The Nuggets Get Dumped By 76ers 99-85

The Denver Nuggets came into tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers off of a stout 119-100 victory on the road against the Orlando Magic. This game would not be the same in any way, shape or form as the Nuggets would fall to the the hapless 76ers at Pepsi Center, by a 99-85 score.

The Nuggets started the night off looking like they just got back from the “Garth Brooks Road Trip” really worn out (as the 76ers ran out to a 8-0 lead), and the Nuggets looked disorganized and somewhat pathetic. They would right the ship after that, as they went on a 13-1 run that gave them a 13-9 lead. This good play was short lived as the Sixers would go on a 8-2 run to get the lead back and continue the back-and-forth bad play. The effort was good during the first period, but it did not reflect on the scoreboard. Both teams were horrible from the field, as the Nuggets would shoot 29% from the field, and the Sixers 37% when the quarter ended with the Sixers in the lead. This would be the Modus Operandi for the entire game as the Nuggets never got their feet under them and got smoked by a really bad basketball team.

The 76ers came into the game riding a 16-game road losing streak and it seemed like the Nuggets would get interim coach Melvin Hunt’s record to 8-5 in his short tenure as Nuggets head coach. This would not develop as the night went on, with the Nuggets shooting woes and bad defensive play, along with the three-point shooting of Robert Covington, would doom the Powder Blue Crew to defeat on this night.

The last three quarters were much of the same as the first for the Nuggets — they would play extremely hard, but could not get anything going against the Sixers. Their defense was suspect, their shooting anemic and their ability to make plays when they needed them was non-existent.

The Nuggets were led by Ty Lawson‘s 19 points and six assists in the game, along with 16 points from Wilson Chandler. Other than that, the Nuggets didn’t get a whole lot of contributions from anyone else on the roster. Chandler would also lead the team in rebounding, with 11 on the night. Jameer Nelson was one of the only other bright spots on this pathetic night for the Nuggets, as he would tally 12 points and add four assists.

The Sixers, who are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA, made 10-20 three-pointers on the night, which was the dagger in the Nuggets heart tonight. They were led by Covington‘s 6-for-11 night from behind the arc. This is from a player who shoots less than 32-percent from three-point range on the season. He would finish the night with 25 points and six rebounds, in one of his best games since joining the NBA. He was helped out by 14 points (along with 15 rebounds) from Nerlens Noel, and 15 points from little known Isaiah Canaan to doom the Nuggets fate.

This is a very painful loss for the Nuggets as they played horribly against one of the worst teams in the NBA, who were coming off the second game of back-to-backs, after their loss to the Sacramento Kings last night. The Nuggets can’t use their “Garth” trip as an excuse in this one, as they had two days at home before playing this game, after the five game road trip. This was a bad night on many levels and coach Hunt needs to figure out what happened in this game, and get it corrected before the Nuggets next contest.

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