Big update here to end the regular season.
Denver Nuggets make history in season finaleApril 18th, 2013DENVER, CO -- In front of a frenzied crowd at the Pepsi Center, the Denver Nuggets made league history as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 127-90 to win their 73rd game, eclipsing the 72-10 record set by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls during the 1995/1996 season. The Nuggets were led by Andre Iguodala, who scored 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists, as well as rookie Andrew Begley who scored a career high 22 points while adding five rebounds and 18 assists.
Before this year, the best record the Nuggets had compiled in an NBA season was 54-28, which they reached in both the 1988 and 2009 seasons. As a member of the ABA, they posted a 65-16 record during the 1975 season before losing in the Division Finals.
Two Nuggets rumoured to be among award winnersApril 18th, 2013DENVER, CO -- Although the winners of the 2013 Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards have yet to be officially announced, rumour has it they have been won by Denver Nuggets players Andre Iguodala and Andrew Begley respectively. Iguodala has enjoyed a fine first season in Denver, averaging 22.6 ppg, 5.4 apg and 6.0 apg while shooting a blistering 65.1% from the field and 56.9 % from three point range during the course of the year, leading the Nuggets to a record setting 73-9 season.
Starting in place of the injured Ty Lawson at point guard, Begley has also had an impressive year. He has tallied four 20+ assist games including a club record 24 assists against the Chicago Bulls, been named Western Conference Rookie of the Month three times and finished second in the league with 10.4 apg, while also adding 10.8 ppg on 51.7% shooting, along with a solid 4.7 rpg, 1.3 spg and 0.5 bpg. He also had a streak of 27 straight double-doubles before falling one assist short against the Portland Trailblazers on April 14th.
An immediately popular player in Denver where he is affectionately known as A-Train, many were surprised when Begley was not named Rookie of the Month for April after posting averages of 15.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 14.3 apg, 1.6 spg and 0.5 bpg while shooting an amazing 76% from the field, 71.4% from downtown and 85.7% from the free throw line.
Iguodala was an All-Star for the first time last season while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, the team that drafted him in 2004. He was dealt to Denver in the trade that sent Andrew Bynum to the 76ers and former Orlando Magic center to the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason, following his successful stint with the USA basketball team that captured gold at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
All-NBA, All-Defensive & All-Rookie Teams AnnouncedNEW YORK, NY -- The NBA has announced the players who have been selected for the All-NBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams for the 2012/2013 season.
All-NBA First TeamG: Kyrie Irving, CLE
G: Russell Westbrook, OKC
F: Andre Iguodala, DEN
F: LeBron James, MIA
C: Dwight Howard, LAL
All-NBA Second TeamG: Dwyane Wade, MIA
G: Brandon Jennings, MIL
F: Kevin Love, MIN
F: Josh Smith, ATL
C: Brook Lopez, BKN
All-NBA Third TeamG: Chris Paul, LAC
G: Kobe Bryant, LAL
F: Blake Griffin, LAC
F: Carmelo Anthony, NY
C: DeMarcus Cousins, SAC
All-Defensive First TeamG: Paul George, IND
G: Dwyane Wade, MIA
F: Josh Smith
F: Serge Ibaka
C: Dwight Howard
All-Defensive Second TeamG: Chris Paul, LAC
G: Stephen Curry, GS
F: Paul Millsap, UTA
F: Kris Humphries, BKN
C: Anthony Davis, NOH
All-Rookie First TeamG: Andrew Begley, DEN
C: Anthony Davis, NOH
G: Damian Lillard, POR
G: Dion Waiters, CLE
F: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, CHA
All-Rookie Second TeamF: Thomas Robinson, SAC
G: Bradley Beal, WAS
F: Harrison Barnes, GS
G: Terrence Ross, TOR
F: Jared Sullinger, BOS
On Track With A-TrainFollow the life of an NBA rookie with our top pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Aussie Andrew "A-Train" Begley!April 18th, 2013A-Train and the Nuggets raced ahead of Goran Dragic and the Suns to win their record 73rd game of the seasonBring on the Playoffs!
Morale couldn't be higher right now after we finished the regular season making history. Once again, it feels weird to have broken a record set by the team that was my favourite growing up, but I'm immensely proud of what we've been able to accomplish so far. Still a long way to go though; although this has obviously earned us a place in the record books, it doesn't mean nearly as much without a ring to go with it.
There's a lot of buzz and excitement at the moment and a lot of you have been hitting me up on Twitter with some questions, so I'll tackle them one by one.
Yes, I'm a little disappointed I couldn't keep my double-double streak unbroken through the end of the season. Like I've said before, I don't play for stats but at the same time I do take pride in what I do and it was a little frustrating to finish just one assist shy in the Blazers game. The most important thing is we got the win though and I think I finished the season pretty well with the past couple of games.
Yes, I've heard the rumours that I'll be named Rookie of the Year. No, I don't know any more than you do right now but needless to say, that would be a huge honour if it happens. Being named to the All-Rookie First Team was huge for me and I couldn't be more stoked about that, but Rookie of the Year would be icing on the cake. We'll see what happens though.
Should I have won Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the third time in a row? Well, I thought I had a pretty good month in April and of course as a team we kept on rolling, but I don't want to take anything away from Anthony Davis, who had a fine month himself and a really good season so far. I appreciate everyone who's been speaking out on my behalf, but I've already been given a lot of kudos so far and I just want to focus on the next step, our run at the championship.
As for Iggy winning the MVP, I've heard those rumours too and I think he absolutely deserves it. It'd definitely be something special if both of those rumours are true and we can each take home some hardware, though once again we currently have our eye on another trophy, one that the whole team can enjoy and be proud of.
I can't wait for the Playoffs to begin. Thanks again for all your support Nuggets fans, the ride is not over yet! I hope you're watching when we tip off the postseason against the Timberwolves but for the moment, check out my 2K Style magazine cover. Yes, the fellas are absolutely ribbing me over it. Not too much though...they want those passes to keep on coming!
- A-TrainAndrew's Season Stats (April 18th, 2013)G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TPG | FPG |
82 | 67 | 34.7 | 10.8 | 4.7 | 10.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.517 | 0.322 | 0.793 | 3.5 | 2.2 |
Current Record: 73-9Recent Games of NoteSome recent noteworthy performances.
April 17th, 2013: 41 minutes, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 18 assists, 2 steals, 1 block (127-90 win over the Phoenix Suns)
April 15th, 2013: 41 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 20 assists, 3 steals (129-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks)
April 14th, 2013: 40 minutes, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (121-75 win over the Portland Trail Blazers)
April 12th, 2013: 39 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal (108-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks)
April 10th, 2013: 37 minutes, 20 points, 3 rebounds, 15 assists, 4 steals, 1 block (127-094 win over the San Antonio Spurs)
April 6th, 2013: 37 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 steal (126-99 win over the Houston Rockets)
Video HighlightsPlayer of the Game Highlight Reel vs the Phoenix SunsExtended Highlight Reel vs the Phoenix SunsAround the NBA2013 Playoffs BracketEASTMiami Heat (1) vs Atlanta Hawks (8)
Chicago Bulls (4) vs Indiana Pacers (5)
Philadelphia 76ers (3) vs Washington Wizards (6)
Brooklyn Nets (2) vs Toronto Raptors (7)
WESTDenver Nuggets (1) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (8)
San Antonio Spurs (4) vs Golden State Warriors (5)
Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs Los Angeles Clippers (6)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2) vs Phoenix Suns (7)
Leaders through April 18th, 2013POINTS1. Kevin Durant, OKC (28.3 ppg)
2. Russell Westbrook, OKC (27.0 ppg)
3. Kyrie Irving, CLE (26.8 ppg)
4. Dwight Howard, LAL (26.1 ppg)
5. Dwyane Wade, MIA (25.6 ppg)
REBOUNDS1. Dwight Howard, LAL (13.4 rpg)
2. Blake Griffin, LAC (11.3 rpg)
3. Kevin Love, MIN (11.2 rpg)
4. Joakim Noah, CHI (10.9 rpg)
5. Kenneth Faried, DEN (10.5 rpg)
ASSISTS1. Goran Dragic, PHO (10.8 apg)
2. Andrew Begley, DEN (10.4 apg)
2. Rajon Rondo, BOS (9.8 apg)
4. Kyle Lowry, TOR (9.2 apg)
5. Brandon Jennings, MIL (9.1 apg)
STEALS1. Stephen Curry, GSW (2.3 spg)
2. Chris Paul, LAC (2.1 spg)
3. Ricky Rubio, MIA (2.0 spg)
4. Rajon Rondo, BOS (2.0 spg)
5. Goran Dragic, PHO (1.8 spg)
BLOCKS1. Dwight Howard, LAL (2.4 bpg)
2. Brook Lopez, BKN (2.3 bpg)
3. Serge Ibaka, OKC (2.0 bpg)
4. DeAndre Jordan, LAC (1.9 bpg)
5. Anthony Davis, NO (1.9 bpg)
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE1. JaVale McGee, DEN (0.660)
2. Kenneth Faried, DEN (0.654)
3. Andre Igoudala, DEN (0.651)
4. Dwight Howard, LAL (0.618)
5. Danilo Gallinari, DEN (0.581)
THREE POINT PERCENTAGE1. Danilo Gallinari, DEN (0.609)
2. Andre Iguodala, DEN (0.569)
3. Terrence Ross, TOR (0.482)
4. Jared Dudley, PHO (0.471)
5. Luke Babbitt, POR (0.469)
FREE THROW PERCENTAGE1. Luke Ridnour, MIN (0.942)
2. Jamal Crawford, LAC (0.923)
3. Mo Williams, UTA (0.915)
4. Kevin Garnett, BOS (0.904)
5. Stephen Curry, GS (0.900)
Noteworthy InjuriesEvan Turner, PHI (Torn Meniscus, 1-2 Weeks)
Jeff Taylor, CHA (Torn MCL, 6-8 Months)
Luc Mbah-a-Moute, MIL (Torn MCL, 4-6 Months)
Chris Bosh, MIA (Severe Ankle Sprain, 2-4 Weeks)
Ray Allen, MIA (Torn MCL, 6-8 Months)
Randy Foye, UTA (Separated Shoulder, 1-2 Weeks)
Francisco Garcia, SAC (Torn MCL, 8-10 Months)
Metta World Peace, LAL (Sprained Shoudler, 1-2 Weeks)
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL (Broken Arm, 6-8 Weeks)
Chris Kaman, DAL (Strained Abdomen, 1-2 Weeks)
Ty Lawson, DEN (Sore Knee, 4-6 months)
D.J. Augustin, IND (Torn Hamstring, 6-8 Weeks)
Jason Maxiell, DET (Broken Arm, 1-2 Weeks)
JuJuan Johnson, SA (Broken Arm, 4-6 Weeks)
Luis Scola, PHO (Torn Hand Ligament, Day-to-Day)
James Harden, OKC (Sprained Finger, Day-to-Day)
LaMarcus Aldridge, POR (Torn MCL, 4-6 Months)
Emeka Okafor, WAS (Strained Achilles, 6-8 Months)
2012/2013 TransactionsBulls trade: Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler
Mavericks trade: Vince Carter
Knicks trade: Raymond Felton, 2014 2nd Round Pick
Nets trade: MarShon Brooks, Donte Greene
Mavericks trade: Elton Brand
Grizzlies trade: Darrell Arthur
Mavericks trade: Delonte West, Jared Cunningham
Knicks trade: J.R. Smith
Knicks trade: Ronnie Brewer
Lakers trade: 2014 2nd Round Pick, Earl Clark
Bulls trade: Kirk Hinrich
Celtics trade: Courtney Lee, 2014 2nd Round Pick
Clippers trade: Matt Barnes
Jazz trade: Raja Bell, 2014 2nd Round Pick
Celtics trade: Jeff Green, Brandon Bass
Raptors trade: Jose Calderon, Amir Johnson
Knicks trade: Marcus Camby, 2013 2nd Round Pick
Mavericks trade: Dahntay Jones
Rockets trade: JuJuan Johnson
Spurs trade: Gary Neal, 2013 2nd Round Pick