Nuggets-Wizards Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 19 2012 2:31PM

Coming off a win over one of the league's best teams, the NBA-worst Washington Wizards believe they can turn things around.

Seeking their first back-to-back victories this season, the Wizards face a Denver Nuggets team trying to stay unbeaten during a five-game trek Friday night.

Washington, which owns the NBA's worst record at 2-12, looked like anything but a bottom feeder Wednesday, defeating Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City 105-102.

Two nights after recording a career-high 38 points in a 114-106 loss to Houston, John Wall scored 25 to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds.

"I think when you get a win like this, you gotta move forward, you gotta keep building. ... We just gotta keep it up and play like this against everybody," Wall said.

"We know we're better than our record. You're still 2-12. You still got a lot to do."

The Wizards outrebounded the Thunder 52-43, forced 21 turnovers and got to the foul line a season-best 43 times - making 31.

"It was great, only thing you can do is get ready for practice," Wall said. "Celebrate tonight, get ready for practice and (we) gotta get ready for a tough Denver Nuggets team that's gonna push the ball up and down the court."

Washington has dropped 14 of 17 meetings with the Nuggets (10-5) - including three straight by an average of 13.6 points.

Denver, which opened its trip by handing Milwaukee its first home defeat Tuesday, continued its impressive play Wednesday with a 108-104 overtime win at Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia.

Andre Miller came within two boards of posting a triple-double, recording a season-high 28 points - including Denver's last 10 in regulation - and 10 assists. Nene also came up big with 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.

The Nuggets proved especially difficult to slow down with both Miller and fellow point guard Ty Lawson on the court at the same time - a combination coach George Karl seems likely to continue to implement moving forward.

"When you put Ty Lawson and Andre Miller out there as guards, they are tough, tough to cover," 76ers coach Doug Collins told the league's official website. "They run that pick-and-roll, and they get you in so many different situations."

The Nuggets, who opened 4-10 on the road in 2010-11, have won four of seven as the visiting team this season largely because they've taken care of the basketball. Denver ranks among the league's best with just 13.6 turnovers per game on the road.

The Nuggets were without starting center Timofey Mozgov (back strain) and Rudy Fernandez (right Achilles' strain) versus Philadelphia. It's unknown if either will be available Friday.

Mozgov's absence would figure to make things easier on Wizards big man Andray Blatche, who had 12 points and 10 boards in his return to the starting lineup Wednesday.

Blatche, who missed three games with a sprained right shoulder before coming off the bench against the Rockets, was initially booed by the home crowd. He is scoring just 11.7 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting - significantly lower than the 16.8 points he averaged on 44.5 percent from the field last season.

"That was terrible," he said with a smile. "Oh man. We won. So if they want to do that and we win, I don't care."

Denver's Al Harrington has gone a combined 11 of 16 from 3-point range in totaling 58 points over his last two visits to the nation's capital.

Harrington leads Nuggets over Wizards 108-104

Posted Jan 21 2012 1:23AM

WASHINGTON (AP) The Denver Nuggets are off to an 11-5 start, and each night it seems a different player takes over.

On Friday night, they were without starting forward Nene, who was out with a bruised right heel. That gave Al Harrington a chance to shine.

Harrington scored a season-high 29 points - going 5 for 8 on 3-pointers - and Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson each had 21 to lead the Nuggets over the Washington Wizards 108-104.

In the last five games, the Nuggets have had a different leading scorer each time.

"I think that's probably who we'll be for most of the year. Sometimes you piece it together throughout the game," coach George Karl said.

It was the fifth win in six games for the Nuggets, who expect Nene back Saturday in New York. That will be the first time Denver has faced Carmelo Anthony since he was traded to the Knicks last February.

"I think that's one of those games that motivates itself," Karl said before Friday night's win. "I don't think I'm going to have to give a really big pep talk."

After Arron Afflalo gave Denver a 100-98 lead on a layup with 2:07 to play, Harrington hit a 3 with 1:14 left to make it 103-98.

Harrington played 30 minutes - and scored 27 in the last three quarters. The 14-year veteran has had great success in Washington. In his last three games at the Verizon Center, he's averaged 29 points and hit 16 of 24 shots from 3-point range.

"I feel like I can shoot every night like that. It just doesn't always happen that way," Harrington said.

Washington dropped to 2-13 and failed to post its first two-game winning streak. Last season, it took the Wizards 39 games to win two in a row.

"Harrington killed us," Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "We have a great defensive sequence and they throw it out to him at 30 feet and he throws it in at the buzzer."

Nick Young led Washington with 25 points. John Wall had 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds - narrowly missing his second career triple-double.

Lawson scored 19 of his 21 points in the final three quarters and, at 5-foot-11, grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. He admires Wall, who had 63 points in his previous two games. The speedy Washington guard, however, missed 13 of his 17 shots Friday night - including all six in the fourth when the Wizards scored just 12 points in the final 7:49.

"He's maturing. Things are, you can just tell, in disarray, not with the organization, but the players on the court," Lawson said. "He's fighting through it. Eventually he's going to get some players around him and show exactly how good he is."

Jordan Crawford had 18 points and scored the last nine for the Wizards. After he hit two free throws to cut the Nuggets' lead to 106-104 with 9.4 seconds left, Harrington secured the win with a dunk with 7.2 seconds remaining.

"We felt we were actually better than this team tonight and to give it up like - we shot ourselves in the foot, and it hurt," Crawford said.

Saunders said his team is improving - even though the record doesn't show it.

"We're playing better than a week ago," he said.

The Wizards led 63-61 at halftime. Nine days before, they scored a franchise-low 64 points in a loss to Chicago.

Washington led 37-27 after the first quarter, shooting 61.5 percent. The Wizards had 13 assists - their most in any quarter since April 15, 2000. Young had 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers. He didn't take a shot in the second quarter, and scored four points in both the third and fourth.

Washington made eight of its 12 3-point attempts in the first half, but was 3 for 14 in the second half.

Lawson scored 12 points in the second quarter.

The Nuggets held the Wizards scoreless for nearly 4 minutes in the third quarter, taking a 78-71 lead with 4:39 to play.

NOTES: Pamela McGee, the mother of Wizards C JaVale McGee and a former WNBA player and coach, told the Washington Post that Saunders has unnecessarily publicly criticized her son. "The one thing I never did as a coach, never, not once, in my career, was throw my players under a bus," Pamela McGee said. Saunders said: "We're happy with the development of JaVale and where he is." ... When asked about it, Karl said: "Would I trust Flip Saunders or would I trust a player's mother? I would say about 90 percent of the time Flip is a very good coach."

Notebook: Nuggets 108, Wizards 104

By Rich Dubroff, for NBA.com
Posted Friday January 20, 2012 11:42PM

THE FACTS: Al Harrington had a season-high 29 points, Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari each added 21 as the Denver Nuggets, playing without injured forward Nene, beat the Washington Wizards 108-104 on Friday night.

Harrington was 5-for-8 from 3-point range and shot 5-for-8 on 2-pointers, too. He scored 27 in the final three quarters. Lawson had 19 in the last three. It was the Nuggets' fifth win in six games.

Washington, which lost for the 13th time in 15 games, was led by Nick Young's 25 points. Jordan Crawford had 18, and John Wall narrowly missed his second career triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "I think that's probably who we'll be for most of the year. Sometimes you piece it together throughout the game."
-- Denver coach George Karl on having a different player lead the team in scoring each night over the past five games.

THE STAT: Harrington has averaged 29 points in his last three games in Washington, and is 16-for-24 on 3-pointers in those games.

TURNING POINT: Arron Aflalo scored on a layup with 2:07 remaining to give the Nuggets the lead. Harrington hit a 3-pointer with 1:14 left to put Denver up 103-98.

QUOTABLE II: "We have a great defensive sequence, and they throw it out to him at 30 feet, and he throws it in at the buzzer."
-- Wizards coach Flip Saunders on Harrington's 3-pointers beating the 24-second clock..

HOT: Harrington, the 14-year-veteran, who'll turn 32 next month, shooting those 3s, and then adding an uncontested dunk with 7.2 seconds left to secure the win.

NOT: Andray Blatche, who's obviously bothered by the booing from the Verizon Center crowd, missed all seven of his field goals. Even though Wall's line looked good, he was just 4-for-17 from the field.

GOOD MOVE: Karl running plays for Harrington, and his teammates looking for him. The 23-year NBA coach rested Nene with a bruised right heel. He expects him back on Saturday when the Nuggets come to call on Carmelo Anthony for the first time as a Knick.

BAD MOVE: Blatche and JaVale McGee picked up five fouls each. McGee was twice called for goaltending in the second half.

NOTABLE: Without Nene, their leading rebounder, the 5-foot-11 Lawson had a career-high nine boards.

IN THE ARENA: The announced attendance was 14,866. For a team that's 2-7 at home, that's not bad. Washington has drawn at least that many five times.

NEXT: Nuggets: Saturday @ Knicks, Wednesday @ Kings, Friday vs. Raptors. Wizards: Sunday vs. Celtics, Monday @ Sixers, Wednesday vs. Bobcats.

• Nuggets: Carroll, Hamilton
• Wizards: N'Diaye, Turiaf

• Nuggets: Miller
• Wizards: --

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #23 Jason Phillips, #54 Nick Buchert
• Attendance: 14866
• Duration: 2:11