(Boulder-CO) Now that the Nuggets have beaten the Heat tonight 112-105, I think that some of the doubters should be silencing. The Nuggets showed perseverance by bouncing back after a second quarter breakdown saw their once 15 point, first quarter lead disappear and turn into a four point deficit at halftime. The Nugget bench left things to be desired, but the starters were magnificent in tonight’s victory.
Andre Miller played one of the best games I have ever seen him play in a Nuggets uniform. He showed a jump shot that I didn’t know existed, and was sweet dishing the ball too. Miller finished the game with a stat line of 29 points, ten assists, eight rebounds, and three steals. Amazingly, Andre hit two three-pointers in the game too. Last season Miller only connected on six treys all year long, so tonight’s display was a treat indeed. And what is there to say about Carmelo Anthony? The young superstar is just phenomenal and once again led the Nuggets in scoring by registering for his fourth 30-point game in a row. The Nuggets clubhouse record is six games in a row scoring 30 points or more and was set by Alex English back in the eighties. Carmelo’s final numbers were 33 points, six boards, four assists, and three steals.
Defensively the Nuggets were anchored by, guess who, Marcus Camby. The Nugget big man just keeps aging and getting better like a choice filet. Camby recorded yet another double-double by scoring 15 points, snaring 11 boards, and returning four weak Miami Heat shot attempts back to sender.
As a team, the Nuggets were tough in the key. Denver outscored the Shaq-less Miami Heat in the paint 54-36 and connected on 26-29 free-throw opportunities for a blistering 89.7%. And if there was one single play that was a sign to me that the Nuggets were going to win the game it came when Earl Boykins swatted Dwayne Wade. D-Wade was working to get an open shot from the left side of the top of the key when he got rejected going up as Earl was coming down. When Earl “The Mightiest Micro” Boykins wrecks your best player’s jumper, you know it’s going to be your night.
Tonight was just that…The Nuggets night! Finishing this four game road trip will be a stop in Orlando to clash with the Magic tomorrow at 5 pm. With this win the Nuggets are now 3-3 on the season and are riding a three-game win streak. Completing the tail end of a back-to-back on the road will be a big test for the Nuggets, but I think that the outlook is extremely positive for this team right now.
The Nuggets need to handle business and come back to the Pepsi Center where there should be a new attitude surrounding this team in the Mile High City. Character was exposed on this road trip Nuggets fans, and as an individual close me always says, “Struggle doesn’t build character, it reveals it”. Starting off this season 0-3 and hitting the east coast for a road trip might have been the best thing for this team. Being on the road has made the Nuggets rely on each other and really show what this team is made of. This is the team that I thought was in the makings. Unbeknownst to me was that they were planning on being fashionably late.
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