POS. NO. PLAYER
HEIGHT WEIGHT
PPG RPG APG FG%(Points, Rebounds, & Assists Per Game, Field Goal Shooting %)
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
NUGGETS PROBABLE STARTERS
Small Forward 15 Carmelo Anthony
6-8, 230
2007-08: 24.0 3.4 5.4 .410
Had nine assists at New York on 11/6, his most since having a career-high-tying 10 at Milwaukee on 2/10/07.
Power Forward #4 Kenyon Martin
6-9, 240
2007-08: 8.5 5.5 0.3 .441
Recorded 3+ blocks in two of his three appearances this season, including four vs. New Orleans on 11/4.
Center #23 Marcus Camby
6-11, 235
2007-08: 10.4 15.6 3.0 .500
Has collected 10+ rebounds in the first four games of the regular season for the first time as a Denver Nugget.
Shooting Guard #43 Linas Kleiza
6-8, 235
2007-08: 9.8 3.0 0.8 .463
Started his first game of the season at New York on 11/6, scoring a season-high-tying 18 points on 8-13 shooting.
Point Guard #3 Allen Iverson
6-0, 165
2007-08: 25.2 3.4 7.8 .426
Topped the 30-point mark for the first time this season with 32 points (13-22 FG) at New York on 11/6.
(No highlights from the Celtics game? I wonder why!)
WIZARDS PROBABLE STARTERS
Small Forward #3 Caron Butler
6-7 228
2007-08: 20.0 9.3 0.7 .451
Scored a season-high 23 points vs. ORL (11/3)...Recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds on opening night at IND (10/31)...Was a first-time All-Star in 2007...Averaged career-highs last season in points per game (19.1), rebounds per game (7.4), assists per game (3.7), steals per game (2.1), and field goal percentage (.463).
Power Forward #4 Antawn Jamison
6-9 235
2007-08: 19.0 10.3 1.3 .295
Recorded his second double-double of the season (career, 182) with 10 points and 10 rebounds at BOS (11/2)...Scored a season-high 27 points and had a season-high 16 rebounds at IND (10/31)...Has been to the playoffs in all three seasons since he was traded to Washington...Selected to the NBA All-Star team in 2004-05.
Center #33 Brendan Haywood
7-0 263
2007-08: 10.0 13.7 1.0 .520
Is averaging a league-leading 8.3 offensive rebounds per game...Recorded a double-double in Washington’s first three games this season (first time in career with three consecutive double-doubles)...Had a career-high tying 16 rebounds vs, ORL (11/3)...Grabbed a career-high 11 offensive rebounds on opening night at IND (10/31).
Shooting Guard #2 DeShawn Stevenson
6-5 218
2007-08: 4.7 3.3 1.3 .263
Currently has the NBA’s third longest streak of consecutive games started (171), trailing only San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen and Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince...Registered career-high numbers in fg % (.461), three-point field goal percentage (.404) and assists per game (2.7) in 2006-07 with Washington.
Point Guard #0 Gilbert Arenas
6-4 215
2007-08: 21.7 5.3 4.0 .333
Scored 34 points on opening night at IND...Is a three-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA player (2005-07)…Set a new Washington franchise scoring record with 60 points at the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 17, 2006...Donates $100 for every point he scores in Wizards home games to a different DC area school each game.
TEAM STATS COMPARED
Points Per Game:
Denver.....102.4
Washington..90.0
Field Goal Accuracy
Denver......44.9
Washington..36.4
Rebounds Per Game:
Denver......44.0
Washington..47.0
Assists Per Game:
Denver......22.6
Washington..14.3
NUGGETS INJURY REPORT
OUT: Anthony Carter suffered a 3rd metacarpal fracture on his right hand and underwent successful surgery on 10/10. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks
OUT: Chucky Atkins suffered a severe right groin strain at Phoenix on 10/25 and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
OUT: Nene will have surgery on a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on Friday and will miss up to six weeks, the team announced on Thursday.
QUESTIONABLE: Mike Wilks suffered a right hamstring strain vs. New Orleans on 11/4 and did not play at New York on 11/6. He is considered questionable for tonight’s game.
WIZARDS INJURY REPORT:
OUT: Etan Thomas C Heart Out indefinitely. Could miss entire regular season
OUT: Oleksiy Pecherov C Ankle Out until at least mid-December
ON THE AIR:
Tonight’s game will be televised on Altitude 2 with Chris Marlowe and Scott Hastings handling the telecast. The game will be broadcast on KKFN AM 950, with Jerry Schemmel doing the play-by-play and Jason Kosmicki hosting the studio courtside.
KEY MATCHUPS:
SF Carmelo Anthony vs Caron Butler
Melo needs to double his 3.6 rpg rebounding during the Nene injury emergency and finish layups and dunks better. His shooting percentage has dropped to a NBA career low 41%, and he is averaging only 24 points per game so far, which puts him under last year and the year before in scoring. Meanwhile, Butler is off to a good start, especially on the boards. If Melo has another poor rebounding and/or another poor shooting night, the Nuggets are probably not going to win this game.
PG Allen Iverson vs Gilbert Arenas
Arenas is completing a rehab from knee surgery and is struggling at 21.7 points per game on .333 shooting. Iverson is at 25.2 points per game on .426 shooting. Both teams are weak in the guard department in general beyond their two star players, and it would be a big surprise if either team had a big night from any other guard. J.R. Smith is still working to remove the bench rust from his game. So most likely, as Iverson and Arenas go, so go the Nuggets and the Wizards respectively.
NUGGET'S KEYS TO VICTORY
Melo, Kenyon Martin, and either Najera or reserve C Steven Hunter have to be strong in rebounding or the Nuggets are in substantial trouble against this good rebounding team. The “let Camby handle the rebounding” attitude has got to stop now or the Nuggets are subject to continuing to lose games to the teams with good front courts.
Melo has to step it up. Melo’s numbers in the new season are no where near last year’s in scoring and rebounding so, obviously, he can do better. With the Nuggets in deep trouble due to injuries past and present, and due to the lack of a good offensive system, either Melo steps it up both offensively and defensively or the Nuggets are subject to losing to everybody except rebuilding teams. If Melo is double teamed all night, he's going to have to get about 10 boards or the Nuggets are in trouble.
Run planned or set plays. Have you noticed that the Nuggets have been scoring almost every time off time-outs, but in general seem to have an inconsistent and sometimes lame offense? That’s because the Nuggets are no longer a running team that doesn’t need set plays, yet they have the talent to succeed on plays scoped out in advance. If the Nugget’s coaches will not provide an offensive system, it’s time for A.I., Melo, and Camby to get together and plan the offense better on their own.
WIZARD'S KEYS TO VICTORY
Dominate up front and get a lot of second chance put backs, especially from Haywood, Butler, and Jamison. Losing Reggie Evans to a trade and losing Nene to an injury makes the Nuggets one of the more vulnerable teams in the NBA to second chance opportunities at the hoop.
Get out of the NBA cellar on 3-point shooting. The Nuggets are below average in defending the three and the Wizards haven’t gotten much of anything from beyond the arc so far this year. Until they do, they’re not going anywhere. This game is the Wizard’s opportunity to finally get going on 3-point shooting which is, along with good defense, two of the most important factors determining the ultimate fate of a team in the playoffs.
Double team either Melo or A.I.. Doubling Melo has been working out for everybody so far, so you are probably a fool if you don’t do it. Double A.I. if Melo is missing everything or is out with foul trouble or something. Try to get steals off of Iverson.
OVERALL PREDICTIONS
Great, PF Nene is out at least 6 weeks for thumb surgery and the first Center Camby and the Nuggets meet up with is Brendan Haywood, who is out of the box this season one of the best offensive rebounding and put back centers in the NBA. And neither PF Antawn Jamison nor SF Caron Butler are rebounding slouches either, so unless both K-Mart and Melo both rebound like hell, the Nuggets are going to be exposed by the Wizards front court. And unless PG Mike Wilks comes back from a hamstring, the Nuggets are going to continue, with three point guard injuries, to be severely shorthanded on guards. So the setup is there for the Nuggets 4th straight loss, and to a team playing on back to back nights no less. Gilbert Arenas Thursday night at New Jersey, playing after having water drained from his surgery repaired knee again, was 21 points on 7/17 with 6 assists and 4 boards. On the other hand, SG DeShawn Stevenson is off to a poor start and was not a factor again in the Wizards-Nets game. And the Wizards bench, except maybe PF Darius Songaila, is not a strong one by any stretch so far. If and only if Linas Kleiza or J.R. Smith or Eduardo Najera can produce off the bench, and Melo and Martin stay with Butler and Jamison, the Nuggets can stop the bleeding at 3 games straight lost. There is very little margin of error here, and the game should be very close. Whether and how well reserve C Steven Hunter and reserve GF Bobby Jones play will go a long way to determining the fate of the Nuggets. But if Melo has his third straight poor game, the Nuggets most likely lose no matter what Iverson or anyone else does.
DON'T TICK ME OFF MORE THAN USUAL GK
Play either Bobby Jones or Von Wafer at least 8 minutes, more if Jones or Wafer are good.
