Signs of Relief?
Denver, CO – Not only have the Denver Nuggets played without their leading scorer for the last six games, but they’ve also dealt with a difficult portion of their schedule, facing six straight winning teams.
They’ll finally get some relief on Tuesday, as a visit from the lowly Sacramento Kings should give the Nuggets a good chance to avoid what would be their second three-game losing streak of the season.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Nuggets -10 point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against the Kings. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 71% of more than 205 bets for this game have been placed on the Nuggets -10.
Denver has gone 3-3 since Carmelo Anthony fractured his right hand on Jan. 5 against Indiana – not a bad record considering the club’s opponents over that stretch. All six teams are currently over .500, with perennial contenders Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix among them.
They also faced perhaps the NBA’s hottest team on Saturday, losing 106-88 to Orlando. While they nearly bounced back Monday at Houston, the Nuggets (27-15) lost 115-113, leaving Denver’s coaches and players upset about a questionable call late.
Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza found Nene for what appeared to be a go-ahead dunk in the final 10 seconds, but Kleiza was called for an offensive foul and Kenyon Martin missed two free throws to seal Denver’s fate.
"(Kleiza) made a great play," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "It was a great play that won the game. We’re just going to go home without a win."
"We had great effort," the coach added. "… There are losses that are good losses. Tonight was a good loss. We did a lot of things well."
J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 24 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range in his best performance since Anthony’s injury. Smith, who shot 1-of-14 against Dallas last Tuesday and was 2-of-13 in the loss to the Magic, is hoping Monday’s performance marks the end of his slump.
"I tried to do what I do," Smith said. "Just keep shooting, just try to get my rhythm."
Nene added 23 points and 12 rebounds, bouncing back from a four-point effort against Orlando, while Martin scored 22 points. Martin had reached 20 points just once in his first 31 games this season, but he’s now done it three times in his last seven contests.
The Nuggets could again have the chance to put up big numbers against Sacramento, which ranks 29th in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 107.4 points per game.
Milwaukee scored at least 30 points in each quarter of its 129-122 win over the Kings on Friday, as Sacramento lost for the 13th time in its last 16 games despite four of its players scoring at least 20 points.
Kevin Martin and John Salmons each scored 24 points, but it wasn’t enough to bring Sacramento (10-31) back from a 19-point deficit after the first quarter.
"For some odd reason we have a bad start when are at home. I don’t know exactly why," said forward Jason Thompson, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds. "I think the guys are so comfortable with being here that they may not do the little things we do on the road."
But the Kings have been even worse on the road, as they needed three overtimes to end their 12-game road losing streak last Wednesday with a 135-133 win at Golden State. They’re still just 3-17 away from home this season.
They won their last game at Denver, riding Kevin Martin’s 36 points and overcoming 47 from Anthony to earn a 118-115 victory last April 5. But Sacramento shot just 29.3 percent at home in a 118-85 loss to the Nuggets on Dec. 6 to open this season’s series.
Did you like this article? Subscribe to our Basketball news feed for the fastest updates delivered right to you – Click here to Subscribe
Posted: 1/20/09 2:00AM ET