Nuggets Week In Review: Why Are They “Resting” Starters?
By Chris Kirby
The Denver Nuggets began the week as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. By the end of it, the tables had turned on the woeful Nuggets. To be fair, they never really had a full team to work with all week despite being relatively healthy.
Entering Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans (37-32), they were riding a three-game winning streak. The Pelicans game would be the first of a five-game road trip that would take them through the Southeastern portion of the country. By the end of the night, the Nuggets were able to extend that winning streak to four games, after beating New Orleans 118-111 in double-overtime.
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Anthony Davis nearly had a quadruple-double, recording 36 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and eight blocks. His teammate Tyreke Evans also contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but their efforts weren’t enough to put away the pesky Nuggets.
Starters Randy Foye and Wilson Chandler sat the game out for “rest”. Apparently, the Nuggets upper management decided that they were winning a few too many games lately (with the NBA Draft Lottery in mind).
Will Barton scored a career-high 25 points, including a three-pointer that sent the game into the second overtime. Kenneth Faried added 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks despite being matched up against Davis for the majority of the game.
The following day, the Nuggets traveled to Memphis, to take on the gritty Grizzlies. Unfortunately, this would mark the end of their winning ways.
The Memphis Grizzlies (48-21) took care of the Nuggets 92-81, in a game that was a lot closer than the final score would indicate. The Grizzlies ended the game on a 13-2 run, keyed by Tony Allen’s defensive efforts.
The Nuggets played surprisingly well considering the fact that Faried, Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson all sat the game out for “rest”.
Jameer Nelson started the game, in place of Lawson, and he continued his hot shooting stroke (17.0 points per-game in his last five games), scoring 24 points. Foye made an impact throughout the game, contributing 16 points, three assists and three steals of his own.
Mar 16, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) shoots over Memphis Grizzlies center Kosta Koufos (41) during the game at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol turned out to be too much for the Nuggets frontline. Memphis ended up with a 17-2 advantage in second-chance points, thanks to a 52-32 rebounding differential. Randolph finished the game with 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Gasol chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds.
After the defeat to the Grizzlies, the Nuggets had a chance to rest their sore bodies. They lucked out into having three days off before taking the court against the Houston Rockets (46-22) on Thursday. Unfortunately, James Harden also showed up to play in this one.
Denver had this lead for about two minutes before Houston stomped on the gas pedal and created some separation. The Nuggets were able to cut the lead down to six points with five minutes remaining, but Harden scored seven straight points to put Denver away.
Harden ended up scoring a career-high 50 points, to go along with 10 rebounds. He sliced and diced Denver’s defense julienne-style, like he was making a chef’s salad. He exploited every sliver of space he could find in the lane, supporting the theory that he may be the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Faried had a double-double in his return to the court, finishing the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Lawson had a double-double of his own, recording 12 points and 10 assists, while Chandler and Foye each scored 23 points.
After watching greatness unfold in Houston, the Nuggets had to make another overnight trip, to take the court the following night against the Miami Heat (32-36). The back-to-back turned out to have a negative impact on the Nuggs, and they had their worst game of the week, losing 108-91.
In the first quarter, it looked like the Nuggets may pull away and blow the Heat out of the arena, but the tables turned as soon as Miami coach Erik Spoelstra went to his bench. The Nuggets had a 10-point lead with 5:20 remaining in the first, but by the end of the period, the Heat closed to gap, turning the contest into a one-point game
Miami continued kept on cruising through the second quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 37-23.
Mar 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham (44) during the overtime of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 118-111 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Nuggets allowed the Heat to shoot a ridiculous 53.1-percent on their field-goal attempts, while Denver made only seven of their 27 three-point attempts. Gallinari was out with a foot injury and boy, they could have used his perimeter shooting and ability to draw fouls on jump shots.
In the end, the Nuggets proved they weren’t ready for Miami (who had won three straight games coming in).
Faried continued his solid play this week, putting up 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Jusef Nurkic started the game because of Gallinari’s injury, and he responded with 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Lawson recorded another double-double (10 points, 12 assists) as well.
Future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade led the way for the Heat, with 24 points. His teammate, Hassan Whiteside, threw his weight around on his way to a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds).
Overall, the Nuggets finished the week 1-3, and their record stands at 26-44. If Denver’s management had a stronger desire to win, they could have possibly won two or three games this week. Sadly, everyone knows this is a rebuilding project, so it is what it is.
The schedule lightens up a bit this upcoming week, as Denver takes on two lightweights.
Tomorrow, they will take on the Orlando Magic (22-49), who are coming off of a 111-104 win against the Portland Trailblazers. The game will be the final game of this current four-game road trip for Denver. Lawson and Nelson will have to bring their “A” game against rookie Elfrid Payton, who has two consecutive triple-doubles.
Following that game, the Nuggets will return to the Mile High City for a few days of rest. The Philadelphia 76ers (17-52) will come into town on Wednesday to lock horns with Denver. Philadelphia is in full-on tank mode, so expect a few (or all) of the starters to sit out.
Friday night, the Utah Jazz (31-37) will travel up to Denver, ready to battle the Nuggets in a knockdown, dragout Northwest Divisional matchup. The Jazz have been one of the best teams in the NBA since the All-Star break, winning 12 of their 15 games since February 20th. This game will be the classic offense versus defense struggle – may the best team win.
The Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers (44-23) will have a Northwest clash of their own (on Saturday in Denver) to end the upcoming week. Arron Afflalo will make his return to Denver, so expect him to play well. He is starting in the place of Wesley Matthews, who tore his Achilles heel on March 7th. Portland has lost three straight games, so the Nuggets may be catching them at the right time.
If the Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly stays in his plush office chair, and lets Mevin Hunt tweak his own lineups, this team should be able to win at least two games next week. We all know they aren’t going to make the Playoffs, but they are so much more fun to watch when they are winning.
Tanking games to gain an advantage in the lottery is overrated anyway. Look at the 76ers, how has that worked out for them? If they miss out on drafting a star this summer, all the tanking will be worthless.
Keep checking in with Nugg Love for your daily recaps and featured articles as the Denver Nuggets continue the quest to gain respectability.
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