| 20 March 2009
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(Denver-CO) The Denver Nuggets should be able to extend their current four-game win streak tonight in the Can and tie a season-high total of five straight wins against the lowly Wizards. This is a team the Nuggets have beaten easily once already this season and a team Carmelo Anthony has enjoyed a lot of success against, including scoring a career-high 49 points last season.
In their first meeting of the season Denver had seven different Nuggets reach double figures offensively led by Carmelo’s 23 points. I think a quote from my recap sums up the entire game perfectly, “The mood in the Verizon Center was somber as Wizard fans seemed more interested in the entertainment during timeouts than they were during the actual game in the second half. No bother, the Nuggets were going to put on a 34-point offensive exhibition in the third quarter consisting of all facets of the game. Highlights were Chauncey Billups mercilessly draining a three to get things started and, perhaps not wanting to be left out of the long distance party, Carmelo Anthony tossing in another trey right after to open up a 26-point lead with 9:30 to play in the third. What happened next was so nasty I had to get up and brush my teeth. Carmelo Anthony went streaking down the right sideline on the fast break and right about at the three-point line tossed a lob to Dahntay Jones who not only caught the pass from way above his head, but also pulled it back for exclamation and to dodge a weak attempt to stop the alley-oop, before slamming it through the goal with disrespect!” The Nuggets shot a blistering 56% from the field in that contest and were once up by as many as 36 points.
However, this time around, this game has much larger implications. Denver is among seven teams grappling for the second seed in the Western Conference and any slip up by any of those seven teams could drop them from potentially holding home court advantage in the first round to facing a highly seeded playoff juggernaut.
So, tonight I would like to see four quarters of solid basketball. Not a spectacular performance by a couple of Nuggets in any one aspect, but a decent effort on both ends of the floor by everyone who plays. The Nuggets really slouched their way through that near-loss in Memphis and although they won that game I feel it was a step back in many ways. The Nuggets can not get into the habit of sleep walking through games while thinking they can pour it on to pull out wins in the fourth quarter when the playoffs roll around. They were doing this a lot pre All-Star break and it didn’t hurt them, but once the post All-Star break slump had fully mired this team in worry I really do think that kind of lackadaisical attitude played a big role in said skid. How else can you explain losing to so many sub .500 teams when you’re as talented as the Nuggets?
And what makes this game one that should not be overlooked is the Wizards are, in all actuality, a very talented ball club. Antawn Jamison should be a role model for Carmelo Anthony. The former Tarheel and NCAA Collegiate Player of the Year is averaging better than 21 points per game and nine rebounds this season with a super-efficient average of 1.6 turnovers per game. He plays consistent defense and does all this in a PG 13 demeanor. Meanwhile, Caron Butler may be making his first appearance back since missing his third straight game in Washington’s most recent defeat at the hands of the Clippers on Wednesday night. Butler is averaging 20.2 points and 6.2 rebounds this season.
But, regardless of having two All-Star caliber players on the roster, the Wizards are an extremely young team. With six players 23 or younger and four players who didn’t attend college, the Wizards are a team that hasn’t quite yet learned how to win consistently in the NBA. They have a tendency to clock out of games early if you take control of the momentum and allow a lot of blow outs. In fact, 32 of Washington’s 53 losses have come by more than 10 points with many in the 15-20 range.
With all that being said, the Nuggets need to win this game for a couple of different reasons. First off, we already know how tight the playoff race is in the West. A loss to a team like the Wizards would be a disaster if and when it comes down to a game or two here and there deciding who has home court in the first round. In addition to that, the Nuggets are about to pack their bags for a three-game southwest road trip that includes the Suns, Hornets, and Mavericks next week. This is the last set of consecutive road games of the regular season for the Nuggets and a perfect opportunity for Denver to re-establish some confidence outside of the Pepsi Center. It may not seem like more than just a win or a loss either way, but trust me when I say heading on that road trip will be a lot easier on a five-game winning streak versus a bad loss to a bad team like the Wizards.
Go Nuggets! 
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