Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[CENTER][B]{[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nuggets[/COLOR]/[COLOR="Orange"]Hornets[/COLOR] Recap}[/B]
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[img]http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1171/billf.jpg[/img]
[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009032503[/url]
[QUOTE]NEW ORLEANS (AP)
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[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,
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[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, “[COLOR="Red"]you never should have let him go,” in an apparent reference to Smith, who had 16 points[/COLOR]. [/B][/QUOTE]
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!
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[QUOTE=Mile High Crew]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![/QUOTE]
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:
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
road trip 2-1 with G.S. and N.Y. up next.. BTW Melo delivered 43 points 11 rebounds:bowdown: :cheers:
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
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
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[QUOTE=paguy1955]road trip 2-1 with G.S. and N.Y. up next.. BTW Melo delivered 43 points 11 rebounds:bowdown: :cheers:[/QUOTE]
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:
[B]Sick[/B] move from Melo!
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD7XPUMMdro[/url]
:eek: :eek:
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[CENTER][B]{[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nuggets[/COLOR]/[COLOR="Green"]Mavericks[/COLOR] Recap}[/B]
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[img]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9506/meloc.jpg[/img]
[B]([COLOR="Blue"]Melo: 43 points(18-29)/11 rebounds in win vs. Dallas[/COLOR])[/B]
[url]http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290327006[/url]
[QUOTE]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.
[I]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.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
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.
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[CENTER][B]{[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nuggets[/COLOR]/[COLOR="Navy"]Warriors[/COLOR] Recap}[/B]
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[QUOTE]
[CENTER][url="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290328007"]Link[/url]
[SIZE="2"][B]Nuggets win third straight and eighth in nine games by topping Warriors[/B][/SIZE][/center]
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.
[I]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.[/I][/QUOTE]
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Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
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
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
^^ Nice, thanks on the update.
Other Nugget News:
[url=http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12037730]Weems back with the Nuggets from 14ers[/url]
[QUOTE]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.[/QUOTE]
[url=http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12038480]Nuggets can clinch playoffs tonight[/url]
[QUOTE]With a Nuggets win tonight, the team will clinch a playoff spot for the sixth-consecutive season
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[SIZE="7"]Let's give a loud hurrah to OKC for doing a job on SA[/SIZE]:hammertime: :rockon: :cheers:
Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
[CENTER][B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]{Nuggets[/COLOR]/[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Knicks[/COLOR] Recap}[/B]
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[B]*Nuggets clinch Playoff spot for 6th-strait season*[/B]
[QUOTE]
[CENTER][url=http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290331007]Link[/url]
[B]Anthony's 29 help Nuggets hold on vs. pesky Knicks[/B][/CENTER]
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."
[I]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.[/I][/QUOTE]
[url=http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290331007]Click for Box Score[/url]
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Re: Official Denver Nuggets Game Thread
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: