Nuggets – Wizards Preview
By Matt Welch
The trade deadline has come and gone and the Nuggets didn’t make any moves. With that on the back burner, the Denver Nuggets (34-21) are looking to start the second half of the season strong.
Feb 19, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (right) drives to the basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
After a 97-90 victory over the Boston Celtics, the Nuggets travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards (15-37). Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson led the Nuggets in the win, both scoring 26 points on the night. Lawson hurt his ankle Wednesday in practice and is listed as day-to-day as no comment on how bad the injury actually is has come out yet. Kenneth Faried came back from the All Star break energized and pulled down 16 rebounds. After being presented with his Olympic ring, Andre Iguodala went 0-7 from the floor and finished with 1 point.
In the Wizards first game back from the All Star break, they lost to the Toronto Raptors, 96-88. Bradley Beal led the Wizards, scoring 25 points. Point guard John Wall had an off night, only scoring 9 points on 1 of 12 shooting but recorded 7 turnovers. The Wizards have been struggling all season and are on now on a small two-game losing streak. Despite their lackluster season, they beat the Nuggets 112-108 back in mid-January. Beal led the Wizards again with 23 points.
Feb 13, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) dribbles during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
The game will come down to rebounding. The Nuggets are 2nd in the NBA in rebounding while the Wizards are 9th. Kenneth Faried is the man for Denver who fights for boards. He’s averaging 9.8 per game. On the other side, Emeka Okafor leads the Wizards with 8.7 boards per game.
Both teams have strong guard play, but with Lawson possibly out and Iguodala struggling, the Nuggets will lean on Gallinari. Look for the Wizards to put the pressure on him. On the Wizard’s side, they just traded away shooting guard Jordan Crawford, who was averaging 13.2 points per game.
Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm ET (5:00 pm MT) from the Verizon Center in D.C.