Sat Dec 20, 2014 7:08 pm
Phil89 wrote:Andrew wrote:Sucks for the Blazers, but good for you and Faried.
Agreed. Nice reward for Boogie as well, getting to start.
I also wonder which team you controlled in the Rising Stars game. Harris enjoying a tiny bit of favouritism? (we've all done it)
Andrew wrote:We certainly have. I know I always try to get my guys the hardware when they're selected for All-Star events.
(I mean, come on, it's our virtual reality!)
Sat Dec 20, 2014 7:10 pm
Carmelo Anthony had a historic game in the East's 124-122 win over the West. Not only did Melo score the game winning layup, but he broke Wilt Chamberlain's 53 year old record by scoring 46 points. Along with Melo, Al Jefferson also had a standout game for the East. He had 21 points and 15 rebounds on debut. Kyrie Irving (19) and Dwyane Wade (18) were also dangerous, while Kyle Lowry had 10 points and 5 assists in his first All-Star game.
For the West, Kevin Durant was once again the key. Durant had 26 points and 7 assists. James Harden (20) and Ty Lawson (18) both had big contributions off the bench, while DeMarcus Cousins had a great battle in the paint with Al Jefferson. Boogie registered a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Blake Griffin also had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). Kobe got off to a good start, but went cold in the second half. He had 10 points off 5-16 from the field.
Although the All-Star Game was missing superstars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook, the fans in New York were treated to one of the all-time great offensive performances by their hometown hero Carmelo Anthony. It seemed fitting that Melo picked up his first All-Star MVP award at Madison Square Garden.
East Vs West
East: 124
(Anthony 46, Jefferson 21, Irving 19)
West: 122
(Durant 26, Harden 20, Lawson 18)
All-Star Game MVP: Carmelo Anthony 46 points (16-28 FG) 6 rebounds 4 assists 4 steals
Rebounds
East: Jefferson 15
West: Cousins 13
Assists
East: Lowry, Wade 5
West: Paul 12
Kenneth Faried didn't play a whole lot in his first All-Star Game, but this dunk in transition excited the New York fans. He ended up with 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and a block.
Sat Dec 20, 2014 7:15 pm
Trade Deadline 2015
Usually the trade deadline is the busiest time for GM's, as they look to acquire talent to help complement the strengths of their rosters. However, the 2015 Trade Deadline only involved three teams.
Birdman Flies Back to Denver in Three Team Trade
Chris "Birdman" Andersen will be heading back to the Mile High City, after the Nuggets acquired him in a trade, along a 2016 second round pick (Heat) and Mirza Teletovic (Nets), for J.J. Hickson (Heat) and Randy Foye (Nets).
This will be the Birdman's third stint in Denver. Most recently, Andersen was amnestied in 2012. Andersen's previous contract with the Nuggets ended in the 2013-2014 season, which allowed Denver to re-acquire him in this trade.
Andersen will be the first player to reappear on the team he was amnestied by.*** What the Nuggets Receive
The Nuggets were able to trade away two disgruntled players, with contracts that go beyond 2015, for a solid rotation centre and a stretch-four with an expiring contract.
While Teletovic's playing time is uncertain at this point, the Birdman will slot into the Nuggets' centre rotation, which currently includes JaVale McGee, Jusuf Nurkic and Kenneth Faried.
The second round pick in 2016 is another asset that they can use as a trade chip.What the Heat Receive
If the South Beach dynasty had one floor, it was in rebounding. The addition of J.J. Hickson will bolster the Heat's presense on the boards, as well as provide them with a solid third-or-fourth option on offense.What the Nets Receive
Randy Foye gives the Nets a much needed role player at the two. He will give the Nets the option of playing Joe Johnson at small forward and dropping Andrei Kirilenko back to the bench.
Azubuike Returns to the NBA; Signs with Nuggets
Swingman Kelenna Azubuike signed a deal with the Denver Nuggets that will take him to the end of the season.
With Randy Foye being traded away and Derrick Williams still recovering from an ankle injury, Azubuike could be a key signing for the Nuggets at this point of the season.
Azubuike last played with the Dallas Mavericks in 2012. He has career averages 10.5 points per game off 45.9% shooting from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc.
Around the League
Transactions in February
Chicago traded: Kirk Hinrich
Cleveland traded: Mike Miller
Minnesota traded: Anthony Bennett, 2016 1st Round Pick
Washington traded: Paul Pierce
Dallas traded: Raymond Felton, 2015 2nd Round Pick
Minnesota traded: Mo Williams
Milwaukee traded: Jerryd Bayless
New York traded: Iman Shumpert
Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:28 pm
Sun Dec 21, 2014 5:24 pm
Sun Dec 21, 2014 8:22 pm
Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:39 am
KevinParker13 wrote:Welcome back, Andersen!
Lamrock wrote:Birdman birdman. I like this trade a lot. Pretty lateral move on the court, though it's cool too see him with a third stint with the team. However, the big thing is a glorious cap savings!
Good luck fighting it out for a top playoff spot
Andrew wrote:Solid moves. Seems only right to bring back Birdman.
Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:45 am
5 Game Summary
The Nuggets didn't get off to the greatest start post-All-Star break. After winning against the Milwaukee Bucks, they lost by 10 or more against the Thunder, the Nets and the Suns. They managed to get back to winning ways against the West's bottom ranked team, the Utah Jazz.
With only two wins to choose from, the feature game this summary is going to be the win against the Jazz.
The Nuggets came away with a 91-84 win over the Utah Jazz. This win ended Denver's losing streak at three games.
Rather than relying on one individual performance, the Nuggets got solid offensive production by five players. Danilo Gallinari led the scoring with 16 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds on the night. Wilson Chandler wasn't far behind Gallinari with 15 points, while Arron Afflalo added 12. Both Kenneth Faried (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Ty Lawson (10 points, 13 assists) registered double-doubles for the Nuggets.
In complete contrast to the Denver Nuggets, the Utah Jazz relied heavily on rookie guard Dante Exum. Exum ended up with a season-high of 29 points, but did so off an inefficient 11-34 from the field. Exum was seemingly compensating for Gordon Hayward, who only shot 3-12. Alec Burks also had an off night (4-12) but ended up with 10 points, while Derrick Favors had 10 points and 16 rebounds.
UTA@DEN
DEN: 91
(Gallinari 16, Chandler 15, Afflalo 12)
UTA: 84
(Exum 29, Burks 10, Favors 10)
Jordan Performer of the Game: Ty Lawson 10 points (4-9 FG) 3 rebounds 13 assists 4 steals
Rebounds
DEN: Faried 12
UTA: Favors 16
Assists
DEN: Lawson 13
UTA: Exum 6
Last 5 Games
@MIL: 90-83 W
@OKC: 107-97 L
BKN: 114-78 L
PHX: 117-102 L
UTA: 91-84 W
Overall: 37-21
Wilson Chandler had a big performance against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. He had 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. However, like many players around the league, Chandler was in KD's shadow. The reigning MVP ended up with 41 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.
Kenneth Faried followed up his All-Star selection with a big night against the Bucks. The Manimal tallied 19 points and 13 rebounds.
The Nuggets night against the Nets was so woeful that Arron Afflalo was the only player in double figures. He scored 20 points.
There weren't a lot of positives in the loss against the Suns, but the return of JaVale McGee was definitely one of them. In his return from a sprained ankle, McGee ended up with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Injuries
Derrick Williams - Broken Ankle, Day-to-day (Out)
Ty Lawson - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Danilo Gallinari - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Chris Andersen - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Next 5 Games
NOP
MIL
@MIN
@SAN
HOU
Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:48 am
February 2015 Summary
Even though the Nuggets won the first three games they played in February, it ended up being a tough month. As well as dropping the last two games before the All-Star break, Denver also lost three of their last five post All-Star break. Overall, the Nuggets went .500 over the course of February, which was just enough to maintain a one game lead over the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference standings.
Standings
East
Chicago 41-18
Miami 37-21
Cleveland 35-25
Indiana 32-26
Atlanta 32-27
Brooklyn 30-28
Detroit 29-30
New York 28-31
---
Milwaukee 28-31
Toronto 28-31
Charlotte 24-32
Washington 25-35
Boston 23-33
Philadelphia 23-35
Orlando 17-43
West
Denver 37-21
Houston 36-22
Oklahoma City 36-23
Memphis 35-23
San Antonio 33-26
Minnesota 30-28
Phoenix 31-29
LA Lakers 29-28
---
Dallas 30-31
LA Clippers 29-30
Sacramento 27-30
Portland 27-31
Golden State 24-32
New Orleans 23-35
Utah 17-41
Monthly Awards
Player
East: [NYK] Carmelo Anthony
West: [OKC] Kevin Durant
Rookie
East: [MIA] Shabazz Napier
West: [UTA] Dante Exum
Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:28 am
Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:11 pm
Sun Dec 28, 2014 10:22 pm
Andrew wrote:I see Andersen was struck down by the ankle curse.
KevinParker13 wrote:lol what's up with your players ankles? Did you set the Injury Frequency too high?
Sun Dec 28, 2014 10:23 pm
5 Game Summary
The last 5 games started off pretty well, as Denver extended their winning streak to three, with wins over the Pelicans and the Bucks. However, the streak of wins quickly turned around with losses against the Timbewolves, Spurs and the Rockets.
Let's focus on something positive, though.
The feature game is against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Ty Lawson was on fire in the Nuggets 105-87 win against the Pelicans. Lawson hit 6-9 from behind the arc in his 26-and-11 performance. Wilson Chandler was also a big factor in the win with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while Arron Afflalo added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
Tyreke Evans was easily New Orleans' best. The recent All-Star had a game-high 28 points, along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. However, the supporting cast wasn't as strong. Omer Asik (14 points, 9 rebounds) was effective in scoring off offensive rebounds, but Jrue Holiday shot a poor 5-14 from the field for his 13 points.
NOP@DEN
DEN: 105
(Lawson 26, Chandler 22, Afflalo 19)
NOP: 87
(Evans 28, Asik 14, Holiday 13)
Jordan Performer of the Game: Ty Lawson 26 points (10-14 FG) 3 rebounds 11 assists 3 steals 1 block
Rebounds
DEN: Faried 9
NOP: Asik, Davis 9
Assists
DEN: Lawson 11
NOP: Evans 4
Last 5 Games
NOP: 105-87 W
MIL: 114-106 W
@MIN: 103-88 L
@SAN: 106-90 L
HOU: 106-98 L
Overall: 39-24
It wasn't a great five games for the Nuggets, but Wilson Chandler has been on fire. Over the last five, he's averaged 22.2 points per game. His best outing came against the Spurs, where he scored 28 points and gragbbed 5 rebounds.
Arron Afflalo had another great game on offense against of the league's best. AAA scored 23 points against James Harden. Unfortunately, Harden had one of his unstoppable nights, leading the Rockets to victory with 38 points.
After a poor start to his campaign, Kelenna Azubuike broke out against the Bucks. With Gallinari sitting because of injury, Azubuike took his opportunity and scored 18 points for the Nuggets.
Mirza Teletovic had some nice touches against the Timberwolves. The recent acquisition scored 10 points. Unfortunately, #AnkleGate struck Teletovic in the next game against the Spurs.
Injuries
JaVale McGee - Sprained Ankle, 2-4 weeks (Hurt)
Mirza Teletovic - Sprained Ankle, 2-4 weeks (Hurt)
Kenneth Faried - Sprained Ankle - Day-to-day (Hurt)
Gary Harris - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Chris Andersen - Back Spasms, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Next 5 Games
NYK
ATL
GSW
@NOP
@MEM
Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:23 am
Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:20 am
Fri Jan 02, 2015 1:59 am
Ezio Auditore wrote:I see almost everyone could go for 20 points in a game! Nice to see Azubuike scoring too. Shame about the injuries.
Andrew wrote:Hey, back spasms! Not that it should normally be a cause for celebration, but at least it's something other than an ankle injury!
Kind of a mixed bad in those last five games, a bit of a midseason rough patch perhaps?
Fri Jan 02, 2015 2:04 am
5 Game Summary
The Nuggets extended their losing streak to four with a loss against the New York Knicks. Luckily, they were able to snap the streak through the clutch shooting of Erick Green. From there, the Nuggets were unable to get on a streak either way, with a loss to the Warriors, a win against the Pelicans, and an incredibly tough loss against the Grizzlies.
And now, here's Erick Green.
A buzzer-beating jumpshot by Erick Green proved to be the difference in the Nuggets 90-88 win against the Hawks. Green's shot capped off an excellent second half by the rookie guard, where 10 of his 14 points came in the 3rd quarter.
Wilson Chandler top scored for the Nuggets with 15 points, while Ty Lawson (13) and Arron Afflalo (11) did a good job playmaking, with 6 assists each.
The Hawks suffered from poor shooting down the stretch. Both Jeff Teague (6-20) and Kyle Korver (6-15) were inefficient, with 18 and 16 respectively. Paul Millsap, on the other hand, was very effective in the paint. He registered a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds, while DeMarre Carroll added 12 points.
ATL@DEN
DEN: 90
(Chandler 15, Green 14, Lawson 13)
ATL: 88
(Teague 18, Korver 16, Millsap 15)
Jordan Performer of the Game: Erick Green 14 points (5-8 FG) 1 rebound 1 assist 2 steals 1 block
Rebounds
DEN: Andersen 7
ATL: Millsap 16
Assists
DEN: Afflalo, Lawson 6
ATL: Teague 9
Last 5 Games
NYK: 107-95 L
ATL: 90-88 W
GSW: 107-84 L
@NOP: 93-86 W
@MEM: 92-91 L
Overall: 41-27
With 28 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks, Wilson Chandler looked like he was going to carry the Nuggets to a win over the Grizzlies. A Tayshaun Prince three, however, spoiled the party.
The Birdman had a block party against the New Orleans Pelicans. He had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Darrell Arthur made the most of his starting opportunity against the Knicks, with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Derrick Williams returned to the court for the first time since his ankle injury against the Knicks. But it was his performance against the Warriors that proved to be the most promising. Williams had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.
Injuries
JaVale McGee - Sprained Ankle, 1-2 weeks (Hurt)
Mirza Teletovic - Sprained Ankle, 1-2 weeks (Hurt)
Next 5 Games
@HOU
@MIA
@ORL
PHI
UTA
Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:40 am
Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:14 am
Andrew wrote:Certainly a bit of post-All-Star break inconsistency, but still plenty of time to right the ship before the Playoffs.
Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:14 am
6 Game Summary
The Nuggets started poorly in this six game stretch, losing big to the Rockets and the Heat. Luckily their last four games of the month were against teams well outside the playoff picture. The Nuggets turned around their 3 game losing streak with wins over Orlando, Philadelphia, Utah and Portland.
The Denver Nuggets added the Trail Blazers to their recent streak of blowouts, winning 117-100 in Portland.
Wilson Chandler proved to be unstoppable, as he scored 34 points and earned performer of the game honours. Derrick Williams also had a big game for the Nuggets off the bench. Williams added 17 to the Nuggets large tally of points. Arron Afflalo (14) and Kenneth Faried (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had meaningful contributions, while Gary Harris and Ty Lawson (8 assists) scored 11 each.
The hopes for the Blazers were once again on the shoulders of Damian Lillard. Lillard top scored for Portland with 22 points. C.J. McCollum (13), Thomas Robinson (12 points, 13 rebounds), Robin Lopez (10) and Wes Matthews (10) all scored in double digits, but the Blazers once again suffered in the absence of LaMarcus Aldridge.
DEN@POR
DEN: 117
(Chandler 34, Williams 17, Afflalo 14)
POR: 100
(Lillard 22, McCollum 13, T Robinson 12)
Jordan Performer of the Game: Wilson Chandler 34 points (12-23 FG) 3 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal 1 block
Rebounds
DEN: Faried 10
POR: T Robinson 13
Assists
DEN: Lawson 8
POR: Lillard 7
Last 6 Games
@HOU: 119-101 L
@MIA: 98-83 L
@ORL: 111-77 W
PHI: 114-76 W
UTA: 102-83 W
@POR: 117-100 W
Overall: 45-29
Ty Lawson was awfully close to a quadruple-double (no, that's not a typo). In the Nuggets win against Orlando, Lawson had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 17 assists and 9 steals. With a performance like that, it's not surprising that he won the West Player of the Week.
Arron Afflalo once again brought his A-Game against the Rockets. He scored 32 points. Let's just omit the fact that Harden scored 33.
Derrick Williams has been the Nuggets go-to-guy off the bench since he's returned from a broken ankle. The former second overall pick had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 asssists and a block against the Jazz, to go with his impressive 17 point performance in the feature.
No heroics for Erick Green in this summary, but his 11 point performance against the Heat further proved his value off the bench.
Jusuf Nurkic has been starting in the centre position in the absence of JaVale McGee and he's been doing a fairly solid job. Against the Sixers, Nurkic had 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Injuries
JaVale McGee - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Next 5 Games
@UTA
@SAN
LAC
LAL
DAL
Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:15 am
March 2015 Summary
March was a tough month for the Nuggets. They lost 8 of their first 12 games to start the month and it was looking like they were having a second half slump a la the Pacers in 2014. However, their last 4 games of the month saw the Nuggets get some much needed momentum against some 2015 lottery hopefuls.
At this point, it's hard to say whether the Denver Nuggets are back on track in time for the playoffs, but we will find out soon enough. In the last month of the regular season, Denver will be put to the test against the likes of the Spurs, Clippers and the resurgent Warriors. These games could serve as a preview for Denver's first round match up, as the three teams mentioned round out the conference standings.
Standings
East
Chicago 52-22
Miami 49-25
Cleveland 45-30
Atlanta 42-33
New York 39-35
Indiana 37-37
Brooklyn 35-39
Milwaukee 35-39
---
Detroit 35-39
Toronto 35-39
Charlotte 31-42
Washington 31-43
Philadelphia 28-47
Orlando 25-49
Boston 24-50
West
Oklahoma City 47-27
Denver 45-29
Memphis 45-30
Houston 44-30
Minnesota 42-32
San Antonio 41-33
LA Clippers 38-37
Golden State 37-37
---
Phoenix 37-38
Portland 36-38
LA Lakers 35-38
Dallas 33-41
Sacramento 32-41
New Orleans 31-42
Utah 25-49
Monthly Awards
Player
East: [WAS] John Wall
West: [HOU] James Harden
Rookie
East: [MIL] Jabari Parker
West: [LAL] Julius Randle
Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:51 am
Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:00 am
Wed Jan 07, 2015 3:09 am
Lamrock wrote:Get that one seed!
Andrew wrote:Looks like you may be back on track, but yeah, that'll be a fun battle for the top seed the rest of the way. Getting the quadruple double would've been something, but that's still a huge game for Ty.
Wed Jan 07, 2015 3:13 am
5 Game Summary
After ending March with four straight wins, the Nuggets were able to start April by winning four of their first five. They extended the streak to five by defeating the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately that's where the streak ended, after the Nuggets lost to the Spurs. However, the Nuggets were able to pick up commanding wins against both of the teams from Los Angeles.
Which brings us to the feature against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Nuggets were able to come away with a 97-89 win against the Mavericks. The Mavs had a 72-69 lead going into the fourth, but the Nuggets outscored them 28-17 in the final quarter.
Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo were at the forefront of the Nuggets offense once again. The wing duo added 22 and 21 respectively. JaVale McGee continued his push to win back his starting position by scoring 13 points, while Ty Lawson (10 points, 10 assists) registered his almost obligatory double-double.
Chandler Parsons was the Mavs best performer on the offensive end, scoring 18 points off 8-14 shooting. Monta Ellis (16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) was awfully close to a triple-double, while Tyson Chandler had the lane covered, with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
DAL@DEN
DEN: 97
(W Chandler 22, Afflalo 21, McGee 13)
DAL: 89
(Parsons 18, Ellis 16, T Chandler 10)
Jordan Performer of the Game: Wilson Chandler 22 points (9-16 FG) 7 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal 2 blocks
Rebounds
DEN: Nurkic 8
DAL: T Chandler 15
Assists
DEN: Lawson 10
DAL: Ellis 7
Last 5 Games
@UTA: 101-78 W
@SAN: 103-83 L
LAC: 121-102 W
LAL: 118-90 W
DAL: 97-89 W
Overall: 49-30
Arron Afflalo had his best game of the season against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Not only did he have 47 points, 5 assists and 5 steals, but he limited Kobe to just 16 points. This came after a 28 point effort against the Clippers. It was easy to see why he won the West Player of the Week.
It looked like Gary Harris was going to upstage Afflalo against the Clippers. Harris scored 26, only two short of Afflalo's effort.
With Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo performing so well, Kenneth Faried has been able to do what he does best with little fuss. Against the Jazz, the Manimal had 13 points, 12 rebounds and a blocked shot.
Erick Green had more time to shine against the Spurs. He scored 11 points in the blowout loss.
Next 3 Games
SAC
@LAC
@GSW