Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

[Andrew]

Images are showing up fine for me too.

Looks like Durant's really hitting his stride after the up and down start, definitely good to see. Shame the featured game didn't go your way (though I'm glad to see that the Bulls are relevant ) but sounds like a great one all the same. Jennings pulled a Billups there at the end of regulation.

[The X]

Where can I get a Perko jersey?

[Kenny]

It's back! Nice wins, but tough 2OT loss.

I can see the pics fine

Yes, I have missed doing recaps, the PSN outage definitely tested my patience... as did that OT game.

Nice to see Durant & company back.

I can see the pics with no problems.

It's great to be back as well

Pics are fine, Jennings is CLUTCH! Should have given him the ball at the end of the first OT

I really should have in hindsight. Jennings is kind of developing into Derek Fisher in that sense.

Great buzzer-beater by Jennings, but as Martti. said, you should've gone to him in the first OT as well. Very bone-headed play by DJ; you'd think he'd be a smarter player at this point in TNL. Great to see Smith and KD still coexisting in the scoring department.

It's always a bit of a decision I have to make as far as who is going to be the closer. With Durant, Smith, Jennings and to a lesser extent, Reed and Perko, I'm kind of spoilt for options. I shall use DJ as the scapegoat for my brain fade

Images are showing up fine for me too.

Looks like Durant's really hitting his stride after the up and down start, definitely good to see. Shame the featured game didn't go your way (though I'm glad to see that the Bulls are relevant ) but sounds like a great one all the same. Jennings pulled a Billups there at the end of regulation.

I think a big part of him getting more shots is that J.R. Smith has been super efficient this year. By getting more from him with less shots, KD can demand the ball a whole lot more now. The East has actually got some really good teams in it, with Chicago, Detroit and Washington being the pick of the bunch. A Nuggets Vs Bulls Finals series would be very interesting.

Where can I get a Perko jersey?

As soon as I read that, I went to the NBA store and did this:



Would it be the ultimate dynasty geek thing if I actually considered buying this?

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

Denver went on a 7 game win streak before it was ended beyond regulation in Charlotte. So once again Denver went 4-1 over a 5 game stretch. Denver started off with a blowout win over the Golden State Warriors. They accounted for both teams from Los Angeles, although the second placed Clippers put up much more of a fight. Even though J.R. Smith hit a three to put the Bobcats game to overtime, I had to choose the Phoenix game as the feature:





A last second fadeaway jumper from J.R. Smith helped Denver steal a close 79-77 game against the Phoenix Suns. With the final play of the game, here's how it panned out:

phpBB [video]

J.R. Smith led the way for Denver with 37 points. Kevin Durant was the only other double-digit scorer for the Nuggets with 19. However out of the 10 players activated for Denver, 9 of them tallied a stat in the scoring column, with the only exception being Brandon Jennings (sorry Martti).

For the Suns, it was a completely different story as all of their starters reached double figures. Brad Bell was the top scorer with 17 points. Greg Oden picked up the Performer of the Game with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. LeBron James and Walter Boyer both scored 11, while Boris Coutts registered 10 points.

-----------------------------------------------

PHX@DEN

DEN: 79 (Smith 37, Durant 19, Reed 5)
PHX: 77 (Bell 17, Oden 15, Boyer 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Greg Oden 15 points 8 rebounds 3 assists 6 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Jordan 8
PHX: Oden 8

Assists

DEN: Jordan, Perko 4
PHX: Bell 4

-----------------------------------------------

Last 5 Games

GSW: 91-70 W
LAC: 83-77 W
LAL: 82-67 W
PHX: 79-77 W
@CHA: 111-108 L (OT)

The Nuggets are currently 37-8

-----------------------------------------------

Air Earl

J.R. Smith is having an MVP caliber season and continued to drop the points in Denver's OT loss to Charlotte. Against the Bobcats he scored his first 50 of the season. A key to his play so far has been his efficiency. Currently he's shooting 50 percent from the field, 41 from beyond the arc and 89 from the stripe. By needing the ball less, players like Kevin Durant, Borislav Perko and Ed Reed are able to get more involved.

Bench Leader

Ed Reed destroyed the Warriors by scoring 22 off the bench. Where J.R. Smith is using less shots, Ed is getting more and it's helping him become a leading candidate for 6th man of the year.

Quiet Achiever

In the game against the Clippers, while the likes of J.R. Smith and Kevin Durant had more points, Brandon Jennings quietly plugged away and got an almost triple double with 9 points, 8 assists and 8 steals. This Nuggets team has historically been an excellent stealing team and Brandon Jennings helps them add to that reputation on a nightly basis.

Rookie Year Flashback!

Remember George Power's rookie season? It's hard to believe he's only into his third year, but this once ROY has majorly faded into obscurity since his monster debut season. With Perko in foul trouble, he came in and played some big minutes against the Lakers with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. We still have a pulse.

-----------------------------------------------

Next 5 Games

@WAS
@TOR
MEM
SAN
SAN

-----------------------------------------------

Next up will be the monthly report. With some big performances from J.R. Smith and Kevin Durant, there's a good chance there could be a monthly award coming Denver's way. One thing I can reveal is that a blockbuster trade went down during these 5 games. One club man Dwight Howard was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Duncan Werner and Alex Francis. The conspiracy theorist in me often wonders if the real life happenings in the NBA impact this dynasty.

[Axel The Great]

Nice to see you destroy the Lakers. That J.R. Smith game-winner seemed like a broken play; not really an ideal shot in that kind of situation. Shame you couldn't go 5-0 this round though.

[rise]

Great obliteration of the Lakers! I wish you had featured the Bobcats game though.

[kibaxx7]

That Perko jersey would be the bomb

Sweet J.R. pics.

[Kenny]

Nice to see you destroy the Lakers. That J.R. Smith game-winner seemed like a broken play; not really an ideal shot in that kind of situation. Shame you couldn't go 5-0 this round though.

Always nice to destroy the Lakers particularly since Bynum still plays for them.

And you're onto me! Truth be told, the play running system in NBA Live 10 confuses the hell out of me. When I try to run a play, it seems to break down really easily and often times I would move to the mark and nothing would eventuate. I run a lot of pick and roll plays and try to hit the open guy usually. In last second scenarios I don't though because I'm always worried it'll be the play I'll get picked up for an illegal screen.

Hopefully 5-0 next round

Great obliteration of the Lakers! I wish you had featured the Bobcats game though.

As I said, it's always a pleasure destroying them

The Bobcats game was a great one, but I wanted to avoid putting up two feature games in a row where I lost in OT. The Chicago one I felt was special because it was two extra periods and the top seed in the East.

That Perko jersey would be the bomb

Sweet J.R. pics.

It would be, but apart from The X (and possibly Sit), I'd be the only one in Brisbane who'd know what the meaning behind it is. People would just think my last name is Perko

I was particularly happy with that Bobcats picture. Earl's poses are just so epic in this game.

[Kenny]

January 2020 Summary

Denver end January were they belong; the top of the league. J.R. Smith's play was a feature of the month, as he's one of the top contenders for an MVP trophy at this point, thanks largely to his efficient shooting. Kevin Durant managed to get in a groove as well, at one stage having 5 consecutive 30 plus games. Perko proved to be a triple-double threat once again, while Ed Reed and Rudy Fernandez led the productive Nuggets bench with some big games of their own.

Despite being the current front-runners in the league though, the Nuggets still have room for improvement. In the last 10 games, they dropped two games that went to extra time after hitting the game tying shot. Losing close games is something that will need to be addressed before the post season, unless the Nuggets want another scare like they had against the Houston Rockets.

Monthly Awards

EAST PLAYER: [CHI] Kelly Scott (16.2ppg 8.1apg 1.5spg)
WEST PLAYER: [NOH] Hobbes MacDonald (23.6ppg 3.6rpg 3.6apg)
EAST ROOKIE: [NJN] Nicholas Schneider (12.9ppg 2.2rpg 4.3apg)
WEST ROOKIE: [SAN] Axel Donnelly (2.1ppg 3.5rpg 0.6bpg)

MVP Race

[LAC] Ollie Rose (26.6ppg 3.7apg 1.6spg)
[DEN] J.R. Smith (24.6ppg 1.9rpg 1.8spg)
[CHI] Kelly Scott (17.6ppg 6.9apg 1.4spg)
[MEM] Stephen Curry (21.8ppg 5.3apg 1.5spg)
[GSW] Rudolph Gibson (21.2ppg 2.3rpg 3.2apg)

Standings

EAST

Chicago 33-13
Detroit 28-17
Washington 27-17
New York 26-18
Philadelphia 23-20
Atlanta 24-23
Toronto 22-21
Charlotte 22-22
---
Miami 20-22
Cleveland 22-25
New Jersey 21-26
Indiana 20-26
Boston 21-28
Milwaukee 17-30
Orlando 13-29


WEST

Denver 37-8
LA Clippers 26-19
LA Lakers 25-21
Utah 23-21
San Antonio 23-22
Dallas 23-22
Minnesota 23-24
Golden State 22-24
---
New Orleans 22-24
Phoenix 22-26
Houston 20-23
Memphis 20-26
Sacramento 19-24
Oklahoma City 18-26
Portland 16-31

-----------------------------------------------

February is of course the month of the All-Star Weekend. I'm not sure if team selections will intercept the next 5 game summary or not. I'm thinking about posting an article or two beforehand as well.

[Andrew]

That's a very comfortable lead in the West. Right now it looks as though Rose will edge Smith for the MVP but if he can continue to have some big scoring games, maybe grab a few more boards, I'd say he can lock it up by the end of the regular season.

[Kenny]

I was very surprised to see how comfortable the lead is. It looks like the East is finally catching up, which I think is great because it adds another element to the dynasty. Rose will most likely get the MVP over J.R, but often I've found that the MVP goes to the player who wins the scoring title at the end of the season, so if I can get Smith that once again, I'll figure my chances are pretty good for MVP as well.

[Andrew]

Worth a shot. Hopefully you'll have a couple of players make the All-Star squad.

[Kenny]

Perko Vs Power: The One-Sided Battle



It is truly amazing how quickly things can change in the NBA. Just last season Houston were up 3-0 in a series against Denver, and now the Rockets are struggling to be relevant. And two seasons ago, the battle for the Nuggets' starting power forward position was one that gave George Karl a welcomed dilemma. George Power burst onto the scene and as a rookie became one of the most dominant inside forces in the league. He stole Borislav Perko's starting position and looked to be the far superior player. Power went on to win the Rookie of the Year. But then in the post-season, Borislav Perko played some big minutes and reclaimed his spot back as the starting 4; from there, George Power wouldn't be the same player.

After struggling in his sophomore season, George went from being a starting power forward to a guy who doesn't play every game in his 3rd season. Borislav Perko, the seemingly more tradesman like player has had a breakout year, becoming the third option on a team plentiful in scorers. He went from the guy who was schooled by his own team mate in the Rookie Challenge to the player the Denver franchise could potentially build their future around.

While George Power possesses more strength and is arguably a better rebounding, Borislav Perko has better cardio fitness and uses more finesse to get around his opponents. And while there is no right or wrong way, Perko is using his abilities far more affectively than Power is at this point.

Currently Borislav is winning this battle by unanimous decision, but there is still time for George. Next season will be the last of his rookie contract, so essentially he has until then to prove his worth. Is Perko being a better player an inevitability? Or can Power's career be revived? Either way, it's an intriguing internal competition in the Denver franchise.

[kibaxx7]

Try to play them together for some minutes, that would be interesting

[Kenny]

I've played Power at Centre before and it works quite effectively, but the rotation at the 5 can be rather stacked with Jordan, Watters and Lopez. If you add Adrian Young to that mix as well, that's 5 guys who can get minutes at centre on my team. So for now, I think he'll just continue to get minutes behind Perko.

[Kenny]

All-Star Announcements

4 Nuggets Selected For Main Game

The Denver Nuggets will have strong representation at the 2020 All-Star game, with 4 of their stars being selected, 2 of which are starting. Borislav Perko was awarded for his breakout year, locking down the starting power forward position for the West. He is the first player for the Nuggets drafted past 2009 to make the side. Kevin Durant got the other starting forward position for the West.

A big surprise in the selection process was DeAndre Jordan getting picked on the bench, but the biggest shock of all was that J.R. Smith was beaten by both Ollie Rose and Stephen Curry for a starting guard spot.

EAST

C: Zach Pearson [NYK]
PF: Tristan Lehmann [DET]
SF: Crawford Muller [PHI]
SG: Chuck O'Farrell [PHI]
PG: Kelly Scott [CHI]

Bench

Grant Bernard [NYK]
Kurt Dale [WAS]
Roderick Conners [NYK]
Jared Butler [DET]
Derrick Rose [CHI]
Patrick McNamara [CHA]
Njabulo Nyoni [BOS]

WEST

C: Ken O'Farrell [UTA]
PF: Borislav Perko [DEN]
SF: Kevin Durant [DEN]
SG: Ollie Rose [LAC]
PG: Stephen Curry [MEM]

Bench

DeAndre Jordan [DEN]
Sergio Soto [DAL]
Theo Hadson [LAL]
J.R. Smith [DEN]
Corin Robertson [DAL]
Rudolph Gibson [GSW]
Stanley Alston [LAL]

Reed Selected in Point Heavy Sophomore Squad

Ed Reed will be one of 6 point guards on show for the Sophomores in the Rookie Challenge.

Rookies

C: Crawford Wilson [GSW]
PF: Axel Donnelly [SAN]
SF: Stanley Johnston [TOR]
SG: Nicholas Schneider [NJN]
PG: Ronald Campbell [MIN]

Bench

Steven King [NYK]
Thomas Sanders [CLE]
Will Walter [SAC]
Travis O'Reilly [ATL]

Sophomores

C: MacKenzie Brody [CHI]
PF: Lucas Keenan [DET]
SF: Jessie Woods [BOS]
SG: Ed Reed [DEN]
PG: Murray Koch [IND]

Bench

Lance Simpson [CLE]
Dickey Freeman [NYK]
Steven MacMahon [LAL]
Augustus Ross [PHX]

-----------------------------------------

No LBJ, Carmelo or Dwight Howard, the 2020 All-Star game will be completely different to any of the previous 10 in TNL. Borislav Perko also makes history being the first generated player for the Nuggets to get chosen for the West. It's going to be an interesting weekend. Next up will be the 5 game summary, then the ASW.

[Axel The Great]

Axel Donnelly FTW!

Great to see Denver represented well in the ASG, good to see Perko there. JR may not be a starter, but at least he didn't get snubbed altogether. I wonder which Sophomore PG will play some center in the Rookie Challenge.

[Martti.]

DeAndre Jordan? Really? What are his stats like?

Anyway, congrats on getting 4 guys to the game, especially nice to see Perko starting.

[Andrew]

That's great to see you so well represented at the event, congrats on getting a generated player into the big game.

[Kenny]

Axel Donnelly FTW!

Great to see Denver represented well in the ASG, good to see Perko there. JR may not be a starter, but at least he didn't get snubbed altogether. I wonder which Sophomore PG will play some center in the Rookie Challenge.

I thought you might like Axel Donnelly... I'm secretly hoping he plays for the Rockets as well

I can't wait to play the ASG now Perko is starting and with the 3 other players, it'll be the most fun one I've played in a while. I think the tallest of them all is Dickey Freeman (6'4), so he might have to play centre at some point.

DeAndre Jordan? Really? What are his stats like?

Anyway, congrats on getting 4 guys to the game, especially nice to see Perko starting.

Defensively he's been great, but offensively I think he's scoring at about 4 points per game. I guess he's a Ben Wallace-esque type of selection... or a Birdman one

Perko getting in has made me enthusiastic about the game again.

That's great to see you so well represented at the event, congrats on getting a generated player into the big game.

It seems to feel more legit having 4 players in the game this time around since I'm leading the league, and Borislav has always been a favourite of mine

[Kenny]

Thanks for the Memories



As I'm sure you've all heard, Shaq announced that he's retiring from the NBA. A big reason to why I love the game is for what Shaq brought to the game over his 19 seasons. At his best, there was no one in the league that could stop him. He wasn't just a basketball player, but a global icon that people who didn't even watch basketball could recognise.

Personally, it's hard to imagine the NBA without Shaq because I started watching (and more importantly, collecting the trading cards ) during his rookie season. It's now the beginning of a new era.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

In the last 5 game summary before the All-Star break, the Nuggets were dominant in the first 3 games, chalking up wins against last year's finalists the Wizards, Toronto and Steph Curry's Memphis Grizzlies. They however came across the tough San Antonio Spurs twice in the last two games. They went one and one against the texans to go 4-1 over this 5 game period. The feature game is the first in which Denver won:

Denver Win Off Mercurial Mac



The Denver Nuggets came up with a hard-fought 92-89 win against the Spurs. While Denver's big three (Smith 18, Perko 14, Durant 10) were well handled by the Spurs, the player of the game was Taylor MacKenzie. He once again gave Denver a glimpse of his best with 36 points. He was also a menace on the defensive end as well, with 5 steals and a blocked shot. His form of late has kept Rudy Fernandez benched and is giving Denver an extra weapon to their already loaded arsenal.

The Spurs had 5 players in double figures, with Johnny Gibson leading them all with 20 points. Denver's usual enemy Rudy Gay had a solid performance with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Kerry Hofmann also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Alejandro Carlos (15) and Austin Pearson (12) were both effective, but San Antonio lacked the explosive scorer that Denver had on the night.

------------------------------------------------

SAN@DEN

DEN: 92 (MacKenzie 36 points, Smith 18, Perko 14)
SAN: 89 (Gibson 20, Gay 17, Carlos 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Taylor MacKenzie 36 points 3 rebounds 1 assist 1 block 5 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Jordan 9
SAN: Hofmann 12

Assists

DEN: Perko, Smith 4
SAN: Gibson 8

------------------------------------------------

Last 5 Games

@WAS: 88-76 W
@TOR: 78-65 W
MEM: 85-77 W
SAN: 92-89 W
SAN: 88-83 L

The Nuggets are now 41-9

------------------------------------------------

A Now Usual Headline

Borislav Perko did it again... another triple-double; this time against his name-doppleganger and the Memphis Grizzlies. 12 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists; no wonder this guy was named an All-Star.

KD34

After struggling a little during this summary, Kevin Durant picked up 34 points in Denver's loss to the Spurs.

Still Giving Them Nightmares

J.R. Smith once again showed no mercy towards the Washington Wizards, with 30 points. The Nuggets have now successfully completed the season sweep against last year's Eastern Conference Champions.

The Rebounding Bargs?

Aaron Watters had 25 points and 12 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors. After this game, he was periodically given the starting nod over recently-announced-all-star DeAndre Jordan. While his range is outstanding for a centre, he has next to no post game... this was somewhat disguised when he was playing against Yi Jianlian.

------------------------------------------------

All-Star Game Weekend is coming up, so I'll hold off on listing the next 5 games. I'm going to split the rookie and all-star games in two seperate posts. So next will be the Rookie Game... unless someone else I like retires

[kibaxx7]

Yeah man, that Perko jersey is a must

[Axel The Great]

Have you kept count of the number of triple-doubles Perko has? That's just another one to his collection.

Good thing you didn't lose twice to the Spurs. T-Mac's mustache was absent in that game, so it was really him who scored 36 points. If you are to meet the Wizards in the Finals again, I have a feeling JR will explode for 50 in multiple games.

[Andrew]

Perko showing why he's an All-Star.