Nuggets Sink in Suspension Muck, Lose to Utah 96-84

Just when Nuggets fans and coaches thought that the miseries of the marathon suspensions couldn't get any worse, they did. The Nuggets failed to play a fully professional basketball game at home against their divisional archrival, the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets, confused by yet another new cast of starters, and playing with several players who had very little playing time until recently, had 5 turnovers in the first 3 1/2 minutes. George Karl had to call a very early timeout with the score 9-0 Jazz, and it was 12-0 before the Nuggets scored. The Nuggets ended up with 9 1st quarter turnovers, though they kept the total turnover count for the game to 18.

The Jazz first attempted to follow the Laker's storm the paint and go back out for undefended threes approach, seeking to bury the Nuggets with 3's and dunks. The Jazz led 27-16 at the end of the first quarter. However, Jazz accuracy from 3-point land was never up to last night's Laker rampage from downtown.

And then it got worse for the Jazz, as the second and third quarters progressed, and as they departed from their starting strategy and started to shoot mid-range jumpers. Utah's offense became less fluid, and there were lots of turnovers. The Jazz shooting percentage kept going down like the temperature on a winter night, until for a brief few seconds late in the 3rd quarter it dropped below .400 and also below the sorry accuracy the Nuggets were at. Harpring in the second quarter missed a bunch of shots, and Okur in the third quarter missed makeable shots and had several turnovers.

I was beginning to think that Utah might be humiliated by the crippled Nuggets. After A.I. sunk a 3 with 10 1/2 minutes to play, and Jamal Sampson dunked with 9 1/2 minutes to play, the Jazz lead was reduced to just 68-67. I could not believe what was happening.

But the Jazz finally did come up with a way to put the dagger in the back of the hapless Nuggets. Jerry Sloan's temper and blood pressure started to go through the roof with just the idea that the Jazz might lose to the pathetic Nuggets, who played more like a ragtag group of neighborhood misfits than a professional basketball team in the 1st half. Sloan told his top guy, CF Carlos Boozer, to put him, the Jazz, the Nuggets, and the fans out of their misery and finally end the poor excuse for a basketball game. Boozer proceeded to repeatedly drive to the hoop for easy layups, scoring 14 points in the quarter on 6/7 shooting, with two free throws as bonuses. Sloan's health was preserved, and the Utah lead over the Nuggets in the Northwest divison grew to a huge 6.5 games.

There are 6 teams in the League right now reporting no injuries, and Utah is one of them. That, and the fact that Utah picked up Carlos Boozer from Cleveland for next to nothing, are the top two reasons for the Jazz' surprising start this season. If you combine suspensions to J.R. Smith and Melo, with the injuries to Camby and Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets have to be the most devastated team taking the floor these days. With Camby and Melo out, the Nuggets are left with both very little scoring and very little defense in the front court. On paper, there are very few teams that the current Nuggets can beat; the loss of Camby is the last straw.

I have been thinking that Iverson might "take over" a few of the suspension games, and put up 30+ shots, but now I am understanding that, first, the Nugget's second teamers are not thinking enough of dishing to A.I., and second, opponents are simply smothering A.I. with double and even triple teams.

Among the forwards, it was Kleiza's turn to hit a few shots. Kleiza in 34 minutes was 5/9, 1/3 on 3's, and 6/8 from the line fir 17 points. Najera in 30 minutes was 4/7, 0/1 on 3's, and 1/2 from the line for 9 points, and he had 9 rebounds.

Nene started, but was yanked after playing just 18 minutes, probably due to the knee acting up again. He was 2/9, for 4 points, and he had 7 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Reggie Evans, whose inability to score has been almost as much a pain in the neck problem as Nene's knee or Camby's metacarpal, played 27 minutes and was 1/1, and 0/4 from the line for 2 points, but he did have 11 rebounds and 3 steals. Jamal Sampson, who had virtually no playing time until the suspensions and the Camby injury, played 15 minutes. He was 2/2, and 1/2 from the line, for 5 points, and he had 4 rebounds and 1 block.

Diawara has confounded George Karl's hopes by his totally inconsistent play, and has forced him to give alot more playing time to unknowns such as Sampson and Hodge. In his 23 minutes, Diawara was only 1/9, and 1/7 on 3's for 3 points, and he had 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Iverson was able to get his 8 assists on a squad that shot just .387. Smothered most of the night by double and even triple teams, he was 3 or 4 made shots short of his career average. Iverson was just 5/19, 1/7 on 3's, and 11/12 from the line for 22 points, and he had 5 rebounds and 2 steals to go with the 8 assists.

Boykins was essentially the only Nugget who had any scoring consistency. He is certainly playing well enough to be a starter on a team that needs a veteran point guard. He was 9/19, 2/8 on threes, and 2/3 from the line for 22 points, and he had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Once again, he prevented the score from becoming a 25-35 point rout.

With six more Melo suspension games still to come, and with Camby's metacarpal injury causing more huge problems, and with the Wolves, the Warriors, and the Kings now caught up with the Nuggets, it is becoming more and more likely that the Nuggets will be in an all out dogfight with those three teams for at least several weeks after Melo and J.R. return. Playoff berths are available for only two of the four.

After reaching 16-10 overall and 3-1 in suspension games two weeks ago, the Nuggets have lost 5 straight, and are now 16-15, and 3-6 in suspension games. Their most probable record had there been no suspensions is 6-3, so they have now probably lost a net 3 games due to the suspensions.

The next game is Monday Jan. 8 in Denver against the Bucks at 7 pm mountain time. The Bucks are healthy and unsuspended, so look out, though I think we've reached the point where things can't possibly get any worse.