The Nuggets seem to have been playing their best basketball this season at home, with a home record of 19-3. They finished the month of January with a record of 12-3 and riding the month out on a five-game winning streak. Danilo Gallinari has led the Nuggets all month, averaging 19.3 points per game in the month.

January 30, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) drives to the basket during the second half against the Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

When Denver wins, Gallo is scoring 18.4 points per win and when they lose, he’s only averaging 14.7 points per loss. It’s safe to say that he plays a big role in their success on the court.  Point guard Ty Lawson has also been playing at a high level this month. After battling back from an ankle injury, Lawson averaged 17.9 points and 6.4 assists for the month. The Nuggets are hoping they stay just as hot in February.

For the Hornets, Eric Gordon has been a spark and should be back in the lineup Friday night. In January, he averaged 16.9 points per game. Ryan Anderson has also been playing well off the bench this month, averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this month after not starting a single game. Rookie Anthony Davis is adding 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in January as well. After losing four out of the last five, the Hornets are hoping to get back on track in February.

Matchup to Watch: Danilo Gallinari vs. Eric Gordon

These two guards are leading their teams respectively in scoring. It should be fun to watch these two go at it all night. Gordon is shooting .412 percent from the field this month while Gallinari is shooting .469 percent.

Tipoff is set for 9:00 PM EST (7:00 PM MST) at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

May 19, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern talks with entertainer Billy Crystal before the start of game three of the Western Conference semi finals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs at the Staples Center. San Antonio Spurs won 96-86. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-US PRESSWIRE

Well, I’m sure we all heard Jim Rome’s not-so-friendly interview with David Stern and it tends to generate the question – Is the NBA Draft fixed?

In 1985, the lottery was made to keep teams from tanking to get the first pick in the draft and for the most part it works. Very rarely does the worst team get the top pick in the draft, just ask the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Denver Nuggets finished with the worst record in 1997-98 and 2002-03 and both years they were rewarded with the third pick in the draft. In 1998, they drafted Raef LaFrentz and in 2003 they drafted fan favorite Carmelo Anthony.

Where things get tricky is when an NBA-owned team like the New Orleans Hornets wins the NBA Lottery. Of course the Hornets weren’t a good team last year, tied for the third worst record in the NBA (fourth due to a tiebreaker), but conspiracy theorists will always go back to last offseason when the NBA overstepped its boundaries and rejected the Chris Paul-trade.

Back in December, a three-way trade was agreed upon between the Los Angeles Lakers, Hornets and Houston Rockets. On paper, it was a solid trade for each team. The Lakers would get Paul and give up All-Star big man Pau Gasol to the Rockets  and the Hornets would get a solid nucleus of Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom and Goran Dragic.

However, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert (probably still heated after LeBron James left town for Miami) demanded that Stern put the trade up for a vote with all 29 owners and the trade was nixed.

The Hornets had to settle for a trade that sent Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for the trio of Eric Gordon, Al Farouq Aminu and Chris Kaman. And at the end of the day the only winner was the Clippers.

It’s moves like that which have NBA fans questioning the commissioner and the validity of the NBA. Of course, it could have been worst the Hornets could have landed in the top three with their other lottery pick (Minnesota’s pick which they also got in the Paul trade). But instead they are drafting 10th.

Even if the draft was fixed to help the Hornets get Anthony Davis, is he really going to help New Orleans out that much? The Hornets struggles were on the offensive side of the ball and Davis is not the answer to their offensive woes.