The Denver Nuggets are now 5-1 and have a firm grasp on the number two seed in the Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans to remain perfect at home this season. The game was very lackadaisical and as Vic Lombardi of Altitude Radio said it best, “the Nuggets just seemed disinterested.”
The team just did not seem that into the game and the Nugget’s superstar Nikola Jokic played fairly passive throughout much of the night.
This disinterest is obviously attributed to the fact that MVP candidate Anthony Davis sat out due to an elbow strain. Usually when an opposing superstar sits out, the Nuggets think they can just coast to a win regardless of their own play.
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Well, they did get the win, but it was not a great showing by the boys in blue.
Nonetheless, a win is a win and the Nuggets will take wins however they can get them. This game did not come easy and deep into the fourth quarter, the Pelicans looked to retake the lead. Yet, a Gary Harris steal against Julius Randle helped seal the game. That’s why Harris’s steal was the momentum play of the game.
What lead up to the play?
The Denver Nuggets looked to pull away in the fourth quarter as they pushed their lead back up to five. The team was hitting their shots and the entire Pepsi Center felt the Pelicans were on the verge of folding.
However, the Pelicans made a resounding comeback led by some deep threes by Nikola Mirotic. A dribble off the foot turnover also helped New Orleans claw their way back into striking distance. The Pelicans just did not want to go away and the Nugget fans were beginning to panic.
The score was 94-99 and the Pelicans called a time-out and most likely had a play drawn up to get Mirotic or Jrue Holiday a three. If the Pelicans had scored on this possession, the game would have been a one possession game with three minutes left. Knowing how the Nuggets closed out the game against the Lakers, the entire fan-base was thinking déjà vu.
Gary Harris thought otherwise as he took the ball away from Julius Randle and helped get Malik Beasley a game clinching layup. The crowd erupted as Harris gained possession of the ball and Gary Harris chants filled the arena. Harris was the savior of this game, and he once again proved that he deserves to be in the top shooting guard discussion. He deserves that recognition for his play on the both sides of the ball.
Hopefully his effort last night and his momentum play will help put him further onto the NBA media’s radar where he should be already.