Nuggets Get a Very Solid Win Over Cavs 110-99

The Nuggets, who were playing after a long 4-day vacation, took a 9-8 lead on an Iverson driving layup almost half way through the 1st quarter and led the game the rest of the way. The Nuggets led 88-70 after 3 quarters. In the 4th quarter, otherwise known as the Nugget's bermuda triangle, the Cavs pulled to within 5, 103-98, with about 3 minutes left, on back to back 3's from Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones. Fans were in anxiety that their team was about to lose another game at home despite having a big lead late in the game.

The Nuggets did not lose this game in the bermuda triangle though, as they did against the Hawks, the Knicks, and the Grizzlies earlier this season. None other than Nene, the Denver big man whose knee problems have been troubling the Nuggets all season, and who has played just 18 minutes a game on average, was fouled by LeBron James and he made both free throws. At the other end, Nene blocked a Marshall jumper, and Camby got one of his 14 rebounds. Back at the Nugget's end, Camby fed Nene for a slam dunk, and the Nuggets led 107-98 with 2:37 left.

During the 4th quarter collapses earlier this season, Nene and his knee were generally on the bench. This time he sealed the win for the Nuggets, who are now 11-10 at home and 8-7 on the road. The schedule gets tougher now, and this was the first of 3 pair of back to back nights. The Nuggets now make a quick trip to Houston to play the Rockets tomorrow night, and they will then come right back to Denver for the Melo return game on Monday night, against the Grizzlies.

The Cavaliers had a scoring slump that lasted half the game, from about halfway through the 1st until almost halfway through the 3rd. Donyell Marshall hit four 3's in the last 14 minutes of the game, and Damon Jones had two 3's in the 4th. The Cavs overall finished 9/19 from 3-point land, and .443 from the field overall. LeBron James was 9/23 and 12/14 from the line for 30 points, and he also had 10 assists, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals. This was the 10th triple-double of LeBron's career.

With SF Melo out on game 14 of the marathon 15 game suspension, and with none of the other forwards on the roster having outstanding seasons, George Karl logically played the forward positions by committee, dividing the playing time tonight into 4 almost exactly equal pieces, 1 piece each for Najera, Evans, Kleiza, and Nene.

With Najera failing to step up during the suspensions, and having a mediocre season at best overall, George Karl finally started Reggie Evans at forward instead of Najera. Evans played 22 minutes and was 4/7 and 0/1 from the line for 8 points, and he added 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Najera played 19 minutes and was 2/3 and 1/1 from the line for 5 points, and he added 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal , and 1 block.

Linas Kleiza played 21 minutes and was 4/7, 2/3 on 3's, and 2/2 from the line, for 12 points. And Nene played 21 minutes and was 2/6 from the field, and 5/6 from the line, for 9 points, and he added 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 assist.

Steve Blake started his second game at the point and was essentially crowded out of scoring opportunities by the solid shooting games from the rest of the Nuggets. In other words, the Nuggets did not need any miracle scoring from Blake to win this. He played for 35 minutes, and he was 2/7 and 2/4 on 3's for 6 points, and he had 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.

J.R. Smith's game is a basketball wonderland of dunks, alley oops, fast breaks, and frequent wide-open 3's, and it has returned to the Nuggets arsenal after 10 suspension games and two recharging games. Smith was suffering from the flu and missed the game day shootaround, but ended up playing a strong 26 minutes, and was 5/12, 1/5 on 3's, and 3/3 from the line, for 14 points. He also had 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Marcus Camby, whose defense in general, and rebounding and blocks in particular, have made him critical for the defensively challenged Nuggets, had a breakout superstar style game, shooting 12/19, and 2/2 from the line, for 26 points, and he added the 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and a steal. That type of performance is the kind that would be a key component of potential playoff wins against any of the big 6 powerhouses of the Western Conference.

Allen Iverson is playing with the wisdom and consistency of a veteran who has seen it all. Just as importantly, he is playing at the top of his game, holding nothing back from his new and appreciative teammates, coaches, and fans in Denver. You have to forgive the Nuggets fans if they can not conceive of Iverson as a disruptive influence, or as someone who takes too many shots, because there has not been even a hint of either of those traits since he arrived in Denver. Moreover, unless something very odd happens, it looks like the drama that some thought might take place with respect to the distribution of shots between Melo and A.I. is going to be a no show.

A.I. played for 42 minutes, and was 8/17, 0/1 on 3's, and 9/10 from the line, for 25 points, and he also had 9 assists, 3 rebounds, and a steal.

The next game is tomorrow night, Saturday January 20, at 6:30 mountain time, in Houston against the Rockets.