| 17 March 2009
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(Denver-CO) The Denver Nuggets falling from grace by losing eight of their 15 games post All-Star break and giving the Nuggets Nation a real scare may have been a good thing. Winners of their last three straight, the Nuggets are a stronger team now then when they were 20 games above .500 and the Mile High City was buzzing with good NBA vibes.
Denver has found a jack of all trades in Renaldo Balkman. “The Perfect Stranger” is averaging an amazing 13.3 points and 10.8 rebounds over his last five games and that includes a perplexing DNP against the Houston Rockets. The Bird is flying higher than ever. Andersen is currently averaging the second highest blocked shot per game clip in the NBA and is doing so in half the minutes of his closest competition. Carmelo’s running for substitutions and running up box scores. Chauncey’s handing out double digit assists again. The King of Park Hill handed out nine dimes in both games prior to Denver’s latest victory over the Nets and Mr. Big Shot handed out ten assists for the first time since mid January against New Jersey in Denver's third straight win. Nene is regaining his swagger after injuring his knee. Big Brazil is averaging 14.4 points and better than eight rebounds over the last five games, but it’s his two steals per game during this stretch that has really given the Nuggets a boost defensively. Kenyon Martin is slowly getting back into the fold after his back went south on him. J.R. Smith continues to surprise with his recent rash of maturity. The Prodigy is scoring over 16 points per game in the last five games, but it’s his nearly 50% from behind the arch mainly due to a vastly improved shot selection and nearly 30 minutes of burn from George Karl that proves he may be finally growing up. Anthony Carter’s consistency is a godsend. AC is handing out the second most assists per game (4.7) of players coming off the bench league-wide and has a 2.5:1 assist to turnover ratio.
Nuggets Nation, this team is prime for big things.
Their first challenge is to stop a six-game road losing streak against a team they have dominated: the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets have won their last six meetings against Memphis who has lost 13 of their last 15 games and are the league’s worst offensive team with an NBA worst average of just 93.3 points per game. In both Denver victories this season the Nuggets have scored 100 points while keeping the Grizzlies to 90 points or fewer.
One bright spot for Memphis against the Nuggets has been rookie guard O.J. Mayo. “The Juice” has “spread” an average of 25 points per contest against the Nuggets this year, including a 31 point out burst in the earlier of the two meetings. O.J. is averaging 18.8 points per game in his rookie season while leading the Grizzlies and all NBA rookies in scoring. Mayo also leads the Grizzlies in minutes played per game and free-throw shooting percentage.
For the Nuggets to win against the Grizzlies while sweeping the season series for the second straight year it will take another tremendous effort defensively. Offensive juggernauts the Grizzlies are not, but with the Nuggets holding them to a combined 37% shooting in their last two meetings the recipe for victory seems pretty simple. Part of keeping the Grizzlies from scoring many points is limiting them to one shot per offensive possession. The Nuggets have accomplished this due to the Denver defense having outstanding showings while they have won the rebounding battle by a combined total of 96-79, and allowing Memphis a total of just 17 offensive boards. This facet of the game, if won by the Nuggets again, will almost ensure a big night offensively for Denver. In their last three games, Denver has had at least five players score in double figures while allowing their opponents fewer than 100 points.
Missing the correlation?
When Denver plays defense it jump starts their transition offense and gets everyone in on the scoring act.
So, the best case scenario for the Nuggets is to have LK, “The Perfect Stranger”, ‘Melo, Bird, Big Brazil, and K-Mart out in transition and where Mr. Big Shot, AC, and the Prodigy can find them as the Nuggets win their fourth straight game for the fifth time this season while maintaining their grip on the Northwest Divisional race and home court advantage come playoff time.
Go Nuggets! 
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