24 Little Hours

(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

(Boulder-CO) What a difference a day makes. After getting humbled by the Boston Celtics by 26 points last night, tonight the Nuggets were the ones holding the switch as they whipped the Wizards by the exact same margin, 118-92.

The major difference in tonight’s game versus the debacle the night before was the focus on team work. The Nuggets passed out 32 assists and had seven players score in double figures tonight. Along with the shared offensive load, the Nuggets all chipped in defensively with nine different players recording a steal.

Honestly, this team tonight didn’t even look like the team from the night before!

The Nuggets shot 51% from the field, 48% from downtown, 84% from the line, and not a single player played 40 minutes. Guys gave quality minutes and relied on their teammates to do their job. And when guys got beat, teammates stepped up! Denver held the Wizards to just 38% from the field and limited Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison to a combined 56 points.

It was almost like if um… if Denver played like a, what’s the word…. Oh yea! A TEAM!! And leading this team were the duo of Marcus Camby and Carmelo Anthony.

The Captain just missed a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals in just 31 minutes. Carmelo scored a game-high 32 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished five dimes, and stole three balls in only 35. But more importantly, it was ‘Melo ingniting 16 points and Marcus Camby locking it down defensively in the third quarter that cemented the win for the Nuggets. Led by their captains, Denver pushed it into a completely different gear after leading by nine at the half and pasted the Wizards, 33-11, in the third allowing them to coast to an easy victory.

Hallelujah!

Next up for the Nuggets is a visit to Canseco Field House for a match-up with the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night. Tail end of back-to-back games for both teams with the Pacers losing tonight to the Bobcats, 96-87.

Go Nuggets!