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

[kibaxx7]

Don't like the Bass trade, just because I don't like Pecherov

[Kenny]

A Great sign in Hill.

Thanks, I actually think he's got game as well. Hopefully he can add something to my bench.

Another good stretch there, shame Bass didn't work out but hopefully your new rotation will have better success. That first month glitch is definitely annoying, though those are some amazing numbers by Rudy Gay.

The thing is, I wouldn't put it past Rudy Gay to put those numbers on me in a game, but as an average? Yeah, definitely something going on with the live engine there.

EAST Player: [MIA] Nach Carlos (20.1ppg, 13rpg, 9.8apg, 6.8spg)
WEST Player: [SAN] Rudy Gay (23.2ppg, 18.6rpg, 5.6apg, 6.5spg)

Damn, some crazy-ass numbers.

Good that Earl is on his way to the MVP trophy.

Yeah, there's often lofty numbers in the first month which sucks because it makes you less inclined to make someone statiscally excellent til December.

Earl has been red hot and so has Gay lol

Earl has been the man so far.

Don't like the Bass trade, just because I don't like Pecherov

Fair enough, to be honest, I don't know much about Pecherov... only that his contract is expiring at the end of the season

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

This round was 5 games for 5 W's. In fact, the closest any side got was New Orleans and San Antonio, who were both within 8. However the rest were fairly comprehensive. The feature game of the round is against JR Smith's former club the Memphis Grizzlies. They have a few 3 former Denver players in LaMarcus Aldridge, Shaun Livingston and Ray Warren. Here it is:

Earl Destroys Former Club



The Denver Nuggets have come up with their most emphatic win of the season with a 94-63 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Former Grizzly player JR Smith was simply unstoppable with 44 points against his old club. Taj Gibson was a surprise contributor off the bench with 14 points and 6 rebounds, adding another dilemma of who to start at power forward. Carmelo Anthony and Shannon Brown rounded out the top scorers with 10 points each.

For the Grizzlies, Colton Fitzgerald provided resistance with 23 points and 5 assists, while Blake Griffin scored 14. Rudy Fernandez was the other double-digit scorer with 13.

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MEM@DEN

DEN: 94 (Smith 44, Gibson 14, Anthony 10)
MEM: 63 (Fitzgerald 23, Griffin 14, Fernandez 13)

Sprite Performer of the Game: JR Smith 44 points

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 10
MEM: Wainwright 11

Assists

DEN: Mills 4
MEM: Fitzgerald 5

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Last 5 Games

DAL: 87-71 W
MEM: 94-63 W
NOH: 91-83 W
SAN: 110-102 W
ATL: 85-76 W

Denver are now 16-4

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Where Amazing Happens

Chauncey Billups flirted with a quadruple-double against New Orleans where he had a stat line of:

30 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds, 7 steals

He backed this up the next game with 30 points against San Antonio.

Earning a start

Seldom used power forward Taj Gibson earnt himself a start against New Orleans with his impressive game against Memphis. Against New Orleans he had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block... he showed some range as well in these two games.

The New Guys

Recently acquired big men Jordan Hill and Oleksiy Pecherov debuted against the Atlanta Hawks. Hill was impressive in this game, registering 14 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block off the bench. Pecherov's game was less impressive, but solid with 4 boards off the bench to go with his 4 points.

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Next 5 Games

CHI
MIL
ORL
@OKC
DAL

The feature game will be against the Milwaukee Bucks. Both the Nuggets and the Bucks are the leaders of their respective conference.

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Well, the winning streak is up to 6 at the moment. The Denver Nuggets are also yet to lose at home this season. With any luck the winning can continue. Next up will be another 5 game summary.

[kibaxx7]

Pecherov's expiring? Then good.

Incredible game by Chauncey. Hope you can keep the streak alive!

[megarover]

44 points from Earl and Milwaukee is the best in their conference? How does their team look like.

[Andrew]

Great stuff, some really impressive team and individual performances in that stretch. Looks like Billups has come alive and Smith just keeps rolling. Sounds like Melo's taken more of a backseat in those games though.

[Kenny]

Pecherov's expiring? Then good.

Incredible game by Chauncey. Hope you can keep the streak alive!

Yeah, plus he's in the rotation behind Chris Andersen and Robin Lopez... his minutes are going to be limited.

As for Billups, he's proving to be like a fine wine

44 points from Earl and Milwaukee is the best in their conference? How does their team look like.

Well, they still have Bogut, but they have Eric Gordon now, whose one of those players whose just a pain in the ass in the game. I believe they also have a player named Watters whose amongst the MVP candidates so far this season.

Great stuff, some really impressive team and individual performances in that stretch. Looks like Billups has come alive and Smith just keeps rolling. Sounds like Melo's taken more of a backseat in those games though.

Sometimes Melo is a bit hard to get going. I think it's because of his jumpshot. In real life I think he's one of the best spot-up shooters in the league, but in the game his release seems a bit jerky sometimes, which is why I never usually shoot a high percentage with him. In saying that though, he's probably the best mid-range shooter in my team. It's just easier for me to score points with Smith because of his range, and I can get Billups going if the pick and roll is being set affectively.

[Axel The Great]

How many season are you planning to do on this dynasty?

[Kenny]

How many season are you planning to do on this dynasty?

I'm hoping to get 10 seasons out of it. I plan on doing a lot in the 10th... with any luck I can make it there.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

Denver had 4 emphatic wins in this round, but the Nuggets winning streak came to an end in the feature game against the Milwaukee Bucks... consequently, their unbeaten home run ended in this game as well. Here it is:

Bucks end Nuggets' run



Denver's unbeaten home run has come to an end at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, who won 97-89. Eric Gordon was the main weapon for the Bucks as he scored 32 points and gave off 6 assists. Walt Watters and Willie Salisbury both had 18 points each, while Doran Coutts had 11.

For the Nuggets, league leading scorer JR Smith led the way with 25. Carmelo Anthony had 18 points, while Jordan Hill was named the Performer of the Game with his stat line of 18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Chris Andersen had another impressive performace with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Billups was close to his own double-double with 10 points and 8 assists.

Despite a number of great performers for Denver, Eric Gordon proved to be the difference in the game.

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MIL@DEN

MIL: 97 (Gordon 32, Watters 18, Salisbury 18)
DEN: 89 (Smith 25, Anthony 18, Hill 18)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Jordan Hill 18 points 7 assists 6 rebounds 2 blocks 2 steals

Rebounds

MIL: Bogut 13
DEN: Andersen 13

Assists

MIL: Bogut, Gordon 6
DEN: Billups 8

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Last 5 Games

CHI: 110-80 W
MIL: 97-89 L
ORL: 93-73 W
@OKC: 107-85 W
DAL: 83-67 W

Denver's record is now 20-5

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Insult to injury

JR Smith scored 40 points against former Denver player Wilson Chandler.

Melo's still dangerous

Carmelo Anthony had a standout game against the Mavericks. He had 33 points and 7 rebounds. He's been playing second fiddle all year, but this game he showed that he can still be the team's star if needed.

Continuing to Impress

Jordan Hill has been a revelation so far this season. Before his player of the game performance against the Bucks, he had 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Bulls. Surely he's a contender for Most Improved Player.

Still here

Shannon Brown scored 27 off the bench against the Thunder... however he was still overshadowed by Smith who scored 31 in the same game. It's great signs for Denver though, who now look deep in every position.

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Next 5 Games

HOU
MEM
MIN
OKC
@GSW

The feature will be against OKC

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Unfortunately the winning streak ended at 7, but with 3 wins in a row heading to the next 5 games, there's a possibility for Denver to have another extended run of victories. Next will be another 5 game summary.

[kibaxx7]

I'm officially on the "Jordan Hill 4 MIP" bandwagon.

[Martti.]

Live games love Jordan Hill, he was MVP in like 3 years in my Live 06.

Great week, shame about that home loss. Is Jennings still with the Bucks?

[Andrew]

I'm officially on the "Jordan Hill 4 MIP" bandwagon.

Same, that acquisition is looking better than perhaps anticipated.

[Kenny]

I'm officially on the "Jordan Hill 4 MIP" bandwagon.

Same, that acquisition is looking better than perhaps anticipated.

He has been surprising, but his game in NBA Live suits the way I play. I think he's going to be the Josh Childress of the new games for me.

Live games love Jordan Hill, he was MVP in like 3 years in my Live 06.

Great week, shame about that home loss. Is Jennings still with the Bucks?

Nah, Jennings isn't with the Bucks anymore, which is a shame. Currently sitting on free agency if I remember properly.

And yeah, Jordan Hill is becoming a favourite Live player of mine, along with JR Smith, Shaun Livingston, Jason Kapono and of course, Josh Childress.

[megarover]

I didn't notice how good Hill was. Nice to see Brown have a good game too. He's been on hibernation for a while now

[Andrew]

Sometimes it's a little easier for big men to produce in video games since scoring inside takes less precision with the shoot button (and you've obviously got dunks and layups at your disposal) and they're going to be in position to gobble up the rebounds.

[Kenny]

I didn't notice how good Hill was. Nice to see Brown have a good game too. He's been on hibernation for a while now

Hill has been outstanding to this point, definitely a great pick up off free agency.

As for Shannon, he gets minutes and has the occassional 10+ point game, but it simply pales in comparison to what Smith is doing this year in the same position. Still a very dangerous player though.

Sometimes it's a little easier for big men to produce in video games since scoring inside takes less precision with the shoot button (and you've obviously got dunks and layups at your disposal) and they're going to be in position to gobble up the rebounds.

I agree; the closer to the hoop a player is, the easier it can be to develop them.

Right now the main dilemma is how to divide up the minutes between my three power forwards. Currently I have Taj Gibson starting, but he's arguably the least productive one out of the three... but who am I to mess with a winning formula? Jordan Hill gives me the firepower off the bench, so maybe Perko will get another chance to start down the line.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

I'm happy to report that this 5 game round produced 5 wins. The closest any team got to Denver was Golden State, who were within 9 points. Apart from that, teams showed very little resistance against Denver this time around, as they extended their winning streak to 8. The feature game is against Oklahoma City:

Nuggets storm away against Thunder



Denver recorded an impressive 17 point victory against Oklahoma City, winning 101-84. JR Smith once again proved to be the difference, having another outstanding game with 37 points. He had excellent backup from Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups who scored 24 and 16 respectively. On the defensive end, Chris Andersen was dominant with 17 boards. It was a great team performance by Denver, who had 4 different players with 3 assists.

For Oklahoma City, three time MVP Stanley Alston was in fine form himself with 34 points. Russell O'Connell and Cody Duffy both scored 14 each while Gavin Dixon had 13. Despite an evenly distributed performance from Alston's supporting cast, Denver proved to be far too strong as they maintained their claim of being the deadliest backcourt in the league.

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OKC@DEN

DEN: 101 (Smith 37, Anthony 24, Billups 16)
OKC: 84 (Alston 34, O'Connell 14, Duffy 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: JR Smith 37 points 3 rebounds 3 assists 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 17
OKC: Bernard 15

Assists

DEN: Andersen, Billups, Hill, Smith 3
OKC: Duffy 8

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Last 5 Games

HOU: 84-69 W
MEM: 106-83 W
MIN: 95-76 W
OKC: 101-84 W
@GSW: 92-83 W

Denver are now 25-5

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Unstoppable

The Earl train keeps on moving. He scored an incredible 51 against his former side, the Memphis Grizzlies. Right now, there's no one else in the league playing better than he is... not even Lebron.

Flying High

The Birdman produced another amazing stat line against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 11 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocks... doesn't get much better than that for a centre.

No slowing down just yet

If Chauncey Billups is 40, nobody told him that in the game against Golden State. He scored 34 points and distributed 9 assists. Billups is playing well enough to get another extension to his contract next season... but we'll have to see what happens before we jump the gun.

Breakout game

Despite having a quiet first 4 games of this round, Jordan Hill exploded against the Golden State Warriors. He had 23 points and 18 rebounds... wow, who said this guy was a draft bust?

Making the most of it

A guy you don't hear about very often, but with a hefty lead, Nicolas Batum got extended minutes against the Rockets. He scored 17 points on the night.

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Next 5 Games

@GSW
@LAC
CHA
IND
MIA

The feature will be against the Charlotte Bobcats

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On an 8 game winning streak, Denver have a great chance to extend their run even further if they can claim two away wins against two tough opponents. Next up will be the December review.

[Kenny]

December 2016 Summary

December proved to be a fantastic month for the Denver Nuggets. They currently sit first in the league with a record of 26-5... which means they lost only 1 game this month, which was against top of the East Milwaukee Bucks. Again sparked by electrifying shooting guard JR Smith, who finally got the recognition he deserves with the December West Player of the Month award. Averaging 30.6 points per game, he is the outright leader of the league with Kevin Durant behind him on 26ppg.

Despite it being Smith's month, the other main talking point has been new recruit Jordan Hill. After being picked up off free agency on a deal that expires the end of this year, he has produced some excellent games off the bench, providing not only a scoring option but some impressive rebounding and shot blocking skills. On the complete opposite side of the coin, other newly acquired big man Oleksiy Pecherov has been out of rotation after starting the first 19 games of the season with his former team, the Miami Heat. With his contract expiring, it's unlikely that he'll be resigned next year, but if he continues to sit on the bench, he may demand a trade before the deadline.

Monthly Awards

Sanity is restored! Hooray!

East Player of the Month: [CHA] Reuben Walker (19.9ppg, 7.3apg, 2spg)
West Player of the Month: [DEN] JR Smith (30.4ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.9spg)
East Rookie of the Month: [BOS] Hobbes MacDonald (12.3ppg, 3.9rpg, 5.6apg)
West Rookie of the Month: [SAC] Caleb Jackman (10.3ppg, 6.8apg, 1rpg)

MVP Race

[DEN] JR Smith (30.6ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.3spg)
[CHA] Reuben Walker (18.9ppg, 7.6apg, 1.5spg)
[HOU] Jon Hunt (22.1ppg, 6.8rpg, 3apg)
[MIA] Nach Carlos (21.1ppg, 7.3apg, 1.4spg)
[OKC] Stanley Alston (22.3ppg, 3.3apg, 1.6spg)

Denver's Leaders

PPG: *Smith (30.6), Anthony (19.4), Billups (10.4)
RPG: ~Andersen (10.6), Pecherov (6.9), Hill (6.3)
APG: Billups (4.2), Andersen (3), Mills (2.7)
BPG: *Andersen (2.4), Hill (1.5), Pecherov (1)
SPG: *Billups (2.3), *Smith (2.3), `Anthony (2)

*league leader
~second in the league
`third in the league


Standings

East

Milwaukee 21-10
Charlotte 20-13
Miami 18-12
Toronto 17-11
Chicago 17-13
Cleveland 16-13
New Jersey 15-12
Washington 16-14
---
New York 15-15
Detroit 14-16
Orlando 14-17
Philadelphia 13-17
Boston 10-18
Atlanta 9-20
Indiana 9-21


West

Denver 26-5
LA Clippers 21-7
Minnesota 16-10
Phoenix 16-12
Oklahoma City 17-14
Houston 16-15
Sacramento 15-15
Memphis 14-15
---
Portland 13-15
San Antonio 12-16
New Orleans 13-18
Golden State 12-17
LA Lakers 12-17
Utah 11-22
Dallas 6-24

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Now it's 2017, Denver will be hoping to continue their momentum into the new year. Next will be another 5 game summary.

[kibaxx7]

Everytime I see "2016" I just can't believe it man... you went for six or seven seasons now, right?

[megarover]

It really must be 2017 if everyone besides the Earl on the Race to MVP is generated. Sanity is RESTORED

[Andrew]

Great work as always with the monthly and game recaps, sounds like you're having a lot of fun with the team. Nice to see you atop the league once again.

[Kenny]

Everytime I see "2016" I just can't believe it man... you went for six or seven seasons now, right?

This is season number 8 actually. It'll be interesting to see if 2016 is really JR Smith's year

It really must be 2017 if everyone besides the Earl on the Race to MVP is generated. Sanity is RESTORED

The three simulated seasons saw every individual award recipient being a generated player. It's pretty crazy really... I thought Lebron or D-Wade would still have a run at atleast one of the awards.

Great work as always with the monthly and game recaps, sounds like you're having a lot of fun with the team. Nice to see you atop the league once again.

I think the simulated seasons actually got me enthusiastic about the game again. It's great to have Denver dominating again though

[Andrew]

Good to hear. I guess it puts a new spin on things and sets up a new challenge, so I imagine it would be quite refreshing in its own way.

[Kenny]

Good to hear. I guess it puts a new spin on things and sets up a new challenge, so I imagine it would be quite refreshing in its own way.

Yeah and that's what I was hoping for really. It gave me a chance to really build my roster and have some players I wouldn't have thought of getting if I played every season.

By the way, that avatar of yours is genius. Out of all the places, I hope Lebron goes to chi-town