Photo Courtesy: Gregg Case
Living in Denver has many things going for it. The Rocky Mountains create scenic views, the weather for the most part is great and we have sports teams in all the major sports. Until Sunday, the Broncos were riding high, my Nuggets… not so much. They started the week off on the right foot but didn’t finish strong. Let me break down what I saw from each game this past week.
November 3 – Denver 120 – LA Lakers 109 – Win
The Nuggets played the Lakers like they were in the Western Conference Finals. I was impressed by the way the guards defended on the wing. The Lakers are a struggling team but have an upside. They are young. But the Nuggets are young too and are beginning to mesh, but being an undersized team will cost them. On a night where Kenneth Faried scored 28 points, he also played 40 minutes. That’s a lot of time on the floor for a guy that undersized at his position that usually gets beat up. Danilo Gallinari and J.J. Hickson poured in 21 and 17 respectively. The defense was excellent with the wing holding Kobe Bryant to 4/11 and 11 points on the night.
November 5 – Utah 96 – Denver 84 – Loss
Gallinari was the only player to get off the bus! I understand that everyone will and has had a bad game in their career, but what happened to the fire the Nuggets had against the Lakers? Turnovers and fouls told the story in this one. Emmanuel Maudiay showed his youth with horrible ball handling and turnovers. Jameer Nelson is a proven point guard that’s sitting on the bench watching poor guard play by the rookie. I can’t believe that Denver’s coaching staff is sitting by watching a good team fall by the wayside! Look Nuggets, you guys have fans all over the country but don’t play as if you have everything under control when you don’t! Your ranked 12th in the West and it’s getting worse. Come on guys and pull yourselves together!
November 6 – Warriors 119 – Nuggets 104 – Loss
Everyone wanted to see a show and Steph Curry gave them one. Curry scored 34 points and had 10 assists in the win. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green added 30 combined points to help the Warriors reach 6-0. The Nuggets have a good team and I know without continuity they can’t beat a solid team. I loved what I saw in this game. I don’t believe in bashing players but if you’re a true fan of hoops, watching some of the Nuggets will have your blood pressure HIGH! Gallinari and Nelson played well together. Nelson hit a jumper to cut it to 10 points, but the Warriors started running again. I see a great upside by benching a few guys in the 4th quarter to allow seasoned vets to play.
Upcoming schedule – All Times Central
11/9 vs Trail Blazers 8:00 pm
11/11 vs Bucks 8:00 pm
11/13 vs Rockets 8:00 pm
11/14 @Suns 8:00 pm
