Denver Stiffs - All Posts

Suns vs. Nuggets Recap: Phoenix rises, Nuggets wilt in epic home collapse

2013-12-20T23:24:32-07:00

The Denver Nuggets waste a strong start with a complete meltdown in the second half as Gerald Green and Markief and Marcus Morris spark a Suns comeback from 21 points down to stun the Nuggets 103-99.

This recap was going to be so different. After the first half, I was thinking I would get to write about how the Denver Nuggets had rebounded after a tough loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The offense had re-emerged; the jump shots were falling and the points in the paint were piling up. The ball was moving, everyone was playing with confidence, and the defense was stringent. The Nuggets were even making their free throws. It was going to be a bit of a statement game after losing to the Phoenix Suns back in November.

It certainly was a statement game, but for all the wrong reasons. The Nuggets blew a 21-point lead and suffered their worst loss of the season, 103-99 to the Suns at the Pepsi Center.

The strangest part was due to how the game began. Lately, the Nuggets have been getting off to slow starts. Tonight, they outscored the Suns 28-20 in the first quarter, the first time in the last 10 games the Nuggets have led after one. Wilson Chandler scored 12 points by himself, and looked to be on his way to at least a 20-point night.

Denver started pouring it on in the second quarter, running the floor against the Suns and converting layup after layup. The lead eventually ballooned all the way to 60-39 before the Suns closed on a quick 9-2 run to cut the lead to 14, 62-48, at halftime. The Nuggets shot 51% in the first half compared to 38% for Phoenix, and out-rebounded the Suns 28-18.

Once the second half began, the Nuggets started off slowly. Still, there were signs of life. Ty Lawson scored seven straight points and after a Randy Foye three-pointer, the Nuggets had the lead back up to 17. However, Gerald Green began launching from deep without mercy. He shot eight three-pointers in the quarter, knocking down four of them. The Nuggets were outscored 24-20 in the third quarter, but still maintained a 10-point lead heading into the fourth.

It disappeared almost immediately. Markief and Marcus Morris started going to work, abusing the Nuggets with and-1 dunks, three-pointers, and general dominance. The Nuggets were on their heels, and nobody stepped up. Goran Dragic outplayed Lawson down the stretch, and the Suns took the lead on a fast-break layup from him, followed instantly by yet another Green three-pointer. The Nuggets managed to keep it close and had a chance to tie it up on a long three-pointer from Foye near the end of the game, but it came up short.

The fact they were even in the position of needing that shot is mind-boggling, to say the least. This was a whole new level of losing for the Nuggets this season, and it was difficult to watch. They seem to have lost their swagger a bit since the game against the Brooklyn Nets. While Denver has won games since then, they have been more of the grind-it-out variety as opposed to the high-scoring affairs that dotted the seven-game winning streak.

Brian Shaw has his work cut out for him to get this team ready to play a rested Los Angeles Clippers squad in L.A. tomorrow. The quick turnaround could be beneficial, because it won't allow the Nuggets (or their fans) to dwell on this loss for too long. If they can steal a win, it will go a long way towards healing the wounds from this game. But in the insanely competitive Western Conference, a blown opportunity like this can come back to haunt a team when it comes time to clinch a playoff spot.

Game Observations -

- After putting up 62 points in the first two quarters, the Nuggets only scored 37 points over the final two frames. The Nuggets shot 51% and had 13 assists in the first half. They shot 29% and had only 5 assists in the second half.

- Markief Morris had 25 points to lead the Suns. He set his career-high with 28 points against the Nuggets the last time these two teams played each other. His brother, Marcus, had 14.

- Chandler ended up with only 15 points after his superb first quarter. The Nuggets really could have used his offense in the second half, but he played tentative and the jump shots stopped falling.

- The Nuggets starters outscored the Suns starters 65-39. Unfortunately, the Nuggets bench, who has bailed them out of several games this year, was outscored 64-34. They really missed Jordan Hamilton, who was serving a one-game suspension for his sort-of punch against the Thunder's Stephen Adams.

- Lawson again struggled with his shot, shooting 3-11. He had seven assists, but also five turnovers. Lawson hasn't found his groove after his injury against the Boston Celtics, and how Ty goes is usually how the Nuggets go.

- According to a tweet from Chris Dempsey, the Nuggets hadn't lost a game they led by at least 10 heading into the third quarter since November 6th, 2007, against the New York Knicks.

- The Suns hoisted 35 three-pointers against the Nuggets, hitting 12 of them.

- Shaw had pointed words for his team during his post-game interview, taking the blame for the loss but also claiming the Nuggets played like "front-runners." He mentioned there had been some bad habits in practice that trickled into the game, and he also took responsibility for that. Shaw also had a subtle dig at some of the Nuggets who he thinks complain to much to the officials, saying they had said before the season they weren't going to be "criers." It may have been directed at Nate Robinson, who didn't play much in the second half after getting a technical foul in the second quarter for getting in Dragic's face.

Suns vs Nuggets Preview: Nugs look to squelch Eric Bledsoe, Suns

2013-12-20T13:20:20-07:00

Similar records, similar arcs, similar surprises... Can the Nuggets overcome a team whose sole claim to the seed ahead of them is a November win?

Game 25: 2013-14 NBA Season
	@
14-10 (6-6 road)	Series 1-0	14-10 (7-4 home)
December 20th, 2013
Pepsi Center - Denver, CO
7:00 PM MT
Altitude / 950 AM

Eric Bledsoe	PG	Ty Lawson
Goran Dragic	SG	Randy Foye
P.J. Tucker	SF	Wilson Chandler
Channing Frye	PF	Kenneth Faried
Miles Plumlee	C	J.J. Hickson
Notes
Bright Side of the Sun	Blogs	You're here!
None	Injuries	Danilo Gallinari (knee) is out, JaVale McGee(leg fracture) is out
The Suns have won five of their last six games, narrowly missing six in a row against San Antonio.		The Nuggets have won 9 of their last 11 home games against the Thunder.

With identical records (14-10), and recently winning ways, something has to give for your Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns tonight as they square off at the Pepsi Center on the first night of back-to-backs for both teams. To make it even more interesting, although the Nuggets typically play well at the Pepsi Center, they have at least one important role player out in Jordan Hamilton, serving a suspension for an "altercation" with the Thunder’s Steven Adams. I add the quotation marks as I’ve watched the highlights of the incident several times now, and if Jordan meant to hit Adams, he learned his punching skills from Carmelo Anthony (see Knicks/Nuggets 12/06/06).

Adding insult to injury, All-Star candidate Ty Lawson and veteran influence Randy Foye are both listed as day-to-day, with Lawson out of practice yesterday with flu-like symptoms (so you wonder how much gas will be in his tank, even if he does play). Foye’s listing appears to be attached to his turned ankle against the Pelicans, but he gutted that out vs. Oklahoma City, and I’m hard pressed to see him not playing in this game.

All of that said, the Nuggets are winners of 10 of their last 14 games, and have the personnel to match up well against this Suns squad. Denver will have to avoid their recent habit of starting games slowly, as Phoenix leads the league this season in fast break points at nearly 20 a game, and will look to press the Nuggets early on. The Suns also like to shoot from beyond the arc, shooting nearly 38 percent for the season, and have been even hotter over their past few games. The Nuggets (I can’t believe I’m writing this) counteract that with the NBA’S BEST THREE POINT DEFENSE, holding opponents to just over 32 percent beyond the arc for the season, and a ridiculous 26.2 average over the last 5 games. I’m writing that again, as I fear I’m in opposite world all of a sudden. Denver has the leagues’ stoutest 3-point D. George Karl is rolling over in his… oh, that’s just ESPN.

A little History...

The Nuggets look to avenge a loss to the Suns on November 8^th, after having controlled the recent series between the two, winning eight or the previous 10. The Suns control the lifetime series handily, with a 22-game gap (88-66) between the two. I think most people had this marked as a "W" on the Nuggets calendar early in the season, but the Suns have proven to be a better squad than early season expectations, and both teams will want momentum heading into their games tomorrow night.

The gist of it all is that it’s anybody’s game tonight, and those tend to be fun games to watch if both teams play hard. What do you expect to see, Nuggets Nation?

Difficult close to 2013 gives road victories even greater importance

2013-12-19T09:00:19-07:00

After another home loss, the Nuggets have now fallen more in the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center than they did all of last season. With home court no longer providing the same boost, the Nuggets must win on the road to fight for a playoff spot.

The 38-3 home dominance last year for the Nuggets was an all-time franchise record. It stands to reason that after a tumultuous offseason, the Nuggets were not likely to match a similar effort again. With their 4th home loss of the season on Tuesday night against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the shine of that formerly incredible home court advantage has dulled. While the Nuggets will likely still have an excellent home record at the conclusion of the season, it serves to emphasize that the Nuggets must be better on the road if they hope to make the playoffs in a stacked Western conference.

For the most part, the Nuggets have played quite well on the road this season, sporting the 5th best road record in the conference at 7-6. It's been refreshing to see head coach Brian Shaw place an increased emphasis on every game played on the road, and other than a few disappointing losses at the Boston Celtics and Thunder (both for different reasons), the effort from the team has remained strong. With their longest road trip of the season out of the way, the Nuggets will still be tested by a four game away trip from the Pepsi Center in February, and a 5 game roadie in March.

Until then, the Nuggets must continue to secure road victories against beatable teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies, both teams they'll play in their houses before the calendar turns. After the dismantling a superior Thunder team just performed on the Nuggets at home, it makes upcoming dates with the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat seem a lot more challenging for this young squad still missing key contributions from Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee.

The Nuggets will play tomorrow night against a surprisingly good Phoenix Suns team featuring Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and the newly-acquired Emeka Okafor at 7:00 PM MST. They will then play at "Flop City" against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday before returning home to face the Golden State Warriors and the return of the Mole on Monday.

Daily Links

Want to see where the Knicks/Nuggets pick may eventually land? Tankathon.com has all your 2014 draft tracking needs, complete with odds!

Damian Lillard hits 30-foot 3 pointer for second game winner in 3 days (video)

Melo still supports head coach Mike Woodson even after embarrassing errors

Omer Asik to Celtics? Possible swap of Jeff Green and Brandon Bass for Asik brewing

Podcast: Tim Connelly talks scouting, growing up in Baltimore and analytics

2013-12-18T17:25:12-07:00

Tim Connelly joined the Colorado Sports Guys to talk about how he got into the NBA, his persistence, and his background in scouting. We also talk about finding a balance in the almost adversarial relationship between the "human element" in basketball and the use of analytics that has swept the basketball landscape in recent years.

It was an amazing discussion that expanded our knowledge of Connelly the man, and gave us insight into his thought process as a General Manager.

A must listen for any Nuggets fan, or fan of basketball in general.

Please visit our new partner Denver ChopHouse. It's a great place to dine, with some of the best food and brews in Denver. They are the restaurant of the fan, located on 19th and Wynkoop in lower downtown. Come in or make a reservation today. Also remember to click on the Amazon banner at the top of the page, as well as the Amazon Prime banner on the left hand side of the page for your thirty day free trial ... all of which support CSG!!

Listen to the Podcast here. If you haven't already, add us on iTunes (easiest way to listen) or if you have an Android you can always use Pocket Casts app ... well worth the two bucks or so the app charges (the podcast is always free).

And be sure to follow us on Twitter:

@Nate_Timmons

@hirossco = Ross Martin

@jmorton78 = Jeff Morton

Thunder vs. Nuggets recap: Odd shooting night, execution doom Denver

2013-12-17T22:54:42-07:00

It was difficult to pinpoint the issues for the Nuggets in this one. The effort was there, but the execution and shots falling were an issue. Thunder roll in this one 105-93.

The Nuggets got off to a better start then they had been recently, but their strong bench play disappeared for a night. After keeping the Nuggets in games and even winning games, the reserves combined for just 27 points on 10-31 shooting or 32.2% from the field. The starters combined for 66 points as J.J. Hickson led the team with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

"We missed shots, easy buckets," said Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur. "You have games like that, but on the other end we have to lock down defensively. Which we didn't do at the end of the game, down six [points] and they got the lead back up to 16 [points]. It was unacceptable, but the good thing about it is we have another game coming up and we can scratch that one away."

Denver did get that OKC lead down to six points at 83-77 behind Nate Robinson's microwaved 8 points on 3-3 shooting, including two threes. But the Nuggets were outscored from there 22-16 as the Thunder fed Kevin Durant and got Russell Westbrook loose.

After grabbing 10 offensive rebounds, to keep the Nuggets in the game, the team was only able to muster three more in the second half. Offensive boards were key in the first half as the team shot just 19-49 or 38.8% from the field. The team shot better in the second half at 44.7% thanks to Wilson Chandler (5-8 in the second half), Nate Robinson (3-5 in the second half), and Ty Lawson (2-3 in the second half), but this loss will stick in the players' minds.

"It'll stick with me until tomorrow and then we have the [Suns] game the day after," said Arthur. "That's the good thing about the NBA, you have 82 games so we can scratch that and we have another one coming up. It's not like college where you have to wait a week and hold onto that [loss]."

It wasn't all bad for the Nuggets though and that's the odd part. They forced the Thunder into a lot of bad shots and got OKC to commit a game-high 18 turnovers. Even with Russell Westbrook going for 21 points (9-16 shooting) and Kevin Durant for 30 points (11-23), the Nuggets had a chance late to get back into the game.

"I thought we did a decent job [on defense], but we still gave up a lot of offensive rebounds late in the game which turned into shots for them. I thought we did a pretty good job on Westbrook and Durant, between the two of them they had 51 points, the first time [a 115-113 loss on Nov. 18th in OKC] they had 68 points. I thought we played okay, the effort was there, we just couldn't make shots - it was tough."

The most perplexing theme of the night was Denver getting second chance opportunities and good looks inside and not being able to capitalize on them. Check out the game shot chart for the Nuggets:

The team went 21-46 on shots in the paint and it was a theme all night. In the first half Denver was 11-24 in the paint and 10-22 in the second half.

"We got beat by a better team tonight," said Brian Shaw. "I liked our spirit in terms of fighting, but we couldn't finish in the paint. We got in the paint, we didn't finish in the paint."

More from our team sites

Oklahoma City Thunder

More from our team sites

Oklahoma City Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City

Views you can use:

-After recording two Did Not Play - Coach's Decisions the last two games, Evan Fournier played 12:39 tonight and went 2-5 from the field, including 1-1 from three point land for 5 points. His lone three point make was taken on a confident transition three with no hesitation - it was one of the rare times he looked comfortable on offense during his brief stint.

"He played well against them the first time we played them in OKC," said Shaw. "Randy [Foye] got in foul trouble, Nate wasn't going good in the first half, so I saw it as an opportunity to get him out there. I think I surprised him, caught him off guard, because he hadn't played in the last couple games. That's why I always say, you have to stay ready so you don't have to get ready. And he seemed like he was a little tight, maybe a little nervous, but I thought he shook it off. That's why you always have to stay ready."

-Jordan Hamilton was ejected in the second half after throwing a punch to Steven Adams' shoulder after Adams put a little hip into Ham after a rebound on the Nuggets' end. A few possessions earlier, Adams put an elbow into Ham's back on a rebound on Denver's defensive end and Ham yelled at Adams after the play before inbounding the ball.

Nate Robinson drew a $10,000 find during the preseason after getting into an altercation with Adams, as well. The big New Zealander is good at getting under players' skin and guys have to know that's the book and him and ignore the extra shoves he gives. Expect Ham to draw an even bigger fine for the punch.

-Well after the game Kendrick Perkins rolled through the Nuggets' locker room to say hello to former Celtics teammate Robinson. He made a comment about Robinson's not so good looks ... no word yet on if Perkins has looked into a mirror.

-After the game Wilson Chandler told me that he got his right front tooth damaged during the Pelicans game, visited the dentist (where the tooth was shaved/shaped) and is having an implant made, but it won't be ready for around 10 days. I asked if he would perhaps do as an Instagram follower suggested and get a gold Larry Johnson-esque tooth in the stead - Robinson chimed in that Wilson should do just that, but Chandler didn't seem so sure he'd go that route. He should have a temporary tooth at some point in the next day or two before his "new" tooth will be ready.

Up next for the Nuggets is a Friday night [Dec. 20th] game at the Pepsi Center against the Phoenix Suns.

Follow @denverstiffs Follow @SBNationNBA

Nate_Timmons on Twitter
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2nd half thread: Thunder vs. Nuggets

2013-12-17T20:10:01-07:00

Place your thoughts on the second half of tonight's game right here

1st half thread: Thunder vs. Nuggets

2013-12-17T18:45:01-07:00

Place your thoughts on the first half of tonight's game right here.

Thunder vs. Nuggets preview: Durant, Westbrook will put Nuggets to the test

2013-12-17T11:00:07-07:00

The NBA's hottest team arrives at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday night for an inter-division battle with our Denver Nuggets.

Game 24: 2013-14 NBA Season
	@
19-4 (7-4 road)	Series 1-0	14-9 (7-3 home)
December 17th, 2013
Pepsi Center - Denver, CO
7:00 PM MT
Altitude / 950 AM

Russell Westbrook	PG	Ty Lawson
Thabo Sefolosha	SG	Randy Foye
Kevin Durant	SF	Wilson Chandler
Serge Ibaka	PF	Kenneth Faried
Kendrick Perkins	C	J.J. Hickson
Notes
Daily Thunder	Blogs	You're here!
None	Injuries	Danilo Gallinari (knee) is out, JaVale McGee (leg fracture) is out
The NBA's hottest team, the Thunder have won 14 of 15 and have tied their best start in franchise history through 23 games.		The Nuggets have won 9 of their last 11 home games against the Thunder.

After our Denver Nuggets inexcusably dropped a Friday night home game against a pathetic Utah Jazz squad (that actually wants to lose games!), Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw threatened to make changes to his starting lineup, noting that the Nuggets bench has had to pull the lion's share of the weight in recent games.

Shaw's starters must have gotten the message, because on Sunday night they combined for nearly 70% of the Nuggets scoring output and easily bested a New Orleans Pelicans squad that's inarguably better than the Jazz, even with the myriad injuries that have struck the New Orleans team. But if the Nuggets are to replicate Sunday's success against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, they're going to need both the starters and the bench to produce ... big time.

When these Northwest Division rivals last met, the Thunder eked out a 115-113 victory at Oklahoma City in what might have been the Nuggets' finest road performance of the season. In that contest, the Nuggets connected on nearly 50% of their field goals and attempted 43 free throws, and led throughout the game. The problem, of course, was that the Nuggets missed about half of those free throws and allowed the Thunder to sneak back into the game late. 38 points from Thunder superstar Kevin Durant later and the Nuggets were toast.

Truth be told, despite the Nuggets' admirable 14-9 record they have only four wins against quality opponents this season: two victories apiece against the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves. And calling the 12-13 Timberwolves a "quality opponent" is a stretch. Point being, for the sake of their own internal confidence and for the sake of building confidence among Nuggets fans, the Nuggets need to start besting the NBA's best ... especially at home. And there's no better opportunity to do so than against the NBA's hottest team on Tuesday night.

Three things to look for in this game ...

1) My bench is better than your bench
The Nuggets and Thunder boast two of the NBA's best benches. The Thunder bench averages 33.7 ppg and they are 13-2 when their reserves outscore their opponent's reserves. Sounds good, right? Well, the Nuggets serve up the NBA's third most productive bench in scoring (at 44.7 ppg) and they are first in rebounding (20.3 rpg). Tuesday night's contest could be determined by those who come off the pine, and those who start the game.

2) Continuing the Rocky versus Russell Westbrook feud
For whatever reason, Westbrook has made it a point to block Rocky's signature behind-the-back-halfcourt-shot in recent Nuggets games at Pepsi Center. This seems to fuel Westbrook while only agitating the Pepsi Center crowd to hate the mercurial point guard more and more. Can Rocky and the Denver fans get under Westbrook's skin enough to force him into bad decisions? Or will Westbrook just feed off the negative energy and torch the Nuggets as he usually does?

3) Rebounds galore
The Thunder lead the NBA in rebounds per game (47.3) while the Nuggets currently rank third (just a rebound shy of OKC at 46.3). When leading their opponent in rebounding, the Thunder have lost just once this season. If the Nuggets can somehow muscle their way into more rebounds, that could be the difference in the game.

Scouting the Thunder ...

Thunder Non-Stiffs

-Kevin Durant: Want to know how f-----g awesome Durant is? In the Thunder’s recent outing on December 1st versus the Timberwolves, Durant did something that has never been seen before in NBA history. Durant recorded his fourth career triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists, but by also adding 4 blocks and 4 steals, Durant became the first player EVER with 32+ points, 10+ rebounds, 12+ assists, 4+ steals and 4+ blocks in the same game.

-Serge Ibaka: Ibaka is having his best offensive season ever and is grabbing a career-high 9.4 rpg. Kenneth Faried and J.J. Hickson are going to have their hands full keeping Ibaka off the boards and in check. No napping on Tuesday night at the power forward position.

Thunder Stiffs

-Russell Westbrook: I don't care how talented Westbrook is. He's mean to Rocky and that forever puts him on our Stiff List (I did this for Jeff Morton, by the way).

-Hasheem Thabeet: Thabeet ends up on the "Stiffs" ledger of the scouting report routinely and it might be time to officially call him out as the worst second overall pick in NBA Draft history.

Final Thought ...

We know the Nuggets can beat the likes of Brooklyn, New Orleans, New York and so forth. But they won't be facing those teams in the post-season. If the Nuggets are serious about making strides as the season goes on, they must become a force to be reckoned with at home.

*****
SAVE THE DATE!!

Our next STIFFS NIGHT OUT will spread some holiday cheer on Saturday, December 28th as the Nuggets take on the Grizzlies at Memphis at 6pm Mountain Time. If you don't have family to spend time with or just want to get away from your family and join your fellow Stiffs, please join us at Jake's Food & Spirits for a 6pm tipoff. More details to come!

*****

Denver Stiffs - All Posts

Suns vs. Nuggets Recap: Phoenix rises, Nuggets wilt in epic home collapse

Suns vs Nuggets Preview: Nugs look to squelch Eric Bledsoe, Suns

A little History...

Difficult close to 2013 gives road victories even greater importance

Podcast: Tim Connelly talks scouting, growing up in Baltimore and analytics

Listen to the Podcast here. If you haven't already, add us on iTunes (easiest way to listen) or if you have an Android you can always use Pocket Casts app ... well worth the two bucks or so the app charges (the podcast is always free).

Thunder vs. Nuggets recap: Odd shooting night, execution doom Denver

More from our team sites

More from our team sites

2nd half thread: Thunder vs. Nuggets

1st half thread: Thunder vs. Nuggets

Thunder vs. Nuggets preview: Durant, Westbrook will put Nuggets to the test

Three things to look for in this game ...

Scouting the Thunder ...

Final Thought ...

*****SAVE THE DATE!!

*****
SAVE THE DATE!!