| 27 December 2009
(Denver-CO) The Christmas spirit didn’t travel with the Nuggets to Portland. Denver was stingy sharing the basketball, couldn’t stop Brandon Roy from playing scrooge, and former Nuggets came back to haunt them like the ghosts of Christmases past as they fell to the Trailblazers, 107-96.
Here’s who deserved presents and who deserved a big fat lump of coal in their stocking:
Presents
- Carmelo Anthony - ‘Melo deserves a gift because he brings the Nuggets Nation one every night he shows up to the arena. Carmelo finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and four assists against the Trailblazers.
- Kenyon Martin - Kenyon Martin continues to be one of the only Nuggets that actually plays a sustained level of NBA defense. For this reason alone he deserves presents this holiday season, but for his fifth double-double of the year he deserves one for this game too. Kenyon finished with twelve points and 14 rebounds and was the only Nugget big to grab more than three rebounds.
- Chauncey Billups - Chauncey played for just a half after coming back from a strained groin and gave us a scare in the second quarter when he appeared to come up a little bit lame. It was later reported that he was sitting out just as a precautionary measure, but the Nuggets went to pieces without him (per usual). Mr. Big Shot gets presents because he handed out five of Denver’s eight assists in the first half before the Nuggets completely stopped sharing the ball in the second.
Lumps of coal
- Nene - Somebody needs to tell Big Brazil to stop playing so small. The Nuggets' starting center finished with three measly rebounds and nine points in 36 minutes. Overall he was -19 +/- and I think we’re all getting a little bit tired of his rebounding (or lack thereof) practices. I mean, Portland doesn’t even have a center right now! Start the trade rumors…
- Anthony Carter - I know this may be a little harsh to give a guy who hasn’t had consistent playing time a lump of coal in his stocking, but after not handing out a single assist when that’s what he’s in the game to do sure is a dry piece of prime rib to swallow. It didn’t help his case having to watch former Nuggets, Steve Blake and Andre Miller, and second-year player Jarryd Bayless, combine for more assists (16) than the Nuggets combined total (14).
- Chris Andersen - Zero points. Zero assists. One rebound. Had it not been for the five blocks and two steals Chris Andersen provided in 19 minutes of burn I’m not sure I even remember him playing in this game.
This game was pretty typical of games played on Christmas: one team wants to win and the other usually says at one point we want to go home and be with our families. In the case of the Nuggets, it was the second half when they decided to become the latter. Denver was doing such a shoddy job defending the pick and roll that Brandon Roy was actually looking around in amazement after each falling jump shot. Roy finished with 41 points on a career-high for made field goals (16).
My hats off to Portland for the way they played with just eight players dressed. Their spirited effort on both sides of the floor was indicative of a team that doesn’t feel sorry for themselves despite all their injuries. And when I look at the Portland Trailblazers Schedule and their overall record, I can’t help but feel a bit concerned as they’re just a game back in the division as the Nuggets are getting ready to play a back-to-back set with the second game being on the road in a notoriously hard place to play.
Here’s who deserved presents and who deserved a big fat lump of coal in their stocking:
Presents
- Carmelo Anthony - ‘Melo deserves a gift because he brings the Nuggets Nation one every night he shows up to the arena. Carmelo finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and four assists against the Trailblazers.
- Kenyon Martin - Kenyon Martin continues to be one of the only Nuggets that actually plays a sustained level of NBA defense. For this reason alone he deserves presents this holiday season, but for his fifth double-double of the year he deserves one for this game too. Kenyon finished with twelve points and 14 rebounds and was the only Nugget big to grab more than three rebounds.
- Chauncey Billups - Chauncey played for just a half after coming back from a strained groin and gave us a scare in the second quarter when he appeared to come up a little bit lame. It was later reported that he was sitting out just as a precautionary measure, but the Nuggets went to pieces without him (per usual). Mr. Big Shot gets presents because he handed out five of Denver’s eight assists in the first half before the Nuggets completely stopped sharing the ball in the second.
Lumps of coal
- Nene - Somebody needs to tell Big Brazil to stop playing so small. The Nuggets' starting center finished with three measly rebounds and nine points in 36 minutes. Overall he was -19 +/- and I think we’re all getting a little bit tired of his rebounding (or lack thereof) practices. I mean, Portland doesn’t even have a center right now! Start the trade rumors…
- Anthony Carter - I know this may be a little harsh to give a guy who hasn’t had consistent playing time a lump of coal in his stocking, but after not handing out a single assist when that’s what he’s in the game to do sure is a dry piece of prime rib to swallow. It didn’t help his case having to watch former Nuggets, Steve Blake and Andre Miller, and second-year player Jarryd Bayless, combine for more assists (16) than the Nuggets combined total (14).
- Chris Andersen - Zero points. Zero assists. One rebound. Had it not been for the five blocks and two steals Chris Andersen provided in 19 minutes of burn I’m not sure I even remember him playing in this game.
This game was pretty typical of games played on Christmas: one team wants to win and the other usually says at one point we want to go home and be with our families. In the case of the Nuggets, it was the second half when they decided to become the latter. Denver was doing such a shoddy job defending the pick and roll that Brandon Roy was actually looking around in amazement after each falling jump shot. Roy finished with 41 points on a career-high for made field goals (16).
My hats off to Portland for the way they played with just eight players dressed. Their spirited effort on both sides of the floor was indicative of a team that doesn’t feel sorry for themselves despite all their injuries. And when I look at the Portland Trailblazers Schedule and their overall record, I can’t help but feel a bit concerned as they’re just a game back in the division as the Nuggets are getting ready to play a back-to-back set with the second game being on the road in a notoriously hard place to play.
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