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

DALLAS (AP) — 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.

Read More: Nene Hilario (C – DEN), Danilo Gallinari (F – DEN), Ty Lawson (G – DEN), Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets

According to Nuggets beat writer Aaron Lopez, the team’s injury situation is improving:

PF Nene practiced Friday and looks ready for Monday’s opener in Dallas. [Ty Lawson] (ankle) also expects to play vs. Mavs.

Lopez added that he believes both players will be in Denver’s starting lineup when the team opens the regular season on Dec. 26 against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. Nene has been hampered by a hamstring injury, while Lawson injured an ankle in practice on Wednesday; both have been considered day-to-day injuries. Lawson is getting four full days of rest between the injury and the season opener.

The team defeated the Phoenix Suns 110-85 in its preseason tuneup on Thursday night. Danilo Gallinari led the team in scoring in the absence of Lawson and Nene.

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

Read More: George Karl (H – DEN), Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have been all over the NBA preseason power rankings this week, from as low as No. 19 to as high as No. 5. ESPN’s Marc Stein finally checks in with his own just two days before the start of the season. After finishing at No. 6 in Stein’s last edition all those months ago, the Nuggets open as the No. 9 team, believing that there’s too much of a disparity between a great season and one of doom and gloom:

I hear fretting about the $110 million investment in Nene and Afflalo. I hear Hollinger has the Nuggets forecasted to be the second-best team in the West. I would suggest Denver’s fate lies somewhere between such proclamations of doom and dominance.

That’s a fair take on the team entering the season. Concerns over how the team will work together after a sizable roster turnover fail to take into account that George Karl now has a team capable of doing what he wants: being a fast team that attacks the basket.

Only the Oklahoma City Thunder rank higher among the Northwest Division teams. They are the No. 3 team, behind only the No. 1 Dallas Mavericks and the No. 2 Miami Heat. Will the Thunder be able to shove their way past the Mavericks and make it to the Finals against the Heat?

For more on the Denver Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs. Keep up with the rest of the league by visit SB Nation NBA.