Nuggets Hotter than Heat

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) My assessment of the Miami Heat? Old and tired. The lethargic and battered Heat came into Pepsi Center and got torched by the Denver Nuggets, 115-89, in a game that got out of hand early and stayed out of hand all the way.

The Nuggets came out blistering from the tip and started out the game with a 16-4 run in the first five minutes. Kenyon Martin started it off for the Nuggets with six of Denver’s first eight points off of dunks. The Nuggets were doing exactly what I prescribed by limiting the Heat to one shot and then running their break, and the result was a twenty-point lead by the quarter’s end, 37-17.

The Nugget defense was spectacular in the first half anchored by Marcus Camby’s eleven and Kenyon Martin’s seven first half rebounds translating into the Heat being limited to only 42 shot attempts of which Miami only made 16 of. On the other hand, the Nuggets put up 53 shots by recording six steals and forcing eleven turnovers.

And when the defensive end is taken care of the Nuggets can do a lot of things on offense superbly.

Denver finished the first half with 17 assists paced by Marcus Camby’s unselfish four dimes with all seven of the other Nuggets recording at least one assist. Denver was shooting a sizzling 47% thanks to a ton of fast break opportunities and only turning the ball over four times as they went into halftime up big, 59-42.

With the Nuggets firing on all cylinders, the Heat slipped into a cryogenic state! The second half was just more of the same and then some for both teams with the Nuggets being able to rest their starters for the majority of the fourth quarter.

Carmelo would finish with 30 points, six rebounds, three assists and with Kevin Garnett only scoring nine points tonight now currently owns the NBA’s longest active streak of ten or more points scored with 148 straight games. Kenyon Martin and Allen Iverson each scored twenty with AI leading the way in holiday spirit with seven assists and K-Mart's blue light speical eight rebounds. And for the fifth time this year, Marcus Camby grabbed 20+ rebounds by tying a season-high of 21 glass-cleaning boards again tonight. Overall, Denver finished the game with 31 assists by having seven players record at least three helpers, seven players were guilty of stealing at least once, a total of ten players scored, and nine Nuggets grabbed at least one rebound.

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. A great team effort and another convincing Nuggets victory.

With this win the Nuggets are now 11-7 overall and improve their home record to a stout 8-2. Up next are the Los Angeles Lakers in a game that Nuggets should be primed for a little revenge. The last time the Lakers and Nuggets met, Denver let a 17-point lead evaporate before getting embarrassed, 127-99, and surrendering a season-high 46 points in the gruesome and hard to watch fourth quarter. Do you want my diagnosis, Nuggets Nation? It's pay-back time.

Go Nuggets!