Kings-Nuggets Preview

By KATE HEDLIN

STATS Writer

(AP) — The Denver Nuggets played well in their back-to-back-to-back stretch. The Sacramento Kings are hoping things start looking up after a rough start to theirs.

The Nuggets will try to keep their perfect home record intact when they face the Kings on Wednesday night.

Denver (4-2) opened a stretch of three games in three nights with a 92-89 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, but bounced back with a 99-90 win over the Lakers the following night before recording a 91-86 victory over Milwaukee on Monday.

The Nuggets, playing without starting forward Nene (bruised heel), showed signs of fatigue, shooting 39.8 percent while committing 16 turnovers, but outscored the Bucks 23-12 in the fourth quarter.

Danilo Gallinari finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Ty Lawson had 16 points and six assists.

“They didn’t look like they had three games in three nights,” Milwaukee’s Stephen Jackson said. “That says a lot about how good of shape they’re in, and they didn’t have Nene, so you’ve got to credit them for that.”

The win was Denver’s third in as many home games this season. They shut down the Bucks in the fourth quarter after holding the Lakers to 19 points in the final period on Sunday. Those teams shot a combined 40.9 percent and were 9 of 42 (21.4 percent) from 3-point range.

“In the fourth quarter it’s very easy to find extra energy,” Gallinari said of feeding off the crowd. “You have a tight game, you want to win, especially at home.”

Gallinari has elevated his play of late, collecting 41 points, 14 rebounds and five steals in the last two games. He had 34 points and 14 boards in his three previous contests.

The Nuggets may need another big game from him if Nene is sidelined again Wednesday, although Al Harrington has been playing effectively off the bench. He had 17 points and eight boards Monday and is averaging 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Like Denver, Sacramento (2-4) began its back-to-back-to-back series with a 113-96 loss to Memphis on Tuesday, but it could have a tougher time bouncing back.

The Kings were outscored 31-17 in the first quarter, shooting 5 of 20. Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored a season-high 17 points, shooting 4 of 6 from 3-point range, while J.J. Hickson contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench and had four points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes. Cousins was told on Sunday to stay away from the team by coach Paul Westphal after demanding a trade.

“I wouldn’t say it’s resolved,” Westphal said before the game. “We will see how it plays out. I think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire to go the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that happens.”

Cousins is third on the team with 11.2 points per game and adds 10.6 rebounds.

Sacramento will close this three-game stretch Thursday against Milwaukee. The Kings starters should be rested after Westphal pulled most of them early Tuesday. No starter played more than 27 minutes.

The Kings have lost four of five overall against the Nuggets and five straight in Denver since a 118-115 win on April 5, 2008.

Updated January 4, 2012

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The Denver Nuggets played well in their back-to-back-to-back stretch. The
Sacramento Kings are hoping things start looking up after a rough start to
theirs.

The Nuggets will try to keep their perfect home record intact when they face
the Kings on Wednesday night.

Denver (4-2) opened a stretch of three games in three nights with a 92-89
road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, but bounced back with a 99-90
win over the Lakers the following night before recording a 91-86 victory over
Milwaukee on Monday.

The Nuggets, playing without starting forward Nene (bruised heel), showed
signs of fatigue, shooting 39.8 percent while committing 16 turnovers, but
outscored the Bucks 23-12 in the fourth quarter.

Danilo Gallinari finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Ty Lawson had
16 points and six assists.

“They didn’t look like they had three games in three nights,” Milwaukee’s
Stephen Jackson said. “That says a lot about how good of shape they’re in, and
they didn’t have Nene, so you’ve got to credit them for that.”

The win was Denver’s third in as many home games this season. They shut down
the Bucks in the fourth quarter after holding the Lakers to 19 points in the
final period on Sunday. Those teams shot a combined 40.9 percent and were 9 of
42 (21.4 percent) from 3-point range.

“In the fourth quarter it’s very easy to find extra energy,” Gallinari said
of feeding off the crowd. “You have a tight game, you want to win, especially at
home.”

Gallinari has elevated his play of late, collecting 41 points, 14 rebounds
and five steals in the last two games. He had 34 points and 14 boards in his
three previous contests.

The Nuggets may need another big game from him if Nene is sidelined again
Wednesday, although Al Harrington has been playing effectively off the bench. He
had 17 points and eight boards Monday and is averaging 15.7 points and 6.5
rebounds.

Like Denver, Sacramento (2-4) began its back-to-back-to-back series with a
113-96 loss to Memphis on Tuesday, but it could have a tougher time bouncing
back.

The Kings were outscored 31-17 in the first quarter, shooting 5 of 20.
Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored a season-high 17 points, shooting 4 of 6 from
3-point range, while J.J. Hickson contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench and had four points and eight rebounds
in 22 minutes. Cousins was told on Sunday to stay away from the team by coach
Paul Westphal after demanding a trade.

“I wouldn’t say it’s resolved,” Westphal said before the game. “We will see
how it plays out. I think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire
to go the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that happens.”

Cousins is third on the team with 11.2 points per game and adds 10.6
rebounds.

Sacramento will close this three-game stretch Thursday against Milwaukee.
The Kings starters should be rested after Westphal pulled most of them early
Tuesday. No starter played more than 27 minutes.

The Kings have lost four of five overall against the Nuggets and five
straight in Denver since a 118-115 win on April 5, 2008.

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That’s all the news for today.

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CBSSports.com wire reports
Dec. 26, 2011

DALLAS — Ty Lawson and the Denver Nuggets opened their season with a performance that sent a clear message to the rest of the NBA.

Not about them. About the Dallas Mavericks.

The reigning champions have quickly become a team everyone wants to play. There’s no telling which is worse right now, their offense or defense, their conditioning or chemistry, as they were drubbed for a second straight game, losing 115-93 to the Nuggets on Monday night.

Dallas gave up 20 straight points in the second quarter and had a stretch of 14 straight missed shots during a 9:52 drought between baskets. It was so bad that their player of the game, Sean Williams, threw up when he left the court.

Williams, the 13th and final guy off the bench, was so gassed from scoring 12 points in 11 energetic minutes that he vomited in front of the team’s bench. Teammates and owner Mark Cuban laughed, and fans in the area gave a light-hearted standing ovation while an usher mopped up the mess.

Williams wasn’t sick, just not quite in game shape because of the lockout. Of course, the way things are going for Dallas, plenty of jokes were made about that being an editorial statement about their performance.

“We look old and slow and out of shape — a bad combination,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 20 points and sat out the entire fourth quarter for a second straight game, yet another indication of how bad things are going. “I still think this team has a lot of potential. But we have to turn the corner.”

The Mavs trailed by 33 in the third quarter, a day after being down by 35 in the third quarter against Miami. Counting a pair of preseason games against Oklahoma City, Dallas has been behind by at least 23 points in every game since being crowned champs.

There are plenty of reasons to choose from: an overhaul of their rotation, the shortened training camp and other teams being motivated to take them down.

“We’re not comfortable with each other on both ends of the floor,” Shawn Marion said. “We’re trying to get acclimated and you can tell it’s not flowing the way it should be and there’s going to be some bumps.”

The challenge for coach Rick Carlisle is finding the right combination of players. He’s trying to squeeze in Lamar Odom, Vince Carter and Delonte West to replace Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and others, all with little practice time. Carlisle already has seen a lack of trust on defense, and that throws everything else out of whack.

“We’re going to recharge tomorrow, have a hell of a practice on Wednesday and then we’ve got to go up to Oklahoma City and we’re going to have to play a lot better,” Carlisle said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Nuggets hope this was an indication of what they can be like when they have everything clicking, regardless of the foe.

Lawson made 8 of 9 shots in the first half, and finished with 27 points. Andre Miller and Al Harrington each scored 18 points off the bench, and Denver’s deep, athletic roster scored on 19 of its 25 possessions in the second quarter.

“We’ve been jelling real quick,” Lawson said. “I knew we’d come out strong. … That’s when we’re good, when we get out and run. It’s my job to make sure the tempo is fast and guys are running in those lanes.”

Denver made only 12 baskets in the second half, but it hardly mattered. The Nuggets led by 27 at halftime, and stretched it during the third quarter.

“It’s way too early to get crazy but it felt good,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.

Danilo Gallinari had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Arron Afflalo scored 11.

Dallas was so out of sync that fans were booing before halftime. The jeers came when a turnover near midcourt turned into a three-on-none fast break for Denver. The Nuggets had enjoyed so many easy baskets at that point that they didn’t even bother doing anything fancy, with Gallinari softly tossing the ball to Harrington for a routine dunk that made it 65-41.

For Dallas, Jason Kidd scored 12 points, Carter scored 11 and Rodrigue Beaubois scored 10. Aside from Nowitzki and Kidd, the other three starters (Marion, Brendan Haywood and West) scored a combined 11 points.

Odom scored three points, making only 1 of 10 shots.

“We look like a team that’s new,” he said.

Williams played with as much intensity as he could muster because this is his second time in the NBA. After being told he wouldn’t return, he’s trying to prove he has staying power.

Leaving the way he did isn’t the kind of mark he’s trying to make.

Williams actually started losing it while on the court. He caught it in his mouth and hustled off with his cheeks full. He couldn’t make it to the tunnel, or even a trash can.

“It was awkward, man, pretty awkward,” he said. “It’s never happened to me before — not ever, even in a practice.”

Notes

• Dallas is 0-2 for the first time since 2006-07, which is also the last time the Mavs were coming off a trip to the NBA Finals. That team actually went 0-4, yet wound up winning 67 games.
• Denver got Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer in a trade from Dallas during training camp. Fernandez scored eight points and Brewer had five.
• The Mavs forced a shot-clock violation on the opening possession of the second half and drew one of the biggest cheers of the night. They ended up keeping the Nuggets below 30 points in the quarter, yet Denver grew its lead anyway.
• Kenyon Martin, a Dallas native and former Denver star, watched from the stands.
• West started at shooting guard instead of Carter, who started on opening night. Jason Terry replaced West to start the second half.

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Read More: Corey Brewer (G – DEN), Andre Miller (G – DEN), Hakim Warrick (F – PHO), Steve Nash (G – PHO), Jared Dudley (G – PHO), Arron Afflalo (G – DEN), Danilo Gallinari (F – DEN), Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are gearing up for the NBA regular season in fashion, as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 110-85 on Thursday night to close out the two-game preseason schedule. The Nuggets also beat the Suns on Dec. 20, and now they can go into their regular season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 26 with at least a little bit of momentum.

Denver got off to a really strong start on Thursday night before letting the Suns get back into things, but they got ahold of the lead once again in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth. Late in the third quarter, the Nuggets were leading 77-71, but they proceeded to go on a 18-3 run that basically put the game out of Phoenix’s reach.

Danilo Gallinari powered the Nuggets’ offense with 23 points, and Corey Brewer came off the bench to put up 20 points. The team’s starting backcourt, Andre Miller and Arron Afflalo, struggled with its shot, making just 4 of 16 attempts, but Miller did throw up another double-digit assist total. 

The Suns struggled offensively for most of the night, with Steve Nash competing the game with just five points. The team shot a combined 37 percent from the field, 30 percent from three-point range and 63 percent from the free throw line, so in general this was just one of those nights for Phoenix. Jared Dudley led the team in scoring with 17 points and Hakim Warrick scored 15 off the bench, but it was a lackluster effort in general.

For more on the Denver Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. To keep up with the rest of the league, head over to SB Nation NBA.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Read More: Hakim Warrick (F – PHO), Steve Nash (G – PHO), Robin Lopez (C – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets

The Phoenix Suns played a much better half of basketball on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets than they did on Tuesday. After trailing 26-16 after the first quarter the Suns outscored the Nuggets 34-26 in the second quarter to finish the first half down 52-50.

You don’t want to read too much into it, preseason rotations and all, but the Suns cleaned up a lot of their issues from Tuesday night and finished the half minus-one in both total rebounds (24-23) and turnovers (9-8). Phoenix held Denver to 41 percent shooting from the field but still gave up 24 points in the paint. 

Hakim Warrick continues to make a case for more playing time. His outside shot is still falling and his work in the post earned him numerous trips to the line. He led the Suns at the half with 13 points on 4-7 shooting and 5-8 from the line.

Robin Lopez started off the game very active with a block of Timofey Mozgov on the first possession and then an offensive rebound on the other end. His activity on the glass drew two fouls and he recorded 3 points, 2 rebounds and a block in just 3:34 of action before being replaced by Markieff Morris. Lopez didn’t put up big numbers but was a defensive presence with solid rotations and good post defense.

The rookie Markieff Morris was very impressive on both ends of the floor although his on-ball defense is definitely a work in progress. He showed no hesitation looking for his offense and led the team in first quarter shot attempts with six attempted and three made. He drew fouls and recorded 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in his 11 minutes.

Ronnie Price was the first guard in off the bench for Steve Nash and while he didn’t make mistakes, the Nuggets lead ballooned from 3 to 10 in just two minutes with Nash on the bench. Things picked up in the second quarter and the deficit was back down to four when Nash checked in with six minutes left in the half.

With Nash on the bench, the Suns either ran the ball through the post with Warrick getting several touches and handling them well. If Phoenix did run pick and roll, Shannon Brown was the ball handler instead of Price.

In the second quarter with the starters back in, Phoenix mixed up the point of attack nicely and definitely had a nice flow going with Jared Dudley and Grant Hill on the floor together with Nash, Warrick and Lopez. 

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