| 09 March 2009
(Denver-CO) What in the hell was that, Nuggets Nation? And that's not a rhetorical question either, I want answers to why this team is playing so badly right now in the comments section! The Denver Nuggets completely bombed up in Sacramento like a prop comic as they trailed from wire-to-wire against the NBA's worst team record wise and lost, 114-106. It was a showing so sorry that it prompted Altitude color commentator, Scott Hastings to call it, "The worst loss of the season."
I'll save you the optimistic spin on an otherwise crap performance and cut right to the bone with this recap. First off, the Nuggets started off by falling behind, 8-0, in the first 2:15 of the first quarter after a turnover on their first possession and missing their first five shots. Those first three minutes were a prelude to one of the worst quarters of play all season long. Denver allowed 35 points to be scored on them in the quarter, six of the eight Kings who saw action scored, recorded only two assists, and failed to create either a steal or block a shot. The Nuggets trailed after the first twelve minutes by ten points, 35-25.
Puke!
Things weren't much better at the half.
The Nuggets once again failed to win the quarter and found themselves down by 12 at intermission. The Denver scouting report obviously didn't include the fact that Sacramento is a decent three-point shooting team as the Nuggets seemed shocked that another team in the NBA could shoot it from behind the semicircle as the Kings were 8-16 from downtown at the break. For Denver, that would suffice as an excuse, but for me, and anyone else with a high NBA IQ, it isn't good enough because the overall FG%'s were actually quite comparable at the break with Sac-town shooting 47.8% to Denver's 44%. The real problem Denver was facing was self-imposed. The Nuggets were trying to do things the hard way offensively. With only five assists through two quarters of play, it was obvious that the Nuggets were playing selfish basketball. I can't even tell you how many times Denver came down the floor and with one, or maybe even two, passes hoisted a quick shot because the frequency was too high. 'Melo, J.R., Chauncey, and Nene are all guilty of this. In fact, the only person who I can say isn't flat-out guilty as charged in this regard is Johan Petro; and even he, although he only shot the ball twice, is not outside the realm of being charged with such a crime as his first shot was a swooping - not in the offensive game plan - hook with 13 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
And if the Nuggets' problems only stopped there...
To allow 71 points in a half to a team that averages less than 100 is a shame. The Kings also tied a season low for a half with just two turnovers in the opening two quarters and that alone, without any directly intended disrespect to Sacramento, is a stat that should give the Nuggets a real wake up call on the defensive end. Denver played absolutely no on-ball pressure defense in the first half. Hell, the Kings are even without their starting point guard, Beno Udrih! So, to not force more than two turnovers against a team that has only won 13 games coming into this contest and is without their starting point guard is deplorable.
The third quarter left me disinterested. I was about to change the channel and start thinking up ways to describe an uninspired team, coach included, with basically their whole season hanging in the balance.
Denver trailed by 17 points mid way through the third quarter and I was in disbelief. I halfway expected Denver to come out with some passion in the first three minutes of the third, but instead the Nuggets just kept spinning their wheels. The Nuggets somehow manage to cut the lead down to six, 106-100, with just two minutes remaining in regulation, but the spirited effort sparked by J.R. Smith was too little too late. Smith did everything he could, including scoring ten of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets once again weren't able to sleep walk their way through a game and pull out a victory.
Three Kings scored 20+ points led by Kevin Martin's 26 points, Andres Nocioni's 23, and Spencer Hawes' 20 and as a team shot over 50% from the field. And yes, Carmelo did score 32 points and Chauncey added 22, but the Nuggets as whole were terrible on offense handing out just 13 assists.
And here's where it starts to really get ugly...
The Nuggets have lost six straight on the road, now have relinquished the division's leader spot to Utah, have slid from the third seed all the way down to the seventh in the playoff picture, and have lost seven of their last ten games.
You tell me where the silver lining is in that!
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