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(Denver-CO) The Denver Nuggets are out to their best start in 24 years with their fourth victory in an as many tries after bullying the Pacers, 111-93. Carmelo Anthony finished with a mechanical 25 points and Chauncey added 24 more in an ugly win that allowed George Karl to rest his starters for a majority of the fourth quarter.
Denver completely dominated the first quarter defensively and Indiana never really recovered. The Nuggets held the Pacers to 6-27 shooting from the field, including 0-6 from three-point range, for a miserly total of 13 points in the first twelve minutes. Offensively for the Nuggets, Nene and Chauncey each scored nine points in the first quarter, but Carmelo Anthony struggled early with his outside shot converting on just 1-7 from the field as the Nuggets notched yet another 30 point quarter to open up a ball game.
Up by 19, the second unit plus Nene was unable to score for a three minute stretch early in the second quarter and what was once a 19 point lead was trimmed down to 13 with nine minutes remaining in the period before Arron Afflalo and Joey Graham formally introduced themselves to the Nuggets Nation. Afflalo scored the next seven straight points (including his first three) and Graham scored the next four consecutive points to put Denver back up by 20 with five minutes remaining in the half.
The Nuggets took a, 55-39, lead into halftime mainly because they played great defense. Indiana was held to just 32% from the field in the first half, including going 0-12 from downtown before finally tickling the twine. On a side note, Conseco Field house was about 15% full and quiet as a mouse in the first half. Maybe this was due to Denver’s suffocating defense in the first quarter, but the feeling was down right dull in Indiana.
Denver opened up the second half 0-8 from the field with their only points in the first four and a half minutes coming on Carmelo’s four made free-throws before Chauncey broke the seal with a three-pointer to put the Nuggets’ lead back up to twelve, 62-50, after Indiana had cut it to single digits for the first time since the early in the first period. For a moment there it looked as if Denver was going to allow the Pacers to claw their way back into the game they had no business being in, but it was at this point that Carmelo Anthony finally abandoned the jump shot. Anthony scored eight of his next ten points either at the free-throw line or on lay-ups by attacking the heart of the Pacer defense. Anthony shot eight free-throws total (making seven) in the third quarter and scored a total of 13 points to sustain the Nuggets from allowing the Pacers to get too close on the scoreboard.
And to be honest with you, the rest of this game was about as predictable as a conjugal visit. The Pacers scored a raggedy three points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter and by that time had fallen behind by 20 points after Afflalo and Graham combined to score ten of the Denver’s first 14 points of the quarter. And by the middle of the fourth, George Karl had the good sense to pull most of his starters with a 23 point lead.
Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 25 points, with the help of hitting 11-14 free-throw attempts, despite struggling shooting the ball from the field. Chauncey Billups added 24 points, including 5-7 from three-point range. But tonight was more of a coming out party for Nene, Arron Afflalo, and Joey Graham after Chauncey and ‘Melo have dominated the spotlight through three games. Nene recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Afflalo and Graham scored 15 points and nine points, respectively, as the Nugget bench combined provided 38 points in the, 111-93, win.
Denver also dominated the battle of the boards 56-44 and shot 33-41 from the free-throw line while holding the Pacers under 40% shooting from the field overall.
The easy win afforded George Karl the luxury of not having to play any starter other than Nene more than 30 minutes. And while that may seem like a small victory in an otherwise mechanical win, when you play three back-to-back sets, all on the road, in the span of nine days it may just be the most important aspect the Nuggets take with them from this mismatch of a contest.
Go Nuggets! 
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Hopefully we go into Jersey and send them packing with their tails between their legs, but I'm worried about Brook Lopez and Devin Harris wreaking havoc... not good matchups for us... Hopefully AC or someone can keep a handle on Harris because he'll light you up quick.