Denver Nuggets 2.0 [S2: 55-19]

[Kenny]

Glad to see you're still kicking ass!

Thanks man. I think I basically have this team how I like it now - at least in the key roles.

[Kenny]

All-Star Weekend: Part 2

Kobe and KD Dominate All-Star Game

The West once were once again victorious over the East thanks to huge performances by Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.

Kobe scored a game high 38 points off 16-36 shooting, but it was Kevin Durant who won the All-Star Game MVP. He was just one block away from a 5x5, as he had 27 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Along with Kobe and KD, Anthony Davis (16 points, 13 rebounds) and Dwight Howard (10 points, 18 rebounds) were strong in the paint.

Carmelo Anthony (23 points, 8 rebounds) and Paul George (21 points) were the top scorers for the East, while LeBron James (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Al Horford (11 points, 14 rebounds) each registered a double-double.

East Vs West

West: 119
(Bryant 38, Durant 27, Davis 16)
East: 111
(Anthony 23, George 21, James 19)

All-Star MVP: [OKC] Kevin Durant 27 points (10-25 FG) 9 rebounds 11 assists 5 steals 4 blocks

Rebounds

West: Howard 18
East: Horford 14

Assists

West: Durant 11
East: Irving 8

[Kenny]

Nuggets Part Ways With McGee

The Nuggets have waived JaVale McGee.

The decision to cut ties with the disgruntled centre has come after months of disagreements about McGee's role within the team. McGee became fed up with the organisation when Jusuf Nurkic was given the starting centre position.

With McGee waived, the Nuggets now have two roster spots remaining.

Nuggets Add Guard Depth Through Free Agency

Seth Curry and Jason Richardson couldn't be more different when it comes to their NBA playing experience, but they will team up in Denver. Both players signed a deal that will take them to the end of the season.

Curry has only played 2 games in the NBA prior to his signing, splitting his experience between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, a standout season with the Erie Bayhawks was enough for him to gain interest from several NBA teams.

As for Jason Richardson, the Nuggets will be the sixth stop in a career that has spanned over 15 years.

The Nuggets now have 15 players on their roster.

[Kevin]

Damn, I got excited when I saw the name Curry . Would be cool if you can develop him more as a shooter.

[Kenny]

Damn, I got excited when I saw the name Curry . Would be cool if you can develop him more as a shooter.

Yeah, I figured that might happen. If I'm honest, I pretty much signed him because of who his brother is. He's basically my Azubuike signing of this season

[Kenny]

4 Game Summary

The Nuggets lost their game against the Timberwolves directly after the All-Star Weekend, but that was their only blemish for the month of February, as they won their last three games against the Pelicans, Rockets and Thunder.

For the feature, there's some final second heroics from a veteran against the Pelicans.

J-Rich Saves Nuggets On Debut

The Nuggets came away with a 122-119 win against the Pelicans.

Gary Harris led the Nuggets once again with 30 points, but the big talking point of the game was the incredible 4th quarter from Jason Richardson. In his first game for the Nuggets, J-Rich scored 20 points, which included the game winning 3. Richardson hit 4-5 from beyond the arc in the 4th quarter to help the Nuggets overcome an 11-point deficit. The Nuggets also got good production from Mario Hezonja (16) and David Lee (16), while Ty Lawson put up another double-double with 15 points and 13 assists.

The Pelicans got a lot of points from their backcourt, with Jrue Holiday (31) nad Eric Gordon (22) combining for 53. But the Pelicans major advantage throughout the game came through Anthony Davis. Davis almost recorded a 20-20 with 19 points and 19 rebounds. The Brow also sent away 3 shots. Tyreke Evans (15 points 9 assists) also had a great impact for the Pelicans.

NOP@DEN

DEN: 122
(Harris 30, Richardson 20, Hezonja 16)
NOP: 119
(Holiday 31, Gordon 22, Davis 19)

Jordan Performer of the Game: Gary Harris 30 points (11-24 FG) 6 rebounds 5 assists 1 steal 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Harris 6
NOP: Davis 19

Assists

DEN: Lawson 13
NOP: Evans, Holiday 9

Last 4 Games

@MIN: 112-107 L
NOP: 122-119 W
HOU: 124-110 W
OKC: 130-108 W

Overall: 42-16

Highlights

Ty Lawson is now the holder of a franchise record. Against the Rockets, he was good for 27 assists, which eclipsed Fat Lever's previous record of 23.

Gary Harris continues to push his claim for the NBA's Most Improved Player trophy. Against the Thunder, he had 25 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks. Harris currently leads the Nuggets in scoring with 18 points per game over the season.

Erick Green is getting quite a reputation in Denver for being an impact player who can keep the Nuggets in the game. Against the Timberwolves, Green's 17 points and 8 assists gave the Nuggets a chance in the 4th. Unfortunately they were unable to capitalise.

Injuries

Jusuf Nurkic - Sprained Ankle, 2-4 weeks (Hurt)

Next 5 Games

@PHX
@LAL
DAL
@UTA
MEM

[Kenny]

February 2016 Summary

The Nuggets had another fantastic month, dropping just one game after the All-Star Weekend. They are nine games clear of the next best team in the West, the Golden State Warriors. Ever since the David Lee trade, the Nuggets and the Warriors have been the hottest teams in the league. However, neither team can get complacent, as the Western Conference is stacked with teams that could potentially hold up the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the season.

The Nuggets will face quite a road schedule in March, with seven of their first ten fames to be played away from Denver. It will be a great chance to prove their championship credentials.

Standings

East

Chicago 37-22
Miami 36-22
Toronto 34-25
Philadelphia 31-25
Indiana 31-28
Boston 29-29
Cleveland 29-29
Milwaukee 28-31
---
Washington 28-32
Detroit 27-33
Charlotte 25-31
Atlanta 26-34
Orlando 24-35
Brooklyn 21-37
New York 20-39


West

Denver 42-16
Golden State 33-23
San Antonio 34-24
Houston 33-26
Memphis 32-26
LA Clippers 31-26
Oklahoma City 32-27
Minnesota 30-28
---
LA Lakers 29-30
Portland 28-30
Phoenix 26-31
Sacramento 27-33
Utah 26-32
Dallas 25-36
New Orleans 22-36

Monthly Awards

Player
East: [IND] Paul George
West: [LAL] Kobe Bryant

Rookie
East: [CHA] Emmanuel Mudiay
West: [LAC] Andrew Harrison

Trades

Toronto received: Shaun Livingston, 2017 Second Round Pick
Golden State received: Greivis Vasquez

Miami received: Lucas Nogueira
Toronto received: Justin Hamilton

Signings

DEN: Seth Curry 1yr/$2.05M
DEN: Jason Richardson 1yr/$1.34M

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

The Nuggets offense was nothing short of incredible over the last five games. They managed to score 120+ in all five games, while only allowing 100+ in their game against the Suns.

Needless to say, there have been a lot of blowouts, but none bigger than the one against the Dallas Mavericks.

Nuggets Team Effort Overwhelms Mavericks

The Nuggets did some major flexing in their astonishing 131-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Ten of Denver's twelve active players scored in double digits.

They Nuggets were initally led by Gary Harris and Wilson Chandler, who scored 15 points each. However, with the game quickly turning into a blowout, the Nuggets were able to give extended time to their players on the bench. Erick Green added 14 points, while Jermaine O'Neal scored 12. Five players for the Nuggets (Seth Curry, Derrick Williams, Mario Hezonja, Shawn Marion and Ty Lawson) scored 11 points, and seldom-used forward Jerami Grant added 10.

The Mavericks had very few answers for the Nuggets and their distribution of scoring was proof of that. Patty Mills was the top scorer with 17 points, but shot an inefficient 7-19 from the field. Mo Williams (13 points, 6 assists) and J.J. Barea (12) both had solid contributions from the back court, while Carl Landry (11 points, 8 rebounds) was the only front-court player to make any kind of impact on offense.

Despite the nature of the win, it wasn't all good news for the Denver Nuggets. In the third quarter, Derrick Williams fell to the floor after going for an offensive rebound. He was diagnosed with a severely sprained ankle and will be out until early-to-mid April.

DAL@DEN

DEN: 131
(Chandler 15, Harris 15, Green 14)
DAL: 88
(Mills 17, M Williams 13, Barea 12)

Jordan Performer of the Game: Gary Harris 15 points (6-10 FG) 1 rebound 5 assists 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: O'Neal 10
DAL: Chandler, Landry, Parsons 8

Assists

DEN: Curry, Lawson 8
DAL: M Williams 6

Last 5 Games

@PHX: 122-117 W
@LAL: 122-93 W
DAL: 131-88 W
@UTA: 122-82 W
MEM: 121-97 W

Overall: 47-16

Highlights

The Birdman was outstanding in the last two games for the Nuggets. With both Nurkic and O'Neal sitting out with ankle injuries, Andersen put up 10 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks against the Jazz. He followed that performance up with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks against the Grizzlies. Not bad for a guy who's retiring at the end of the season.

Wilson Chandler was also great in the win against the Grizzlies. He had 31 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He may an overlooked player on this roster, but he's certainly a valuable player on any given night.

Jermaine O'Neal is continuing to revive his career with the Nuggets. O'Neal was one of the best players in the win over the Suns. He contributed 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

He may not have the reputation of his older brother, but Seth Curry proved against the Lakers that he can get on a hot streak as well. Curry added 15 points and shot 3-3 from beyond the arc.

Injuries

Derrick Williams - Sprained Ankle, 2-4 weeks (Out)
Jusuf Nurkic - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Jermaine O'Neal - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)

Next 5 Games

IND
@TOR
@WAS
@MIA
@ATL

[Lamrock]

Looks like you're going to break the win record set by the 2012-13 team! Hopefully you have more playoff success...

[Kenny]

Looks like you're going to break the win record set by the 2012-13 team! Hopefully you have more playoff success...

Here's hoping. The Spurs are a little too close to the 8th seed for my liking, but I think my team is slightly better this year.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

The Nuggets stumbled against two Eastern Conference teams, with losses to the Pacers and the Heat. But, as the Nuggets have proven all year, it's hard to keep a great team down.

The feature is the game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Nuggets Win 50th Game

The Denver Nuggets picked up a 124-117 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

While the Nuggets only had four people in double figures - compared to Atlanta's six - three of them scored 20 or more. Gary Harris was the top scorer for Denver with 23 points. David Lee had a perfect game from the field, scoring 22 points off 10-10. Jason Richardson added 21, while Ty Lawson (19) narrowly missed becoming the 4th player with over 20 for the Nuggets, but he still managed to win the performer of the game with 15 assists and 5 steals.

Al Horford (24 points, 18 rebounds) and Jeff Teague (20 points, 6 assists) were the main contributors for the Hawks on offense. Kyle Korver added 13 off the bench, while Adreian Payne (9 rebounds) and Kent Bazemore scored 11 points each. Quincy Pondexter also had a minor contribution, with 10 points.

DEN@ATL

DEN: 124
(Harris 23, Lee 22, Richardson 21)
ATL: 117
(Horford 24, Teague 20, Korver 13)

Jordan Performer of the Game: Ty Lawson 19 points (8-13 FG) 15 assists 5 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Nurkic 11
ATL: Horford 18

Assists

DEN: Lawson 15
ATL: Teague 6

Last 5 Games

IND: 119-94 L
@TOR: 129-93 W
@WAS: 110-87 W
@MIA: 110-104 L
@ATL: 124-117 W

Overall: 50-18

Highlights

Can we just give Gary Harris the Most Improved Player award already? Against the Toronto Raptors, Harris had 33 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He's shaping up to be the steal of the 2014 Draft.

David Lee has well and truly proved his value since joining the Nuggets. He had 25 points and 9 rebounds against the Wizards. Lee is sure to be a highly sought after free agent this summer.

Jermaine O'Neal has surprised many with his resurgence in the second half of the season. Against the Heat, O'Neal had 23 points and 5 rebounds.

The Matrix gave Nuggets fans another glimpse of his versatility in the loss against Indiana. Marion tallied 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks.

Injuries

Derrick Williams - Sprained Ankle, 1-2 weeks (Hurt)
Wilson Chandler - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Chris Andersen - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)

Next 5 Games

@NOP
GSW
@MIN
@SAC
POR

[Kenny]

6 Game Summary

Aside from another loss to the Timberwolves - who are curiously in the 8th seed at the moment - it was all fairly easy for the Nuggets.

But the feature has to be the first encounter against the Warriors since the trade.

Nuggets Win Easily Against Warriors

The Nuggets earned a comprehensive 118-101 win over the Warriors.

Gary Harris ended up winning the shootout against Stephen Curry by scoring 39 points. Jusuf Nurkic (16 points 9 rebounds) was close to a double-double, while Ty Lawson (12 points 14 assists) registered his obligatory double-double. Seth Curry had one of his better games against his older brother, scoring 11 points off the bench.

Along with Stephen Curry's 31 points, a couple of ex-Nuggets players had a great impact for the Warriors. Arron Afflalo scored 18, while Kenneth Faried brought his usual energy and tallied a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Ognjen Kuzmic also put up a double-double performance with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

GSW@DEN

DEN: 118
(Harris 39, Nurkic 16, Lawson 12)
GSW: 101
(St. Curry 31, Afflalo 18, Faried 15)

Rebounds

DEN: Nurkic 9
GSW: Faried 16

Assists

DEN: Lawson 14
GSW: Vasquez 5

Last 6 Games

@NOP: 114-98 W
GSW: 118-101 W
@MIN: 112-105 L
@SAC: 100-85 W
POR: 124-86 W
SAC: 116-85 W

Overall: 55-19

Highlights

Gary Harris is just going from strength to strength this season. He was practically unstoppable against the Pelicans, with 38 points.

Jason Richardson is yet another NBA veteran having a late-career revival with the Denver Nuggets. He has been in superb form lately, averaging 17.8 points in his current stint. In the loss against Minnesota, J-Rich managed to keep the Nuggets in the game by scoring 28 points.

David Lee was dominant in the second game against the Kings. He had 22 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. When Lee is performing like this, in combination with Gary Harris, the Nuggets are almost impossible to beat.

With blowouts being a regular occurence, the Nuggets benchwarmers have gotten more playing time as a result. Against Portland, Jerami Grant exploded in the 4th quarter. The sophomore forward had 18 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal. Not bad for a guy who doesn't play every game.

Jusuf Nurkic's numbers aren't overly flattering this season, due to injuries and role inconsistencies, but he's starting to make an impact at the right time. In the first game against the Kings, he had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

Injuries

David Lee - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Derrick Williams - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Jermaine O'Neal - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)

Next 4 Games

LAL
@LAC
SAN
UTA

[Kenny]

March 2016 Summary

Thanks to another dominant month, the Nuggets will officially have the best record in the league, no matter how the last 8 games will pan out. However, they still can't afford to get complacent. The Nuggets first round exit against the Spurs in 2015 still remains fresh in the mind of everyone involved within the franchise.

In other news, Seth Curry was a controversial choice for the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. In fact, it has led many to question the rookie eligibility requirements within the NBA, since he played two games with the Grizzlies and the Cavaliers in the 2013-2014 season.

Denver can't allow the controversy surrounding Seth Curry to distract them from the job at hand. After all, the last month of the regular season could either set the Nuggets up for the championship or another early exit.

Standings

East

Miami 45-29
Chicago 44-30
Philadelphia 44-30
Toronto 43-31
Cleveland 40-34
Indiana 38-36
Milwaukee 35-39
Charlotte 34-39
---
Detroit 34-41
Boston 33-42
Washington 32-42
Orlando 32-43
Atlanta 30-44
Brooklyn 30-44
New York 27-47

West

Denver 55-19
Houston 44-30
Oklahoma City 44-30
Memphis 43-31
Golden State 42-32
LA Clippers 40-33
San Antonio 40-33
Minnesota 39-35
---
LA Lakers 36-39
Phoenix 34-39
Portland 33-41
New Orleans 32-43
Sacramento 31-44
Utah 30-44
Dallas 27-47

Monthly Awards

Player
East: [TOR] Kyle Lowry
West: [OKC] Kevin Durant

Rookie
East: [CHA] Emmanuel Mudiay
West: [DEN] Seth Curry

[Kevin]

Seth is a rookie?

Good luck with the remaining games and the playoffs, you're going to need it.

[Lamrock]

Excessive parity in the standings has always bugged me about 2K but congrats on the overall top seed. Don't pull a Denver and lose in round one!

[Martti.]

J-Rich and O'Neal are having their best seasons in years. Nice career revival. Also, Lee has been playing awesomely, that trade has worked out well for you. I had my doubts when you traded Faried, but you've proved me wrong.