(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)(Boulder-CO) This one was fun. The Denver Nuggets (who are now almost 100% healthy minus Steven Hunter) are no longer missing any major pieces to their puzzle and put an absolute drumming on the Milwaukee Bucks, 125-105, tonight at the Pepsi Center. But don’t let that mere 20-point margin of victory fool you because the Nuggets led by as many as 39 at one point, and guys like Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson were sitting the bench by the fourth quarter and throwing sneakers to fans.
In the first quarter you could tell something magic was about to happen. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony came out red hot and scored the Nuggets first 18 points. Marcus Camby was erasing shots at a dizzying pace. Kenyon Martin was back in the line-up and at sometime we all knew that Nene was going to check it back in after a five-week lay-off from thumb surgery.
Fast forward past the 28-17 point first quarter and to the exact moment that Nene enters the game.
With 10:34 seconds to play in the second quarter, Nene AKA “Big Brazil” entered the game for Marcus Camby and within a minute he was violently throwing down a Chucky Atkins bounce pass that was gift wrapped extra special. It was at this exact point that this game started to get way out of hand as the Nuggets would continue to systematically destroy the Bucks, 40-21, in the quarter to lead by 30 at halftime. Carmelo led all scorers with 21 points and six rebounds, AI had 17 points and four assists, and Nene had scored eight points in his first seven minutes. As a team, Denver was shooting 59% from the field and 50% from downtown. The Nuggets were torrid and everyone was getting into the act.
And the act was just getting started too!
It was more domination in the third quarter as the Nuggets would balloon their lead to a gaudy 39 points at one point. Carmelo was done with 26 seconds remaining in the third after scoring a game-high 29 points and grabbing his tenth rebound marking the fourth double-double in a row that ‘Melo has given the Nuggets. But I told you this one got ugly so here comes the highlight reel. Marcus Camby recorded his third career triple-double of ten points (including a three-pointer to beat the substitution), ten blocked shots, and eleven rebounds. Allen Iverson scored 24 points while dishing out six dimes before throwing his sneakers into the crowd. Linas Kleiza scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Anthony Carter scored 13 points, helped out six teammates, grabbed six boards, and stole four balls. Nene finished with eleven points and seven rebounds while looking trim might I add. J.R. Smith played in garbage time and still had twelve points bringing the grand total of Nugget double-digit scorers to seven and the final score to, 125-105.
The Nuggets ran the Bucks into submission with 44 fast break points totaling up a season-high 34 assists. Everybody made the extra pass. Carmel is rebounding. AI is creating. Marcus, well, Marcus is Marcus, and the rest of the pieces to the puzzle are starting to come together.
Right now it feels good to be a Nuggets fan, but will this feeling last?
Go Nuggets!
3 comments:
I love it. Only a nuggets fan can follow a game like that with "Right now it feels good to be a Nuggets fan, but will this feeling last?" I hope it does, but I understand your skepticism!
It was great to watch (for me, not so much all the other bored people in the room.) But you're right, it was still the Bucks. This is a good sign, I hope we can continue the roll against Golden State.
Exactly...the Bucks threw up the white flag eary in the game. So much for professional athletes feeling an obligation to the dumb schmucks that paid to get in!! Anyway, games like this sometimes do more harm than good. For some crazy reason, I'll call it the J.R. Smith syndrome, a win like this causes many wearing the Nugget Blue to think they are much better individually than they are collectively,even though the exact opposite would be perceived by a more,,ummmm...ummmm....intellectual bunch.
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