Afflalo, Lawson Clutch For the Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets were done. Fourteen seconds left and down by four to the Sacramento Kings seemed like an impossible fate for the Nuggets. However, Arron Afflalo came to the rescue. He calmly hit three free throws to force overtime, scoring the Nuggets’ final seven points of the regulation. Afflalo finished the game with a career-best 32 points, giving the Nuggets just one more weapon.

In overtime, it was Ty Lawson, who was recently honored as the Western Player of the Week, hit a dagger to seal the victory for the Nuggets. As Lawson continues to prove that the Nuggets will go as far as he can take them.

• Kenneth Faried was a beast on the glass, but also scored a career-high 20 points to go with his 11 rebounds. He also added two blocks. It’s tough to think of a player to compare Faried to, Ben Wallace was a good comparison at first but Faried’s offense is much more developed. A shorter Kevin Garnett may be the closest comparison. Don’t be surprised if Faried becomes a full-time starter when the Nuggets get completely healthy and Nene moves back to center.
• Nene and Danilo Gallinari both came back Monday night and both definitely showed some rust. Nene went for six points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. Gallinari’s main contribution was a 3-pointer. Considering the severity of Gallinari’s injury it might be smarter for the Nuggets to wait. Nene’s injury isn’t as bad and the big man can help for a few games, before missing a game here or there. And while fans are quick to write off Nene and say him and his $66 million deal should be dealt, he still is the Nuggets best big man, even with Faried’s development and is still an important piece to the puzzle. Fans tend to forget he was having a career season before injuries set in, playing a big factor in the Nuggets wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.