8 percent. They were on pace for their worst night ever when Jordan Farmar's breakaway layup with 5.1 seconds left allowed them to beat the old low-water mark of 29.4 percent set against Utah in 2004.

Bryant scored 29 points but he needed 31 shots to do it, sinking 10 of them.

The Lakers had won six straight.

Carmelo Anthony had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, and Chauncey Billups scored 22. But it was the reserves that ended Los Angeles' hex -- the Lakers had won five straight regular-season games plus a four-game sweep in the playoffs last year when the Nuggets became the first 50-win team to get shut out in the postseason.

Four nights after suffering a 38-point blowout by Boston at the Pepsi Center, the Nuggets hung tough with the Lakers, leading 46-40 at halftime and 66-63 after three quarters before pulling away.

Andersen led the way, pulling down a key rebound and rejecting a shot at one end and making two nifty layups at the other to help the Nuggets stretch their lead to 74-63.

Denver center Nene returned from a two-game absence with a bruised right knee. He didn't start but he did enter the game sooner than the Nuggets had hoped because Johan Petro picked up his third foul less than 3 minutes into the game.

The Nuggets had missed Nene's toughness in the paint, getting crushed by Boston and edging a short-handed Hawks team by a point on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles made just six of 23 shots in the first quarter but led 19-16 thanks to eight offensive boards. The Lakers never found a rhythm and lost to the Nuggets for the first time since 2007.

Bryant's free throws made it 52-50 with 8 minutes left in the third quarter, L.A.'s first lead since the 10:53 mark of the second, and Derek Fisher followed with a fast-break 3-pointer to cap a 15-4 second-half start for the Lakers.

Game notes
The Nuggets' last win against Los Angeles came on April 9, 2007, when they beat the Lakers 115-111 at the Pepsi Center. ... The teams were a combined 2-for-19 from 3-point range in the first half. Overall, L.A. was 2-for-21 and Denver 3-for-21 from long range.

KRAYZIE

02-28-2009, 01:36 AM

Great game tonight! We needed this one. Nuggets did a great job tonight defensively. JR kept us in the game in the 2nd quarter and played pretty good overall. Chauncey scored 14 in the 3rd quarter, yeah I think it's safe to say that he owns the 3rd quarter. Melo didn't shoot well tonight, but did a good job defensively and grabbed rebounds, blocked shots, etc... But the story of the night was the Birdman, he played terrific! Dude had 11 pts(3-4), 12 rebounds and a career-high, 7 blocks!!!! :eek: :cheers:

BTW, anyone see Chauncey drawing up a play.:eek: :eek:

Cabbage

02-28-2009, 03:48 AM

:hammertime:
Great game tonight! We needed this one. Nuggets did a great job tonight defensively. JR kept us in the game in the 2nd quarter and played pretty good overall. Chauncey scored 14 in the 3rd quarter, yeah I think it's safe to say that he owns the 3rd quarter. Melo didn't shoot well tonight, but did a good job defensively and grabbed rebounds, blocked shots, etc... But the story of the night was the Birdman, he played terrific! Dude had 11 pts(3-4), 12 rebounds and a career-high, 7 blocks!!!! :eek: :cheers:

BTW, anyone see Chauncey drawing up a play.:eek: :eek:

Chauncey will be the nuggets head coach 10 years from. You just wait.

OneMoreSucka

02-28-2009, 03:52 PM

:hammertime:

Chauncey will be the nuggets head coach 10 years from. You just wait.
Nah, GM. I hope to god he'll be the GM, anyway. He said that's what he wanted to do after he retires.

At any rate, where is richie2k6 and his game threads? :(

This was quite possibly my favorite game of JR's career. He shot horribly, but he took the challenge of guarding the best SG in the game and legitimately shut him down. His +/- was +25 despite going 1-8 from downtown and 6-14 overall.

Blue_Dog45

02-28-2009, 08:03 PM

OneMoreSucka

03-01-2009, 12:53 AM

Cabbage

03-01-2009, 03:38 AM

Good job last night by the Nuggets. They deserved to win that one, for sure, the fact that the Lakers were shooting 30% is unacceptable. Defense got them the win, though. 7 blocks for the Birdman? Wow.

These two teams will be fun to watch in playoffs, if they get a go at each other.

Yeah, the nuggets really proved themselves even with some bad turn overs and calls for the lakers early on.

If they play with this toughness every night and in may i honestly see them in the conference finals. though if the ugly nuggets defense shows up in the playoffs we're toast.

KRAYZIE

03-02-2009, 03:11 PM

[CENTER]{Nuggets/Pacers Recap}

100-94 (L)

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4844/nugs.jpg

[QUOTE]
NDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers again have proven they can beat any team in the league on their home court.

Jarrett Jack had 28 points and eight assists, Troy Murphy had 22 points and 18 rebounds and the Pacers beat the Denver Nuggets 100-94 on Sunday night.

Fast Facts

KRAYZIE

03-02-2009, 03:21 PM

Frustrating loss. Denver had a bit of a lead early in the 4th, but then blew all of it. They had many opportunities to win the game near the end too, but just weren't blocking out and securing the rebounds on both ends; which in return, gave the Pacers way too many 2nd chance opportunities and enough ammo to put 'em away.:(

insidehoops

03-02-2009, 04:00 PM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090221/capt.9c0829d9cbd64c289ead4b2a988de5b8.nuggets_bull s_basketball_cxa102.jpg
:roll: :wtf: :eek:

That's one of the most offensive sports photos on the internet

paguy1955

03-02-2009, 05:28 PM

Anthony may miss Nuggets' game at DetroitBy Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post

Posted: 03/02/2009 01:33:04 PM MST
Updated: 03/02/2009 01:45:11 PM MST

AUBURN HILLS, MICH.

paguy1955

03-03-2009, 04:14 PM

We been lied to by the Nuggets Management AGAIN!!

Melo crossed the line, Karl says

Nuggets coach George Karl enters tonight's game at Detroit without Carmelo Anthony, but the coach stands by the team's decision to suspend the star forward because it makes a statement than no one player is bigger than the team.

In Denver's previous game at Indiana, Karl planned to sub out Anthony at the timeout with 1:13 left in the third quarter. A furious Anthony defied his coach and walked out of the timeout huddle onto the floor

paguy1955

03-06-2009, 10:34 AM

Reserve rookie guard Sonny Weems said that after tonight's game, he will join the Colorado 14ers in the NBA's Development League and will likely stay there until March 27.

"It's something that I need to do," said the Arkansas product, who averages 1.4 points per game and generally just plays in garbage time. "I talked to George, and he said right now, it would be the best move for me. He just really wants me to play right now. And then he said when I come back, he'll be looking for me."

KRAYZIE

03-07-2009, 05:08 PM

[CENTER]{Nuggets/Jazz Recap}

97-91(L)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/197/dwill.jpg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009030626
[QUOTE]SALT LAKE CITY (AP)

KRAYZIE

03-15-2009, 12:09 AM

KRAYZIE

03-15-2009, 12:31 AM

[CENTER]{Nuggets/Clippers Recap}

107-94(W)

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/8849/camb.jpg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009031407
[QUOTE]DENVER (AP)

KRAYZIE

03-15-2009, 12:59 AM

Renaldo played freakin' great tonight!! 22 points(Career High), 11 boards, and 2 blocks in his 2nd straight start. I still don't understand why George doesn't give him more minutes, the guy is pure effort from start to finish.

Nuggets started well, but then struggled a bit in the 2nd quarter. However, they bounced back in the 3rd thanks to Renaldo and Nene. Turned the ball over a lot, especially near the end of the 3rd and early 4th. Nuggets also had no answer for Novak, dude was killin' us from the 3-pt line(5-7), so glad he missed one in the 4th lol. Anyways, early in the 4th, Denver didn't look so good, started turning the ball over a bit and the 20 point lead slowly faded; at one point it was a 9 point game, very frustrating. But was able to hold on and win, mainly cuz of Naldo! One thing that I didn't like was Karl subbing Chauncey in for JR w/ 4 minutes left in the game, while holding a 14 point lead might I add. I'm not sure why he felt the need to put Billups in at all, should've either rested him or replaced AC instead of JR because JR was starting to get hot halfway 4th quarter(scored 8-pts in 8 minutes).:ohwell:

Next up: New Jerz! *cough* Revenge time *cough*:D

paguy1955

03-15-2009, 01:40 AM

KRAYZIE

03-15-2009, 01:44 AM

Just got back home from the game. Just one thing to say. Naldo freakin fantastic,,:hammertime: :rockon:
Great pickup for the Nugz this offseason, along with Dahntay and the Birdman.

http://www.hotstovenewyork.com/images/balkman.jpg
It's gotta be the dreads!!!!!:oldlol: :cheers:

KRAYZIE

03-15-2009, 01:47 AM

BTW, paguy, you should get a pic of Renaldo next game and use that as your avy! The guy rocks!:hammertime: :hammertime:

paguy1955

03-15-2009, 07:58 AM

BTW, paguy, you should get a pic of Renaldo next game and use that as your avy! The guy rocks!:hammertime: :hammertime:

You are reading my mind. Got back too late last night to work on it but I do have Naldo picks that I will use as my avy:banana: :cheers: :applause:

KRAYZIE

03-15-2009, 06:42 PM

You are reading my mind. Got back too late last night to work on it but I do have Naldo picks that I will use as my avy:banana: :cheers: :applause:
You should post some of the photos that you take on here since you go to the games a lot. :D :cheers:

Blue_Dog45

03-15-2009, 07:40 PM

The Nuggets need to get revenge on the Nets! :banana: I hope they win by at least 20+ points.

And Denver played great last night.

paguy1955

03-15-2009, 09:01 PM

BTW, paguy, you should get a pic of Renaldo next game and use that as your avy! The guy rocks!:hammertime: :hammertime:

Therer U go!:hammertime: :hammertime:

paguy1955

03-15-2009, 09:04 PM

You should post some of the photos that you take on here since you go to the games a lot. :D :cheers:

For some reason i can't post pics

paguy1955

03-16-2009, 02:31 PM

Devin Harris G 03/16/2009 is expected to miss Monday's game against Denver Out sprained left shoulder

KRAYZIE

03-16-2009, 09:14 PM

For some reason i can't post pics
Aww, okay.

Anyways, sweet pic!!!!!!!!!:rockon:

paguy1955

03-16-2009, 10:38 PM

3rd quarter Balkman doin well 8 pts 8 rebs:pimp: :applause: :rockon:

Blue_Dog45

03-16-2009, 10:57 PM

I don't think the refs like Carmelo.

paguy1955

03-16-2009, 11:18 PM

Never have and never will..........He can't get a call even if he pays the refs..:rant :banghead: :banghead: :(

KRAYZIE

03-16-2009, 11:47 PM

^^ Hastings went off on that too. Seriously, what does a guy have to do to get some calls. He gets worked and whacked play after play, yet refs pretend like they don't notice.

KRAYZIE

03-16-2009, 11:50 PM

3rd quarter Balkman doin well 8 pts 8 rebs:pimp: :applause: :rockon:
Nuggets had 25 offensive rebounds tonight mainly because of the efforts from both Balkman and Birdman.:eek:
Too bad he got hurt, hopefully it's nothing too serious.

KRAYZIE

03-16-2009, 11:58 PM

{Nuggets/Nets Recap}

121-96(W)

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7827/balkmanj.jpg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009031607

DENVER (AP)—J.R. Smith and Nene scored 19 points each, Chauncey Billups had 14 points and 10 assists and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to three with a 121-96 win over the New Jersey Nets on Monday night.

Vince Carter scored 32 points for the Nets, who went 0-4 on the Western Conference portion of their five-game road trip. New Jersey plays at the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The Nets played without injured point guard Devin Harris and forward Sean Williams, who was arrested Monday at a cell phone store in a mall in suburban Denver on accusations he got into an argument with a clerk and threw a computer monitor.

At about 2 p.m. Monday, officers responded to a disturbance at a cell phone store at the Park Meadows Mall, Detective Sgt. Ron Pinson of the Lone Tree police said.

Damages were estimated at $1,200 to $1,300, he said.

Pinson said Williams was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and felony criminal mischief. He was taken into custody without any further incident and transported to the Douglas County Jail, where he posted bond. Pinson didn’t know the amount of Williams’ bond.

Harris sprained his left shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Clippers. New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said Harris will be evaluated Tuesday.

Without Harris and Williams, the Nets faded in the second half. Denver led 49-43 at the break and extended it to 14 in the third quarter despite a big period by Carter. Carter scored 17 points in the period, including all five of his 3-pointers, and helped New Jersey stay within 83-72 heading into the fourth.

Smith hit four of his six 3-pointers in the final period to help blow open the game.

The Nuggets, who lost to the Nets by 44 points on Feb. 7, nearly delivered the same punishment to New Jersey. With the win they extended their lead in the Northwest Division to a game over Portland and 1 1/2 over Utah.

The Nuggets used a 17-2 run to lead by 14 in the first quarter. The Nets came right back with a run of their own. Keyon Dooling hit a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter as part of a 12-2 New Jersey spurt that cut the lead to 30-26. But Denver bounced back to push the lead to nine.

Notes

Nuggets F Kenyon Martin returned after missing two games and five of the last six with a strained lower back. He scored eight points in 15 minutes and didn’t play in the second half. … Denver F Renaldo Balkman left the game in the third period with a left groin strain and did not return

OneMoreSucka

03-17-2009, 12:02 AM

Best part was Nene finishing strong.

KRAYZIE

03-17-2009, 12:19 AM

Revenge games are fun lol. Dahntay and VC were goin' at it all game, thought it was gonna get ugly.:eek:

Also congrats to JR for passing Nick Van Exel as the Nuggets 3rd leader in 3 pointers made all-time. He started off slow, 1 of 6 in the 1st half, but then exploded in the 4th. Woooooooooooh!!!

BTW, any1 else scratch their head when Melo shot the ball from halfcourt w/ 10 secs left?:roll:

Mile High Crew

03-17-2009, 12:33 AM

Dahntay really has some fire in him. Remember that Jazz game him and Deron Williams going at it and now Vinsanity, Dahntay is really fired up!

Kinda remind me last year when Jr and Kobe goin at it, if we do meet the Lakers in the playoffs I wonder if Dahntay will talk trash to Kobe?

KRAYZIE

03-17-2009, 12:37 AM

Best part was Nene finishing strong.
He, along w/ Birdman have definitely been the biggest surprises this season.
Can't believe how much he's improved his jump shot, along w/ the free throw shooting. In the past, I used to cringe every time he and K-Mart took those 15-18 foot jumpers. Now, I'm confident it's going in, though I'd rather them drive than take jumpers lol.

KRAYZIE

03-17-2009, 12:54 AM

Kinda remind me last year when Jr and Kobe goin at it, if we do meet the Lakers in the playoffs I wonder if Dahntay will talk trash to Kobe?
Weren't they goin' at it when the Nuggets beat them about a month ago? What can I say, Dahntay's a pest on defense and manages to piss guys off all too often. :oldlol:

OneMoreSucka

03-17-2009, 02:54 PM

Dahntay is a straight up dick and dirty player, but I love to have him on our team. He riles up every player he defends and always takes dirty cheap shots when the refs aren't looking :roll:

OneMoreSucka

03-17-2009, 02:58 PM

I don't think the refs like Carmelo.
I don't think it's the refs don't like Melo, it's just that he focuses on getting the foul instead of getting the bucket. If he focused more on making field goals, he wouldn't complain as much, he'd get more calls that he deserves, and he would damn sure get way more and 1s. Melo is the one superstar that takes the most difficult shots and it's because he's trying to draw the foul. Watch Lebron and Wade play, and they try to finish every shot, not just get the whistle.

And another little nuance I think would give melo more credit would be to go without the headband. Call me crazy, but lebron is the only superstar that can get away with wearing a headband.

Mile High Crew

03-17-2009, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by OneMoreSucka
And another little nuance I think would give melo more credit would be to go without the headband. Call me crazy, but lebron is the only superstar that can get away with wearing a headband.

How bout The Answer?

KRAYZIE

03-18-2009, 01:15 AM

Renaldo expects to play against Memphis.

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_11933996

Renaldo Balkman said today he plans to play in the Nuggets' game at Memphis on Wednesday, despite a strained left groin.

In fact, asked how he felt today after medical treatment before the team boarded a plane to Tennessee, Balkman responded, "With what?"

About his strained groin, he was told.

"It's feeling better," Balkman said. "I'm hopefully looking to play. It feels a lot, lot better."

Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen backed up Balkman on those claims saying if the pain is minimal there's a good chance Balkman will play. Balkman injured his groin during the third quarter of the Nuggets win over New Jersey on Monday and did not return to the contest.

Asked if he'd be evaluated tomorrow before a final decision on his playing
status is made, Balkman said, "No. As far as today, I'm not even out. It wasn't as bad as people thought. But it's a strained groin."

Balkman has been superb recently for the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points and 10.8 rebounds in the team's last five games.

KRAYZIE

03-18-2009, 01:34 AM

How bout The Answer?
Wouldn't really say that he gets away with calls. Not many play and get beat up like the way he does game in and out. Headband or no headband, the man's just great at initiating contact and getting calls, deservingly so.

paguy1955

03-18-2009, 10:34 PM

To all you AC haters.....How bout the D he put on OJ Mayo on Memphis' last shot.:hammertime: :bowdown: :hammertime:

KRAYZIE

03-18-2009, 11:49 PM

Whatta game! Nuggets looked like crap through the 1st 3 quarters, then bam! Turned up the defense in the 4th and played the way we all know that they're capable of playing. Melo was huge in the 4th, scored 13 or so points. Made 2 huge shots in crunch time. 1st, hit a three to tie the game, then down 2, drove to the basket for a layup and-1 to give the Nugz a 1 point lead w/ only 33 seconds left. JR also stepped up his game in the 3rd, scoring 11, and Balkman was being Balkman. He was as usual all over the place, just hustling and giving the Nuggets many 2nd chance opportunities by attacking the boards and getting offensive rebounds(including a crucial offensive rebound that led to Melo's Three, tying the ball game with 2 or so minutes remaining). Anyways, up by 1 with 30 seconds left, Nuggets needed a stop and that's exactly what Kenyon did. Blocked OJ Mayo's shot from behind with 11 seconds left and then AC secured Gasols missed free throw to end the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:party: :party:

KRAYZIE

03-18-2009, 11:55 PM

To all you AC haters.....How bout the D he put on OJ Mayo on Memphis' last shot.:hammertime: :bowdown: :hammertime:
Throwing the ball away so that they can't foul= GENIUS!:cheers:

Mile High Crew

03-19-2009, 12:16 AM

Me being me, I gotta handed to AC. I didn't really like him because of his turnovers and his ill advised three's, but I can kinda see why Karl likes him now, he's knowledgeable and is a coachable player. I'll be the first one to say it: "Sorry AC and all you AC fans!!"

Great ending to a really horrible game!

KRAYZIE

03-19-2009, 12:17 AM

[CENTER]{Nuggets/Grizzlies Recap}

111-109(W)

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3374/kmarto.jpg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009031829
[QUOTE]
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

KRAYZIE

03-19-2009, 12:18 AM

Cabbage

03-20-2009, 01:29 PM

This team can play solid on the road. Chauncey said it best after the game that they need to play with that kind of energy and mental toughness the whole game and not just in the fourth quarter.

Blue_Dog45

03-20-2009, 11:25 PM

A great game from Birdman and JR. :applause: I'm very satisfied with how the Nuggets played tonight.

KRAYZIE

03-21-2009, 01:00 AM

A great game from Birdman and JR. :applause: I'm very satisfied with how the Nuggets played tonight.
The bench including Birdman, Balkman, and AC really stepped up tonight, along with JR scoring his season-high, 40 points! Some of Birdmans blocks are just ridiculous, had one where it looked like he swatted it into the crowds. :eek:

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1228/jawdropgif.gif

Good stuff tonight! Also, 5-game win streak, let's keep it going!:cheers:

Meanwhile, Kleiza's really struggling out there, seems like he's shooting with no confidence at all. Thought he was going to have a huge game tonight!:( He needs to do something to snap out of the funk because we need him come playoffs. Hopefully, the Kleiza of old will show up on Monday.:ohwell:

KRAYZIE

03-21-2009, 01:20 AM

{Nuggets/Wizards Recap}

116-105(W)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/8325/15400125.jpg

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290320007

DENVER -- Last year, Carmelo Anthony had a career night against the Washington Wizards. This time, J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen took their turns.

Smith scored a season-high 40 points, Andersen had a career-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds and six blocks and the Nuggets beat the Wizards 116-105 Friday night for their fifth straight win.

Anthony, who scored a career-high 49 against the Wizards on Feb. 8, 2008, had 20 points and let Smith steal the show. Smith was 15-for-23 from the field and also added six assists. He didn't stick around to talk about his night, but his teammates did.

"He had a game, didn't he?" Anthony said.

Chauncey Billups scored five points and took only seven shots because Smith was playing so well.

"When J.R. is shooting like that, with all the other options we have, we're pretty much unstoppable offensively," he said.

Smith had two key spurts that keyed the Nuggets' win. In the second quarter he came back into the game with Denver down 32-31 and scored 10 points, two on a fast-break layup that gave his team a 52-43 lead with 3:05 left in the period. His bank shot later in the quarter gave Denver a 10-point lead, and the Nuggets went into halftime ahead 58-51.

Smith, whose previous high this year was 32 against New Orleans on Nov. 27, had 11 points in the third quarter to reach 30 heading into the fourth. He fell short of his career high of 43 set Feb. 22, 2008, against Chicago, and left to a standing ovation with 2:28 left.

"J.R. was pretty good. Pretty efficient. He was a nice horse," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "He was a guy you could ride and feel really good about. The efficiency is something that doesn't come every night. Tonight, maybe one or two shots [were bad], but when you're in that rhythm you're allowed that."

Andersen gave Denver a boost off the bench. He had three blocks and 12 points in the second half to help the Nuggets keep a comfortable lead.

"At first we came out real slow but everybody started getting into rhythm," he said. "In the second half we started picking it up a lot."

Antawn Jamison had 27 points and Nick Young scored 20 for the depleted Wizards, who have lost three straight and five of their last six. Injuries to Juan Dixon and Caron Butler left Washington with only nine players available.

"We're used to it by now," Jamison said of the injuries. "The difficult part is not having Juan Dixon able to play and Darius Songaila is really banged up. So we might be shorter than what we are. Nobody will feel sorry for us. We have to play through it. We have a lot of practice at this."

Washington coach Ed Tapscott said Denver's play was more of a factor than his short bench.

"It was more the aggressiveness of the Nuggets came into play," he said. "They scored too many fastbreak points. Thirty fastbreak points, and that was my point of emphasis, to limit their number of fastbreak points."

The Nuggets increased their lead in the Northwest Division to 1 1/2 games over idle Portland. Utah moved into a tie for second with Portland with its win over Memphis on Friday.

Karl thinks his team could strengthen its hold on the division with a couple of wins on the upcoming three-game road trip.

"If we go out and win two out of three, which I think we're capable of, it puts us in a position to have an incredible season," he said.

Game notes
The Nuggets are 36-2 when leading after three quarters. ... Young is averaging 14.7 points over his last six games. ... Denver's 45-25 mark tied the franchise's NBA record for 70 games. The 1984-85 team was 45-25 and advanced to the Western Conference finals. ... Washington F JaVale McGee (13 points, 11 rebounds) notched his fourth double-double of the season.

KRAYZIE

03-23-2009, 11:50 PM

Nuggets up by 7 in the 3rd after being down by as many as 10 in the 1st half. Also, Kleiza's buzzer beater 3 @ the half...:eek: :bowdown:

=====================================

Final score, 118-115. Terrible loss. Had the Nuggets not stunk it up in the 1st half, this might've turned out a lil different.

KRAYZIE

03-24-2009, 02:37 PM

[CENTER]{Nuggets/Suns Recap}

118-115(L)

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5953/bal.jpg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009032321
[QUOTE]
PHOENIX (AP)

OneMoreSucka

03-24-2009, 05:40 PM

Steve Nash is annoying a **** to watch on defense. He does nothing and then at the last second runs into you and it's called a charge. I was hoping one of the bigs would've just flattened him so he thinks twice about it.

KRAYZIE

03-26-2009, 12:18 AM

Huge win, minus Nene tonight! Didn't think Nuggets had it in 'em to beat the Hornets at their place. Melo came up big in the 3rd quarter and Billups, man what a 2nd half he had. Both he and Dahntay did a hell of a job guarding CP3 tonight.:bowdown:

Great win!!:party:

KRAYZIE

03-26-2009, 12:28 AM

[CENTER]{Nuggets/Hornets Recap}

101-88(W)

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1171/billf.jpg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009032503
[QUOTE]NEW ORLEANS (AP)

KRAYZIE

03-26-2009, 12:30 AM

[QUOTE]Billups added two more 3s and a mid-range jumper early the fourth quarter. Then Smith, a former Hornets first-round draft choice, nailed a 3 to give Denver a 94-73 lead with 7:38 left.

[B]Fans began getting up and heading for the exits, while one yelled,

Mile High Crew

03-26-2009, 12:48 AM

Billups added two more 3s and a mid-range jumper early the fourth quarter. Then Smith, a former Hornets first-round draft choice, nailed a 3 to give Denver a 94-73 lead with 7:38 left.

Fans began getting up and heading for the exits, while one yelled, “you never should have let him go,” in an apparent reference to Smith, who had 16 points.
Thank god we got jr and the ragin rooster on our side. You know what our team is filled with some decent past draft picks: jr, jones, melo, even billups, nene, martin, damn we got a solid #1 pick team and i just figured that out!

KRAYZIE

03-26-2009, 01:06 AM

Thank god we got jr and the ragin rooster on our side. You know what our team is filled with some decent past draft picks: jr, jones, melo, even billups, nene, martin, damn we got a solid #1 pick team and i just figured that out!
Kenyon- 1st overall
Melo- 3rd overall
Chauncey- 3rd overall
Nene- 7th overall
Hunter- 15th overall
JR- 18th overall
DJ- 20th overall
Renaldo- 20th overall
Petro- 25th overall
Kleiza- 27th overall

Yup.:rockon:

paguy1955

03-27-2009, 11:17 PM

road trip 2-1 with G.S. and N.Y. up next.. BTW Melo delivered 43 points 11 rebounds:bowdown: :cheers:

KRAYZIE

03-27-2009, 11:44 PM

2 huge road wins for Denver now.

What a game from Melo tonight. When Denver went on that shooting drought because they were settling for too many jumpers early on in the 4th, he stayed aggressive, continually attacked the basket, and hit big shots throughout the quarter despite the fact that calls weren't going Nuggets way. Was a very frustrating game to watch, but so glad Nuggets won it in the end. Also, how big was Kenyon tonight? Having to guard a guy like Dirk all night is never easy and to top it off, he made another huge clutch stop defensively in the end.

Repost FTW!:D

KRAYZIE

03-27-2009, 11:47 PM

road trip 2-1 with G.S. and N.Y. up next.. BTW Melo delivered 43 points 11 rebounds:bowdown: :cheers:
It's funny because before the road trip I thought that Denver was going to get Phoenix for sure and then lose 1 or 2 against New Orleans and Dallas, but nope.:eek::cheers:

Sick move from Melo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD7XPUMMdro
:eek: :eek:

KRAYZIE

03-28-2009, 12:26 AM

{Nuggets/Mavericks Recap}

103-101(W)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9506/meloc.jpg
(Melo: 43 points(18-29)/11 rebounds in win vs. Dallas)

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290327006

DALLAS -- Carmelo Anthony made three free throws and a tough layup in traffic in the final 43 seconds, capping a 43-point performance that lifted the Denver Nuggets to a 103-101 victory over the Jason Kidd-less Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Kidd hurt his lower back Wednesday night and missed his first game for Dallas after playing 100 straight since being acquired last year.

Despite Josh Howard also being out with a sprained ankle, the Mavericks kept it close but wound up losing at home for the first time since the All-Star break, ending a nine-game winning streak.

Denver won for the seventh time in eight games. The Nuggets also swept the season series from Dallas for the first time.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, but missed a go-ahead jumper with about 10 seconds left and fell after grabbing a rebound of Anthony's missed final free throw with less than a second left. He tripped over the foot of Denver's Dahntay Jones but no foul was called. Fans booed and the Mavs were slow to leave the court, but it couldn't change anything.

J.J. Barea put Dallas ahead with 1:27 left by nailing an open 3-pointer, then did it again with 23.1 seconds to go. Anthony answered by driving through several players and banking it in off the glass. It was the 20th lead change in a game that also included 10 ties.

Anthony was 18-of-29 and grabbed 11 rebounds. J.R. Smith scored 22 on 9-of-12 shooting -- with most of his points coming on long jumpers that barely moved the net -- and Kenyon Martin added 10 points.

Chauncey Billups had only five points on 2-of-8 shooting. He had nine assists, but also four turnovers and injured a shoulder early in the fourth quarter. He didn't go out, but was wincing and rubbing it for a while.

Jason Terry started in place of Kidd, but remained more scorer than distributor with 20 points. However, he had 11 in the first quarter, when he and Nowitzki scored 22 of Dallas' first 23 points.

Barea scored 22, making five of seven 3-pointers. He scored 15 of the Mavericks' final 21 points. Nowitzki was 1-of-9 in the second half.

Ryan Hollins had nine points and career highs with eight rebounds and four blocks. That included a swat of Chris Andersen late in the fourth quarter that brought the crowd to its feet.

Without Kidd, the Mavericks had one of their worst shooting nights, making only 35.6 percent of their shots. But they had only six turnovers and Antoine Wright, who often covers small forwards, did a solid job on Billups.

Anthony, however, was a different story.

He scored 12 in the first quarter, eight in the second, 13 in the third and 10 in the fourth. It didn't matter who covered him, he rarely missed.

When the teams last met, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was upset about a foul that wasn't called on Smith and wound up getting fined $25,000 for how he handled it. Cuban offered to donate the money to whatever charity Smith chose, then suggested he'd give it to the fund for a gruesomely injured hockey player. Perhaps that helped inspire Smith's accuracy.

Game notes
With 2:29 left, Dallas' Antoine Wright missed a pair of free throws. Then with 1:49 left, Denver's Anthony Carter did the same. ... Anthony's points were his most ever against the Mavericks. ... Terry did not wear a brace on his left (non-shooting) hand for the first time since undergoing surgery a few weeks ago. He also was playing with a recently jammed shooting wrist. ... Nuggets coach George Karl predicted that 53 wins will give Denver home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets have 47.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290327006)

KRAYZIE

03-29-2009, 12:43 AM

Good win, a lot of highlights tonight. Didn't like how Nuggets opened up the game(down 14 @ some point in the 1st quarter), played great in the 3rd quarter, but again didn't like how the Nuggets closed the game either because the 30 point lead at the start of the 4th quarter crumbled into a 10 pt lead w/ 3 minutes or so left to go.

KRAYZIE

03-29-2009, 12:55 AM

{Nuggets/Warriors Recap}

129-116(W)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2921/jonesq.jpg

Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290328007)

Nuggets win third straight and eighth in nine games by topping Warriors

DENVER -- After two gutty road wins, the Denver Nuggets weren't going to let the banged-up Warriors hurt their chances for a division title.

Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points, Linas Kleiza had 22 and the Nuggets won their third straight with a 129-116 victory over Golden State on Saturday night.

Chauncey Billups had 14 and Chris Andersen added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over Portland in the Northwest Division and have won eight of their last nine games.

"It was important for us to come out and get this win," Billups said. "We didn't want to take two steps forward and three steps back with a loss like this at home. Especially considering the week we had."

Denver plays five of its last eight games at home, four against teams with losing records. Utah, which stayed two games behind Denver with an overtime victory over Phoenix on Saturday, visits Thursday.

"That game's on my calendar, but we have to take care of New York (on Tuesday)," Anthony said.

Jamal Crawford had 30 points and Kelenna Azubuike scored 21 for the Warriors, who have lost four straight and five of their last six.

Golden State, which has not had its full lineup all season, dressed only eight players. Before the game, coach Don Nelson said leading scorer Stephen Jackson will undergo surgery next week to remove a bone fragment in his left big toe and would most likely miss the rest of the season.

"We only had eight guys available so we had matchup nightmares," Nelson said. "They had so many mismatches, they didn't know which one to go to."

Early on, the Warriors were the ones exploiting the Nuggets. Despite the short bench, they raced out to a big lead early. A balanced attack blitzed the Nuggets as Golden State took a 23-9 lead with 4:12 left in the first. Denver quickly recovered, finishing the quarter on a 19-4 run to take a 28-27 lead into the second.

"They were fresh and they made a lot of 3s," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We have not been a good starting team in the last three four weeks but the guys responded."

Kleiza, who had scored 12 points in the previous four games combined, had 13 in the second quarter as the Nuggets extended their lead to 66-57 at halftime.

The Nuggets scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to take a 79-57 lead. Anthony, coming off a 43-point performance against Dallas on Friday, hit three 3-pointers and J.R. Smith hit another as Denver went on a 13-2 run to take a 104-74 lead into the fourth quarter.

"When Carmelo gets it going like that it's tough," Crawford said. "Then you've got Chauncey running the show. He's up there with the elite point guards, and then it's almost pick you poison."

Denver's starters rested the final 12 minutes.

"I'm glad we woke up in that third quarter and finally buckled down and said we don't want to make this game no close game with them," Anthony said. "They have a team -- I don't want to say it -- but they're not really playing for anything. And they're a scary team."

The Warriors cut it to 10 with 34 seconds left, but they never seriously threatened after Denver's big third quarter.

Nene returned to the Denver lineup after serving a two-game suspension for a flagrant-2 foul committed in Monday's loss at Phoenix. The center, who is averaging 14.1 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds, scored eight points against the depleted Warriors.

Game notes
After losing their first game to Golden State this season, the Nuggets won the series 2-1. ... Thirteen players scored in double figures, including seven Nuggets. ... Despite a distinct size disadvantage, the Warriors outrebounded Denver 50-44.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290328007)

paguy1955

03-31-2009, 12:36 PM

Nuggets: Nuggets center Steven Hunter (knee) went through a 5-on-5 practice Monday and will likely be cleared to play tonight. "I don't know if we'll get him on the court by the end of the season," coach George Karl said. "Hopefully we'll get a window where we might be able to experiment with him and get him some minutes." Denver POST

KRAYZIE

03-31-2009, 04:55 PM

^^ Nice, thanks on the update.

Other Nugget News:

Weems back with the Nuggets from 14ers (http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12037730)

Sonny Weems has been recalled by the Nuggets, the team said today. The guard/forward has been playing in the NBA Development League with the Colorado 14ers since March 6.

Weems has averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19 games with the 14ers this season in two stints. The rookie had 36 points and nine rebounds Friday at Erie.

A second-round draft pick by Chicago then traded to Denver, Weems has played in 10 games for the Nuggets, averaging 1.3 points in 4.1 minutes.

Nuggets can clinch playoffs tonight (http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12038480)
[QUOTE]With a Nuggets win tonight, the team will clinch a playoff spot for the sixth-consecutive season

paguy1955

03-31-2009, 11:36 PM

Let's give a loud hurrah to OKC for doing a job on SA:hammertime: :rockon: :cheers:

KRAYZIE

04-01-2009, 01:09 AM

{Nuggets/Knicks Recap}

111-104(W)

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8521/melooo.jpg
*Nuggets clinch Playoff spot for 6th-strait season*

Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290331007)

Anthony's 29 help Nuggets hold on vs. pesky Knicks

DENVER -- The obituaries were written on the Denver Nuggets before their season even began, and it's easy to see why: Marcus Camby traded for nobody, just salary cap relief. Eduardo Najera leaving in free agency.

Then a blockbuster trade brought Chauncey Billups home to Denver a week into the season and rid the Nuggets of Allen Iverson's big contract. Nene and Kenyon Martin put together their healthiest seasons in years. Prodded by coach George Karl, superstar Carmelo Anthony instilled the defensive dogma in Denver that put a gold medal around his neck in Beijing, and Chris Andersen fell into their laps and hearts.

Hours before the calendar even turned to April, the Nuggets weren't just alive and kicking but playoff-bound, clinching a spot in the postseason party with a 111-104 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

"It means a lot," Billups said. "I never take that for granted. No matter how successful you've been in the playoffs or how much success you've had, you never take that for granted. Because I can still remember the days when I was just dreaming about being in the playoffs.

"But we've got bigger goals than just making the playoffs."

Just making the playoffs wasn't even something most observers predicted six months ago.

"I think it's pretty impressive," Karl said. "I think we're playing at an incredibly high level."

Fueling this win were Anthony's 29 points, Nene's 18 points and 12 boards, and Kenyon Martin's jumpers in crunch time, all of which helped Denver hold off the Knicks after blowing most of a 27-point second-quarter lead.

"Making the playoffs this early is a compliment to a lot of our veterans," Karl said. "Not a lot of people were believing in us coming into the season, and I think we rallied together and (are) on the verge of a special regular season and then hopefully get over the hump on the playoffs."

The Nuggets' win, coupled with San Antonio's 96-95 loss to Oklahoma City, moved Denver into the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference heading into the final two weeks of the season.

"As you can see, there's really no easy games right now," Billups said. "You look at the San Antonio game, you look at this game. We're up 27 and end up having to really play to win the game. Those are the most dangerous games out there. You can't let your guard down against really good teams, but when you play teams that aren't really playing for anything, those are tough, tough games."

Denver's 49-26 record is its best 73-game mark since joining the NBA in 1976. The Nuggets clinched a playoff spot for the sixth straight season. Only Dallas, Detroit and San Antonio have also made the playoffs every year since 2003-04.

Still, the Nuggets aren't celebrating just yet.

"We're excited about clinching," Anthony said. "At least we know we are in the playoffs, that's a good sign. We still have games to go and win. Two losses back-to-back will put you in the eighth spot. That's tough, that's tough right now. I'm happy with the way we're playing, I'm happy we clinched, I'm happy we're in the playoffs. But we still want that home court."

In each of his first five seasons, the Nuggets went on the road to start the playoffs and were first-round fodder every time.

Denver has won nine of 10 and New York has lost nine of 10, so a mismatch was expected, and the Nuggets obliged by racing out to a 62-35 led with five minutes left in the first half.

That's when they got lackadaisical, and the Knicks, who were led by Nate Robinson's 30 points, got hot.

The Knicks used a 26-3 spurt spanning halftime to pull to 65-61 and make a game of it.

Billups said his teammates gathered around, look each other in the eyes and said, "All right, it's time to buckle down. That's enough."

"Chauncey is a great leader on that team, and he's taking them to higher limits," Robinson said. "It's shown. Ever since he got traded, they've been playing great basketball. They're a team to be reckoned with in the West."

The feisty, short-handed Knicks pulled to 80-77 on Wilson Chandler's jumper with 1:19 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Knicks could get as the Nuggets scored the next 14 points.

The Knicks played without guard Larry Hughes (ankle), swingman Quentin Richardson (ankle) and center Eddy Curry (knee), and the Nuggets led 65-52 at halftime.

"We dug ourselves a way big hole," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "The good thing, they fought back. We only had seven guys available. We played hard. We didn't make the biggest plays on that court, they did."

Game notes
Since 1991-92, which is as far back as their records go, the Knicks' biggest comeback was a 26-pointer at Milwaukee on March 14, 2004, when they overcame a 65-39 deficit in a 103-100 win. ... The Nuggets' best mark since joining the NBA is 54 wins in 1987-88. ... Nene sustained a mild sprain of his right ankle and is probable for Denver's showdown against Utah on Thursday night.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290331007)

KRAYZIE

04-01-2009, 01:31 AM

Only got to see bits of the 4th quarter. Heard Nuggets Nuggets were doing great in the 1st half and then kind of lost track and struggled in the 2nd half. Man, I hope they don't plan on playing like that against a good team like the Utah Jazz. Even if the Jazz are a terrible road team, if you give teams like that an opportunity to come back from a 27 point deficit, unlike a subpar team, good teams will execute down the stretch and steal one @ home. But, a win is a win, so...:cheers::party:

KRAYZIE

04-01-2009, 01:38 AM

Let's give a loud hurrah to OKC for doing a job on SA:hammertime: :rockon: :cheers:
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9214/hammertimeh.gif

BTw, Pic of the day:

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7476/hahaaamk.jpg
:roll: http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7388/laughingemote.gif

KRAYZIE

04-02-2009, 02:04 AM

http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/img/GreenJersey.JPG

Green jersey time against the Jazz tomorrow night!

Go Nuggets!:party:

KRAYZIE

04-03-2009, 12:08 AM

JR's killin' it from the three point line!! 6 3pter's in the 1st half...holy cow!

Sick stuff from the Birdman tonight. 8 blocks and counting!!:rockon:

Good game. JR and Birdman were huge tonight!

50 wins baby! Let's keep it goin'!

kingboy.laniado

04-03-2009, 03:53 PM

awsome thread im am 10 years old and i have a website go on davidssportsnews.blogspot.com

kingboy.laniado

04-03-2009, 03:57 PM

:violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :hammertime:

KRAYZIE

04-04-2009, 12:31 AM

{Nuggets/Jazz Recap}

114-104(W)

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1127/jrsmith.jpg

[QUOTE]
[CENTER]Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290402007)

Smith hot from long range as Nuggets stop Jazz

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets' reserves helped them reach another milestone.

Fast Facts

[I]

KRAYZIE

04-04-2009, 09:26 PM

Clippers up 14-12. With both Camby & Kaman out for LA, Nene should be able to dominate the paint tonight.:rockon:

==================================

JR off to another hot start. At one point he scored 18 or so straight pts for the Nuggets.:eek:

Right now he's got 21 at the half, much like the 1st half against Utah.

==================================

JR killin' it from the 3pt line. 7 three's now!!:rockon:

paguy1955

04-04-2009, 11:15 PM

Clippers up 14-12. With both Camby & Kaman out for LA, Nene should be able to dominate the paint tonight.:rockon:

==================================

JR off to another hot start. At one point he scored 18 or so straight pts for the Nuggets.:eek:

Right now he's got 21 at the half, much like the 1st half against Utah.

At 34 pts 5 mins to go.. AND ONLY 3 3POINTERS got to ride that horse till it drops:rockon: :cheers:

KRAYZIE

04-04-2009, 11:59 PM

{Nuggets/Clippers Recap}

120-104(W)

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3935/f794f6903c00475b9fe6081.jpg

Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290404007)

Smith pours in 34 off bench as Nuggets crush Clips

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets had plenty of firepower and defense even without Kenyon Martin to beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 120-104 Saturday night for their 11th win in 12 games.

J.R. Smith led the Nuggets in scoring for the second straight game with a scintillating 34-point performance off the bench, and Carmelo Anthony added 18 points.

Zach Randolph led L.A. with 22 points, and DeAndre Jordan added 21.

The Nuggets' winning ways have them on the cusp of earning home-court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since the 1988 Western Conference semifinals.

Denver is one of four NBA teams that have made the playoffs every year since 2003-04, joining Dallas, Detroit and San Antonio. But the Nuggets are the only one of the four who haven't won a single playoff series in that span.

The Nuggets (51-26) have a shot at surpassing their best record -- 54 wins in 1987-88 -- since joining the NBA in 1976, and if the keep winning, they'll secure the No. 2 seed in the West. They own a one-game lead over the Spurs for that spot.

Smith sank back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. After the second one gave Denver a 112-89 led, he did a crow-hop back down the court and when timeout was called, his theatrics included grabbing his right elbow and shaking his arm as though to try to cool off his scorching hand.

The crowd loved it, and on a night where the outcome was never in doubt, Smith provided the fuel for some fun.

Smith scored 21 points in just 12 first-half minutes as the Nuggets raced to a 66-47 halftime lead over a depleted Clippers team that was missing Marcus Camby (ankle), Mardy Collins (foot), Ricky Davis (knee), Al Thornton (foot), and Chris Kaman (flu).

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy didn't want to play Steve Novak, who has a tender ankle, but he had do, and Novak scored nine points in 22 minutes.

Smith didn't just impress with his long-ball jumpers and his 12-for-20 shooting. He had three assists, including a sweet one from underneath that resulted in a 3-point swish from a wide-open Chauncey Billups.

Martin sat out with sore ribs and coach George Karl said he might also sit him Sunday night at Minnesota, which would give him almost a full week's rest when he returns against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

Martin was banged up against Utah on Thursday night, but wasn't sure exactly how. Karl said it was "probably the wrestling match that Utah makes you play."

Johan Petro started in Martin's place.

Game notes
The Nuggets wore their green duds for the second straight game as part of the league's Green Week. ... Denver swept the Clippers in a four-game season series for the first time since 1994-95.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290404007)

KRAYZIE

04-05-2009, 12:02 AM

At 34 pts 5 mins to go.. AND ONLY 3 3POINTERS got to ride that horse till it drops:rockon: :cheers:
Too bad he missed his following two, would've been sick had he made 8 three's again in back2back games.

paguy1955

04-05-2009, 08:47 PM

AT the end of the 3rd quarter did anybody see Chauncy DUNK??:wtf: :rockon: :cheers:

KRAYZIE

04-05-2009, 09:09 PM

AT the end of the 3rd quarter did anybody see Chauncy DUNK??:wtf: :rockon: :cheers:
Yeah, 2 handed!:lol :rockon:

===============================
Game over, great win tonight!

7 game winning-streak, I think that's the most this season.:applause:

KRAYZIE

04-07-2009, 03:40 PM

{Nuggets/Wolves Recap}

110-87(W)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/9950/32603f47a0df4dccbcf9b7b.jpg

Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290405016)

Carmelo's 23 lead Nuggets past hurting Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS -- The most telling moment of Denver's easy victory Sunday night came at the end of the third quarter when Chauncey Billups recorded his first dunk of the season and was mobbed by his giddy Nuggets teammates at halfcourt.

Everything seems to be going right these days for the Nuggets, who are playing focused and putting themselves in position to do some damage in the playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Denver cruised to its seventh win in a row, beating the Timberwolves 110-87 on Sunday night. Thanks to San Antonio's loss to Cleveland earlier in the day, Denver quietly extended its lead to two games over the Spurs for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

"We just wanted to come out here tonight and pretty much take care of business, not sleep on a team like the Wolves," Anthony said.

With Minnesota missing four of its top six scorers, the Nuggets could have easily taken a victory for granted. Instead, they zapped Minnesota's energy early with intense defense and zipped the ball around well on offense, finding cutting teammates and shooting 53 percent from the floor.

"We played both ends of the court at a high level," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We had different players offensively get hot."

The game was essentially over by halftime, and it was a laugher by the fourth quarter with Anthony Carter lobbing alley-oop attempts to Sonny Weems. Anthony, who has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 10 games, sat out the fourth.

"We tightened up, buckled down and the defense was great," Billups said. "A lot of players played well. It was good."

Sebastian Telfair had 18 points to lead the depleted Wolves. Already without regulars Randy Foye (hip) and Craig Smith (calf), Minnesota also had to make do without star rookie Kevin Love and his strong inside presence thanks to a nasty flu bug.

Minnesota looked nothing like the team that stunned Utah on Friday night.

"It's no excuse," Telfair said. "We just went into Utah and beat Utah. ... There's no giving up here, but guys probably could have played a lot harder tonight, especially at home."

The Wolves shot 41 percent, but went to the line only 11 times while Denver hit 20 of 31 free throws and 10 3-pointers.

Billups added 17 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 32 and have beaten the Timberwolves nine straight times.

His dunk came on a fast break after a turnover.

"My kids were talking stuff to me because they didn't think I could dunk no more," the former Wolves guard said. "I hope my little girl's watching this game right now because if not, she may not see it again."

The patchwork Wolves were scrappy early, but simply overmatched. Minnesota built an early eight-point lead but the Nuggets pulled off a seemingly effortless 25-5 run spanning the first and second quarters, and the Wolves never recovered.

Minnesota pulled within six twice in the first half, but the Nuggets responded each time and built a 20-point halftime lead.

"They just put it on us pretty good all night long," Wolves coach Kevin McHale said. "We didn't have too much we could do about it."

Game notes
Denver is 29-6 against sub-.500 teams. ... Nuggets F Kenyon Martin missed his second straight game with a left rib cartilage strain. ... McHale said Smith is close to returning from a strained right calf. Smith and Foye missed their fourth straight games. ... Minnesota hasn't beaten Denver since Feb. 14, 2007.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290405016)

KRAYZIE

04-08-2009, 11:43 PM

How about Kleiza tonight? He's really starting to play better as of late. :applause: Also, Birdzilla with 7 blocks tonight! My favorite one was the block on Sefolosha from behind.:eek:

KRAYZIE

04-08-2009, 11:51 PM

{Nuggets/Thunder Recap}

122-112(W)

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6743/melo1.jpg

Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290408007)

DENVER -- Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points Wednesday night, helping the Denver Nuggets stave off the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-112 for their eighth straight win.

Linas Kleiza scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for the Nuggets, who inched closer to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with their ninth straight win at the Pepsi Center.

Nene added 23 points and Chauncey Billups 18, including every one in an 11-2 spurt the Nuggets used to finally get control of the game in the third quarter, and Chris Andersen blocked seven shots.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 31 points and Jeff Green added 24.

With Portland winning at San Antonio for the first time since 2002 earlier in the night, the Nuggets (53-26) weren't able to clinch the Northwest Division crown. But they did pad their cushion for the West's second seed. They're now 2 1/2 games ahead of the Spurs, Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, all of whom are 50-28.

The Nuggets have three games left, including Thursday night's showdown against the Lakers in Los Angeles, far and away the top seed in the Western Conference.

Denver needs to win two more games to break the franchise record -- 54 set in 1987-88.

Oklahoma City is 21-57, but the Thunder took the Nuggets down to the wire three times in their four losses to Denver this season. Twice, Anthony had to hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds.

And this one wasn't easy, either.

The Nuggets, missing Kenyon Martin (ribs) for the third straight game, didn't lead by more than four until Billups sank a pair of free throws with a minute left in the third quarter for an 85-79 lead. Billups then added a fadeaway jumper to cap his personal 11-point spurt that gave Denver an eight-point cushion.

But Green's 27-footer swished at the buzzer, pulling the Thunder within five at 89-84 heading into the fourth quarter, and this game was too close for the Nuggets' comfort until the end.

The Thunder were shooting 65 percent from the floor in the first half until a flurry of misses in the final minute dropped that percentage to 57. Still, Oklahoma City took a 56-53 lead into the locker room.

Game notes
Thunder F Malik Rose (sore left Achilles') missed his second straight game. ... The Nuggets have won (9-of-11) against the Thunder/Sonics. The Nuggets swept the season series for just the second time against this franchise and for the first time since they swept the Sonics in 1976-77. ... Andersen was whistled for a foul in the fourth quarter when Green threw the ball underhanded into the bottom of the iron while falling out of bounds. ... Nuggets coach George Karl said he'll likely keep Martin out against the Lakers and try to get him into the final two regular season games.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290408007)

Mile High Crew

04-08-2009, 11:52 PM

Good to see Kleiza getting hot from beyond the arc, cuz JR cant do it all by himself. Tomorrow night should be a fun game to watch.

Richie2k6

04-09-2009, 05:08 PM

KRAYZIE

04-09-2009, 06:09 PM

Good job on these Krayzie. I've been pretty busy as of late and have hardly even been watching much basketball this season. Not to mention ISH continues to be bogged down by troll infestations. But I'm going to try to make as many Nugget game thread as I can, and I just posted on for tonight's game.
Thanks!

And yeah the troll things gotten pretty bad lately, especially in the main forum.:ohwell:

BTW, just saw your new game thread and all I gotta say is :eek: :eek: :cheers:

KRAYZIE

04-10-2009, 12:03 AM

JR for 333333333333333333333333333! Tied game @ the half. :rockon:

I'm very surprised that Nuggets aren't down at half though. Really thought exhaustion would set in after the tough game played yesterday.:eek:

KRAYZIE

04-10-2009, 03:12 AM

Good game by L.A.

Back to the Nuggets. Man, they got killed on the boards...as usual. And it's not like the Nuggets are a bad rebounding team, it's just that for whatever reason, it feels like they just stand and watch on missed shots play after play, throw in the lazy d they'll put out to go along with not securing the board to help the opposition makeup for their missed shot and bam, you've just made the game harder for yourselves. Nice job! So many 2nd chance opportunities given up simply because as mentioned, they'd much rather sit back, relax, and watch the opponent collect all the rebounds than do it themselves on both ends. Well, it's getting a little ridiculous now. I mean I don't know how many times the Nuggets announcers have said this over the past few games, but defense does not stop until you rebound the ball! It's obviously not getting through to their heads. In their last 8 games(counting tonight's), Nuggets grabbed a combine of just 68 offensive rebounds vs. allowing 122 combined offensive rebounds to the opponents. That's twice more than what the Nuggets were able to produce! Yeah they won 7 of those 8 games, but still, imagine how much better the final scores would've looked had they not been so pathetic with their rebounding.

Well, all I gotta say now is thank god we have the Birdman, in large if not for him, this team would be dead last in the league in rebounding this year. Also, tonight's loss was expected, but still, good try by the Nuggets up 'till the 2nd half.

/End mini rant.:lol

KRAYZIE

04-10-2009, 03:27 AM

{Nuggets/Lakers Recap}

116-102(L)

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/1270/41e50468aad8470bb7a5d21.jpg

[QUOTE]
[CENTER]Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290409013)

LOS ANGELES -- Pau Gasol was impressed with Andrew Bynum's comeback. A decrease in his own minutes to accommodate his fellow 7-footer wasn't too shabby, either.

Kobe Bryant scored 33 points, Gasol added 27 points and 19 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed back Bynum in a 116-102 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

The win was the fifth straight for the Lakers (63-16) and tied them with the idle Cleveland Cavaliers (63-15) for the league lead.

Bynum, playing in his first game since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on Jan. 31, had 16 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes.

Wearing a black brace on the knee, Bynum was greeted with cheers when his name was announced in the starting lineup. Another loud eruption came when the Lakers' announcer asked fans to welcome back the center.

"It was nice. It was almost like he never went out. It was a great performance for a comeback game after two months and something out. It just shows that he's been working hard," Gasol said.

[I]Fast Facts

KRAYZIE

04-12-2009, 04:11 PM

Revenge game tomorrow night! This is what happened last time Denver played Sacramento.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3200/nowthatsfunny.jpg
Poor guy. :roll: :lol :roll::(:cry:

paguy1955

04-13-2009, 02:04 PM

Kevin Martin won't travel with the Kings on their two-game, season-ending road trip. Since scoring a career-high 50 points in a 143-141 overtime loss at Golden State on April 1, the Kings' leading scorer has missed six consecutive games because of a sore left ankle. Interim coach Kenny Natt stopped short of declaring Martin's season over but didn't sound as if he expected the guard to catch a late flight and meet up with the team before season's end. Sacramento Bee :hammertime: :hammertime:

KRAYZIE

04-13-2009, 10:09 PM

Game thread in the main forum.
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128150

paguy1955

04-13-2009, 11:33 PM

J.R. Hits for 45 PTS with 11 3pt shots:hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime:

KRAYZIE

04-13-2009, 11:42 PM

J.R. Hits for 45 PTS with 11 3pt shots:hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime: :hammertime:
Fricken' AMAZING night for him!:bowdown:

Also, NW division Champs baby!:party: :party: :party:

KRAYZIE

04-14-2009, 01:27 AM

{Nuggets/Kings Recap}

118-98(W)

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6199/jrrrr.jpg

[QUOTE]
[CENTER]Link (http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290413007)

Smith knocks down franchise-high 11 3's as Nuggets lock up Northwest title

DENVER -- J.R. Smith grabbed the ball in the final seconds and raced to halfcourt. Fans screaming his name figured he'd fire up one last 3-pointer. Instead, he dribbled out the clock.

Smith had a career-high 45 points and franchise-best 11 3-pointers to help the Denver Nuggets clinch the Northwest Division title and home-court edge in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years with a 118-98 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

Smith's point total was the highest ever for a Nuggets reserve and helped Denver tie the franchise record for most wins in a season with 54.

So, what more could he want?

"Twelve would have been great," Smith said when informed the NBA record for 3-pointers in a game was 12 held by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall.

"If I would have known that, I would have shot the last one," Smith said.

And on this night, he probably would have swished it, too.

Smith was so hot down the stretch, when he single-handedly turned a nail-biter into a laugher, that the Kings resorted to fouling him intentionally so he wouldn't get off 3-pointers. Twice he did anyway, and he sank all three foul shots both times.

With chants of "J.R." cascading from the rafters, Smith sank half of his 3s in the fourth quarter, when he scored 23 points.

"I could have bounced it off the floor and it would have went in," Smith suggested.

The Nuggets (54-27) tied their franchise record for most wins since joining the NBA in 1976. They can break that mark with a victory in their regular-season finale Wednesday night at Portland.

Denver clinched at least the third seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets would secure the No. 2 seed with a win at Portland or if Houston loses at Dallas on Wednesday night.

Either way, star Carmelo Anthony finally has the home-court advantage on his side as he tries to end five straight seasons of first-round exits by the Nuggets.

Anthony had 21 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in 32 minutes against Sacramento, which was led by Ike Diogu's career-best 32 points.

Anthony spent the fourth quarter cheering on Smith, who's been in a zone for three weeks.

"Man, I want to stay in it the rest of my life, it's a great feeling," Smith said. "My phone's vibrating right now from my mom calling. I can imagine the phone calls there's going to be tonight."

Smith's 11 3-pointers -- on 18 attempts -- bested the franchise mark of nine set by Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1995 and tied by Michael Adams in 1991. Smith's previous career high was eight, which he accomplished three times, including earlier this month against Utah.

Smith's previous career high for points was 43 at Chicago 14 months ago. His 45 points came despite playing just 29 1/2 minutes.

Denver wasn't expected to even make the playoffs this year after defensive stalwarts Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera weren't brought back. But a week into the new season, Nuggets executive Mark Warkentien pulled off the biggest trade in the NBA, acquiring Chauncey Billups from Detroit for Allen Iverson.

While Iverson struggled in Detroit, Billups molded the Nuggets' individual talents into a cohesive unit and Denver found itself with a team that not only made the playoffs, but has visions of finally making some noise in the postseason.

But the Nuggets had a harder time with the Kings than they or their fans might have imagined -- and Sacramento was missing three starters.

Center Spencer Hawes injured his left knee on a flagrant foul by Kenyon Martin in the first quarter and did not return.

Fast Facts

[I]

KRAYZIE

04-15-2009, 03:06 PM

{Nuggets/Blazers Preview}

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4461/nuggetss.gif VS http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1584/blazers.gif

~Final Regular Game Of The Season~

Link (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009041522)

For the first time in 21 years, the Denver Nuggets have secured home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Portland Trail Blazers are still fighting to get it.

The Nuggets look to clinch the second-best record in the Western Conference and set a franchise record with their 55th win Wednesday night when they visit the Trail Blazers, who can guarantee they’ll start the postseason at home with a victory.

Denver (54-27) wrapped up the Northwest Division title and at least the No. 3 seed in the West by riding J.R. Smith’s career-high 45 points and franchise-record 11 3-pointers to a 118-98 win over Sacramento on Monday night.

“It wasn’t really celebration,” forward Carmelo Anthony said after the Nuggets’ 14th win in 16 games. “We were happy, don’t get me wrong. We were excited because once again nobody expected us to win a division. We still got bigger fish to fry. This was just one of the goals we did set at the beginning of the season and we accomplished it.”

The Nuggets, who also matched their franchise-record win total set in 1987-88, can secure second place in the conference with a win or a Houston loss at Dallas on Wednesday night.

The Blazers (53-28) could finish with the same record as the Nuggets by winning this game to earn a split of the four-game season series, but Denver would still win the Northwest title because it will finish with a better record within the division.

Though first place in the Northwest is out of reach, the Blazers are battling for the right to start the playoffs at home. With a win over the Nuggets, they can clinch at least the fourth seed. If they lose, they could still get home-court advantage if San Antonio loses at home to New Orleans on Wednesday night.

Rather than deal with the dizzying number of possible outcomes, All-Star guard Brandon Roy boiled the Blazers’ outlook down to three sentences.

“One game away. Lots of tiebreakers. We’ll see what happens,” he said.

Home-court advantage could be particularly useful for the Blazers, who have one of the league’s best home records at 33-7 but finished with a losing record on the road at 20-21.

“It’s all about looking forward to the next game now,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We’ll come to play and finish the season strong.”

Portland continued its dominance at the Rose Garden with a 113-83 win over Oklahoma City on Monday night, its fifth straight win overall and at home. Roy scored 20 points while going 7-for-10 from the field in 22 minutes, and Travis Outlaw scored 21 and went 9-for-14 while starting in place of rookie forward Nicolas Batum, who’s day-to-day with the flu.

Portland has won 18 of 20 at home, where it beat Denver 101-92 on Dec. 23. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 22 points and Roy added 19. The Nuggets were playing without Anthony, sidelined by a right elbow injury.

Anthony, averaging a team-high 23.0 points, scored 38 in his only game against Portland this season - a 106-90 win in Denver on March 5. He’s scored at least 30 in eight of his 20 career meetings with the Blazers, averaging 26.7 overall.

Another big game from Anthony could help make up for Chauncey Billups’ struggles against Portland. The All-Star point guard has been held to 15.3 points per game and 31.7 percent shooting (13-for-41) in the season series.

KRAYZIE

04-15-2009, 03:09 PM

Wonder whether the starters will be playing or resting... Knowing it's a national televised game, I suppose there will be a little pressure to play the guys, but who knows.

Either way, Go Nuggets!

paguy1955

04-15-2009, 04:50 PM

Wonder whether the starters will be playing or resting... Knowing it's a national televised game, I suppose there will be a little pressure to play the guys, but who knows.

Either way, Go Nuggets!

If Dallas beats Houston.. There is no reason to play them long.. They will have the #2 slot:banghead:

KRAYZIE

04-15-2009, 07:53 PM

If Dallas beats Houston.. There is no reason to play them long.. They will have the #2 slot:banghead:
True and I hope this is the case because there's no point in playing the starters tonight if the 2nd spot is secured regardless of a win or loss. The dumbest thing one can do is play them and one of them ends up getting hurt in a meaningless game. I'm sure the Nuggets will be keeping an eye on the Houston/Dallas game tonight and will make decisions based on the outcome of that game.

With that said, let's go Dallas. Nuggets need your help!:rockon:

KRAYZIE

04-16-2009, 05:36 PM

{Nuggets/Blazers Recap}

104-76(L)

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7167/5bb9f6f461234cb1a528368.jpg

Link (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290415022)

PORTLAND, Ore. -- As red and silver confetti floated down form the rafters of the Rose Garden, Brandon Roy allowed himself a few moments to celebrate the Portland Trail Blazers' return to the playoffs.

Then he turned his thoughts to the Houston Rockets, the Blazers' first-round opponent.

"I'm looking at it as a challenge," he said. "But it's going to be fun."

Roy carried his toddler son around the court as the team celebrated a 104-76 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night that clinched home-court advantage for Portland in the first round of the playoffs.

The Blazers, who haven't been to the postseason since 2002-03, will face Houston as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets, who clinched the second seed in the Western Conference, will play New Orleans.

Chauncey Billups had 13 points for the Nuggets, who finished the regular season 54-28 and tied the franchise record for wins set in 1987-88.

Portland, which led by as many as 31 points, has won six straight and also finished 54-28 in the Northwest Division. It was the best record for the Blazers since the 1999-2000 season, when they finished 59-23.

"We're peaking at the right time," center Joel Przybilla said. "We're playing our best basketball at the biggest time of the year."

Travis Outlaw came off the bench to lead Portland with 21 points. Rudy Fernandez, another sub, scored 18 points, going 6-for-9 from 3-point range. The rookie from Spain has hit 159 3-pointers, surpassing the rookie record for 3s held by Kerry Kittles (158).

"It was important. Everybody in Spain talked about the record," he said. "I think it's great a Spanish guy takes the record. It's good for the team, good for Spain and great for me."

The Nuggets landed at second in the West just before taking the court, when Dallas defeated Houston 95-84.

"It's huge," Billups said. "Our goal this season was to try to get home-court advantage in the playoffs, and we accomplished that."

The Nuggets had already claimed the Northwest Division because they held the tiebreaker over the Blazers. Denver has home-court advantage for the opening round of the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

The Blazers' playoff opponent, the Rockets, was decided before the game when Houston lost and San Antonio defeated New Orleans. The Rockets are 2-1 against Portland this season.

The Blazers have won six straight at home, where they are among the league's best at 34-7.

Denver pulled within 23-22 on Kenyon Martin's put-back dunk at the end of the first quarter, but Portland began to pull away when Outlaw and Fernandez hit consecutive 3-pointers.

Outlaw's pull-up jumper made it 25-22 and Portland went on to lead 53-34 at the break.

Carmelo Anthony, averaging 23 points per game for Denver, got off to a poor start and went just 2-for-14 from the floor in the first half. Anthony finished with 12 points, playing 30 minutes.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 21 in the third quarter, but Billups almost single-handedly pulled them back in it. Billups had a 3-pointer, a layup and a free throw to close Denver to within 61-54.

J.R. Smith hit a jumper that narrowed it further to 63-58.

But Denver couldn't get closer and Portland stretched it out again -- going up 80-62 after Outlaw's 3-pointer and a decisive dunk.

Shortly thereafter Denver coach George Karl began to pull his starters.

"It was a weird game for us," Karl said. "Too much thinking and not enough playing."

Game notes
French rookie Nicolas Batum was back in Portland's starting lineup after missing a game because of the flu. ... Blazers center Joel Przybilla played in all 82 regular-season games. For Denver, Linas Kleiza appeared in all 82. ... The Blazers scheduled a rally for Thursday in downtown Portland to celebrate the team's return to the playoffs.

Click for Box Score (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290415022)