Tag: Denver Nuggets

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NBA (Basketball)

Clippers aim to continue their home winning streak as Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets come to town

Nikola Jokic takes the ball forward

The Los Angeles Clippers will try to extend their home win streak to eight games when they face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday in Inglewood, California.

After a 2-2 road trip, including a tough 93-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in NBA Cup play on Friday, the Clippers are back in Los Angeles.

In that game, James Harden’s four-point play gave the Clippers a 90-87 lead with 4:10 left. However, the Timberwolves responded with a steal and dunk, a go-ahead 3-pointer, and a free throw to seal the win.

Despite the tough loss, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue focused on the positive aspects, especially his team’s defense.

“I liked our defense all night,” Lue said. “I thought it was going to be hard for them to score on us — which it was. … To hold this team to 40 points in the second half was huge for us.”

Harden had 20 points and 11 assists, while Ivica Zubac posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 17 points off the bench before injuring his left ankle with 90 seconds remaining.

Nikola Jokic in the game (NBA)

Porter won’t play on Sunday, and Norman Powell (left hamstring strain), who has been averaging a team-high 23.3 points per game, is listed as questionable. Powell has not played since Nov. 18.

While Lue praised the Clippers’ defensive efforts, Nuggets coach Michael Malone had concerns about his team, even after a comfortable 122-103 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Nikola Jokic was excellent, scoring 30 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists. He is having a career year, averaging 29.7 points per game, 10.6 assists, and 53.4% shooting from 3-point range. He is also grabbing 13.1 rebounds per game.

Jokic is on track to win his fourth MVP, joining an elite group of players. He most recently won the award at the end of last season.

However, despite Jokic’s outstanding play and the easy win, Malone believes the Nuggets’ defense is still not up to their usual standard.

“Our defense so far has just been really inconsistent,” Malone said. “It starts in transition. It flows into the paint, and it finishes with the rebounding. … We have to stop making those mistakes if we want to be a top-10 defense. We’re far from that right now.”

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NBA (Basketball)

OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson set new career highs in the Knicks’ dominant win over the Nuggets

New York Knicks (NBA)

OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the New York Knicks dominated the Denver Nuggets with a 145-118 win on Monday night.

Jalen Brunson had 23 points and set a career-high with 17 assists, while Mikal Bridges contributed 14 points and six assists. The Knicks also set a season-high in points and matched a franchise record with 45 assists. Miles McBride scored 13 points, Josh Hart had 12, and Cameron Payne finished with 11.

For the Nuggets, Russell Westbrook scored 24 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Nikola Jokic had 22 points, Jamal Murray scored 20 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Christian Braun scored 14 points. The Nuggets have now lost two straight games at home.

The Knicks were up by two late in the first quarter but ended the period on a 14-4 run, leading 36-24. They continued to dominate in the second quarter.

After Porter’s jumper made it 39-29, Payne made a three-point play and a 3-pointer, followed by a dunk from Towns. Towns then hit a 26-footer to extend New York’s lead to 50-29.

Jalen Brunson heads to the bench in the 2nd half

Anunoby’s floater stretched the lead to 23, but Denver responded with a 14-5 run to cut the deficit to 64-50 with 2:52 left in the half. The Knicks finished strong, taking a 76-53 lead into halftime after Brunson’s three-point play.

This was the second consecutive home game the Nuggets allowed over 70 points in the first half. They gave up 73 points in a 123-120 loss to Dallas on Friday.

New York extended its lead to 92-67 in the third quarter. After Denver closed the gap to 20, Anunoby completed a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 101-77.

Porter gave Denver some hope with a three-point play, cutting the deficit to 19, but Anunoby quickly scored eight points in less than two minutes, and Towns added a layup to help the Knicks lead 113-87 after three quarters.

New York’s lead grew to as much as 30 in the fourth, and they cruised to their fifth win in the last six games.

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NBA (Basketball)

Knicks looking to strengthen defense ahead of matchup with Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets

The Knicks began their five-game road trip on a high note, coming off a four-game winning streak. However, those positive vibes quickly faded after a loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. Now, New York heads to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Monday.

New York’s recent win streak had helped turn around a shaky start to the season, but their poor shooting and defensive struggles led to the loss against Utah. Despite nearly overcoming a 19-point deficit, the Knicks fell 121-106.

“We’ve been struggling on the defensive side for the whole season. When you’re not making shots and you’re not playing well defensively, that’s a recipe for disaster,” said Knicks guard/forward Josh Hart. “We’ve got to figure it out on the defensive end.”

The Knicks will need to improve quickly on defense with the high-scoring Denver Nuggets next on the schedule. The Nuggets are tied for fifth in the NBA in points per game (117.5), despite missing Aaron Gordon for three weeks and Nikola Jokic sitting out three games for the birth of his second child.

The job of containing Jokic, the three-time MVP, will likely fall to Karl-Anthony Towns, who knows Denver well from his nine seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns (NBA)

If New York struggles defensively against the Nuggets, they will have to find a way to make up for it with better offensive play, something that didn’t happen in the loss to Utah.

“There’s going to be nights that you don’t shoot it great,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “What you can’t do is allow missed shots to take away from the energy that you need from your defense. You have to win games different ways.”

Denver is coming off a back-to-back weekend, which started with a disappointing loss to the Dallas Mavericks but ended with a 127-102 win against the Lakers on Saturday night. The Nuggets had blown a late lead to Dallas the night before, but bounced back with a solid victory in Los Angeles.

The win was also special for Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who passed Doug Moe for the most wins in franchise history (433). It was a much-needed victory after Denver’s close loss in the NBA Cup to the Mavericks, where they were outscored 15-7 in the final three minutes of a 123-120 loss.

Although Denver has missed Gordon, Peyton Watson has stepped up in his absence. Watson is averaging 10.0 points per game and has become a strong defensive presence in the starting lineup. He recorded three blocks in the loss to Dallas and is averaging a team-best 1.1 blocks per game.

Watson has also benefitted from playing alongside Jokic, who leads the NBA in rebounds (13.9 per game) and is second in assists (11.3 per game).

“I’m just more comfortable, more game experience. Simple as that,” said Watson. “Being able to play with one of the best players to ever pick up a basketball, he demands a lot of attention, and I get some looks at the rim in the halfcourt. In transition, it’s all about being confident, attacking the rim with conviction and just trying to get two points down every time.”