On Monday night, the Nuggets played at home vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, who have their star (Michael Redd) out. The Bucks got an outstanding game out of Ruben Patterson, but it wasn’t enough, as the Nuggets went on to win the game 104-92.

Ruben Patterson had his best game of the season, going for 29 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. As good a game Patterson had, it wasn’t enough. Williams, Bogut, and Bell combined for 10-38 shooting. Williams came up with 9 points, Bell scored 8, and Bogut scored 9 (and also grabbed 11 rebounds). Off the bench, Steve Blake came up with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, as Ersan Illyasova contributed 15 points and 3 rebounds off the bench as well.

Earl Boykins led the way for the Nuggets, scoring 26 points, dishing 11 assists, and grabbing 4 rebounds. Allen Iverson was right behind him in the scoring column with 23, as Iverson also dished 3 assists. Marcus Camby had another outstanding game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 3 assists. That stat line is unbelievable. Reggie Evans came up with a double-double off the bench as well, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Linas Kleiza, who got the start, also chipped in 11 points with 9 rebounds.

Player of the Game: Marcus Camby

19 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks, 3 assists

On Saturday night, the Nuggets played at home against one of the best teams in the NBA this season, the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets had a rough night from the field, shooting just 39% from the floor, including 5 of 26 from beyond the arc. Utah, on the other hand, shot 46% from the floor and went on to win the game 96-84 on the road.

Deron Williams was the star for the Jazz, scoring a career-high 28 points and also dishing 12 assists. He even did it defensively, coming up with 4 steals. Carlos Boozer had another double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and he shot the ball extremely well: 10-12. Andrei Kirilenko only took 5 shots, and his numbers were not as high as normal: 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Mehmet Okur had his second rough shooting night in a row, shooting just 4-13 and scoring 10 points. Derek Fisher was very effective off the bench, scoring 10 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing 3 assists. Rookie Paul Millsap  also had a solid night off the bench, coming up with 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.

For Denver, Allen Iverson had another tough shooting night as well, shooting just 5-19 from the floor. He did manage to hit 11 of 12 from the free throw line, and he came up with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Earl Boykins scored 22 points as well, as he shot 9 of 19. Linas Kleiza tied his career high of 17 points, as he started the game. Reggie Evans also started, as he grabbed 11 rebounds. Eduardo Najera came off the bench and scored 9 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and shot 4-7 from the floor. Marcus Camby did not play in this game.

Player of the Game: Earl Boykins

22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Next Game: Monday (1/8/07) at home vs. Milwaukee at 7:00 pm MST.

On Friday night, the Nuggets headed to L.A. to play the Lakers. This game was supposed to be a Kobe vs. Iverson shootout, but it was far from it. Iverson scored just 16 (the lowest he has scored as a Nugget), and Kobe scored just 8 points. The Lakers did end up getting a lift from a few role players, as the Nuggets lost this game badly. Bryant didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. The final score was 123-104.

For Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant only took 9 shots, and he only made 2 of them. He scored just 8 points, but he also dished 10 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Second year center Andrew Bynum had himself a solid night, posting a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. That wasn’t all he did though, he also blocked 6 shots and dished 3 assists. Luke Walton did a little bit of everything as well, scoring 18 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing 8 assists. Smush Parker added 23 points, Brian Cook and Maurice Evans each scored 16, and Ronny Turiaf came off the bench to contribute 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Allen Iverson scored the least amount of points he ever has as a Nugget, scoring just 16 points on 5-17 shooting. The leading scorer for Denver was the little man, Earl Boykins, who came off the bench to score 24 points. Marcus Camby had himself a solid double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Nuggets rookie Yakhouba Diawara shot just 4-13, but he ended up with 13 points. Nene and Linas Kleiza both had good games off the bench as well, as Nene had 14 points and 6 boards, and Kleiza chipped in a near double-double of 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Also, Julius Hodge surprisingly started for Denver. He played 19 minutes and shot 1-3 from the floor. His stat line was 4 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Not bad for a kid that has only played 1 minute this entire season, before last night.

Player of the Game: Marcus Camby

14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists

Next Game: Tonight (1/6/07) at home vs. Utah at 7:00 pm MST.

On Friday night, the Nuggets lost by 10, 99-89, on the road vs. the completely banged up New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, who have four of their best 5 players injured right now. No Chris Paul, no David West, no Peja Stojakovic, and no Bobby Jackson, yet they still run away with a victory over the Nuggets tonight.

For the Hornets, Devin Brown was the real star. He came off the bench and had a huge impact with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Rasual Butler scored 20 points for the Hornets, as high-flying Desmond Mason chipped in 17. Tyson Chandler scored 10 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots. Rookie big man Cedric Simmons even had a big impact, posting a near double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Allen Iverson really struggled tonight for the Nuggets. He did end up with 21 points, but he shot a horrible 6-22, and only dished 3 assists, as well as had 5 turnovers. The star for Denver tonight was Earl Boykins, who once again had a great game off the bench, going for 26 points. Rookie Yakhouba Diawara scored 14 points, DerMarr Johnson scored 10 as well as grabbed 6 boards, and Jamal Sampson (who is starting at center in place of injured Marcus Camby and Nene) grabbed 6 rebounds in just 15 minutes. Reggie Evans and Eduardo Najera each grabbed 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, but it wasn’t enough.

Player of the Game: Earl Boykins

26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Next Game: Sunday (12/31/06) at home vs. Dallas at 7:00 pm MST. Note that this will be the last game the Nuggets play with the “new” ball.

On Thursday night, the Nuggets went on to beat Seattle at home in a 112-98 win. Nuggets head coach George Karl picked up his 800th career win with this victory. There were a lot of injuries and missing players for both sides. For Seattle, Rashard Lewis (hand) and Ray Allen (celebrating the birth of his second child) did not play, and Robert Swift is out for season. Danny Fortson didn’t suit up either. For Denver, there was Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith out (still serving suspensions), Marcus Camby out (finger), and Nene out. In place of Nene, Jamal Sampson got the starting spot at center.

Denver outrebounded Seattle 46-33, and they shot a higher percentage. Those two things were the top reasons Denver won the game, aside from Allen Iverson going off. Denver also got to the free throw line 7 more times than Seattle, thanks to Allen Iverson (who shot 9-12 from the line).

Leading the way for the banged up Sonics was Damien Wilkins, who finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. Luke Ridnour ended up with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists while Earl Watson finished with 15 points and 7 assists. Second year man Johan Petro brought a lot of energy off the bench as well, and he finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Credit needs to be given to guard Mike Wilks as well, who did a pretty solid job with guarding Allen Iverson. Defensively, Wilks did a better job on Iverson than Ridnour and Watson combined. Wilks ended up with 8 points as well.

For Denver, “The Answer” Allen Iverson was phenominal. He was scoring from everywhere and anywhere on the floor, and he made some terrific passes. Iverson finished with 44 points and 10 assists. Earl Boykins came off the bench and played fantastic once again, and the little man finished with 24 points . You want rebounding? We have that too, in Reggie Evans, who grabbed 18 boards to go along with his 9 points. Jamal Sampson got the start at center, due to Camby and Nene being injured, and he did a respectable job. Sampson finished with 7 points and 9 rebounds in just 17 minutes.

Player of the Game: Allen Iverson

44 points, 10 assists

Next Game: Tonight (12/29/06) @ New Orleans/Oklahoma City at 6:00 pm MST.

Last night, the Nuggets got the first win of the Allen Iverson era in a 116-105 home win over the young and banged up Boston Celtics. The little guys, Allen Iverson and Earl Boykins, each played outstanding games tonight, as both went for 28 points. The Nuggets really set the tempo and they got the Celtics into big time foul trouble. Denver shot 43 free throws, while Boston only had a chance to shoot 27 of them.

For Boston, some of the young guys played well. Al Jefferson continued his strong play with 16 points and 15 boards while Tony Allen did a little bit of everything with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Young Gerald Green also had a solid game with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. The young Celtics were very active, but they couldn’t get it done.

Iverson and Boykins weren’t the only bright spots for the Nuggtets:

• Reggie Evans came off the bench for a great double-double performance of 14 points and 14 rebounds.
• Nene scored 12 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots. Nene really played an excellent, physical game tonight.
• Eduardo Najera also had himself a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds), and he brought a ton of energy.

Player of the Game: Allen Iverson

28 points, 13 assists, 4 steals

Next Game: Thursday (12/28/06) at home vs. Seattle at 8:30 pm MST.

A week ago, on Wednesday (December 20th), the Denver Nuggets’ home game vs. the Phoenix Suns was postponed due to weather conditions. The game has been rescheduled, and it will be made up on February 5, 2007 at 7:00 pm MST at the Pepsi Center.

Nuggets center Marcus Camby will not be in the lineup until after the holidays due to a broken bone in his right ring finger. Losing Camby is a huge loss for Denver. He is very athletic, he’s a leader, he is a very good rebounder, he’s a very good low post defender, and he’s an excellent shot blocker. Having Camby out, along with the losses of Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith (serving suspensions for the brawl in New York) will be tough. It seems Iverson came just in time.

Camby is currently 4th in the NBA in blocks per game (2.7 bpg) and 5th in rebounds per game (11.0 rpg). Young Nene will start at center until Camby returns.