Warriors-Nuggets Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Feb 09 2012 2:10AM

A slew of absences are taking a toll on the Denver Nuggets.

The Golden State Warriors' struggles are due to other issues.

The Nuggets look to avoid their longest slide in over five years by continuing their dominance of the Warriors on Thursday night at Pepsi Center.

Denver (15-11) has been dealing with a rash of injuries and is without swingman Corey Brewer, who took a leave of absence to be with his family this week following the death of his father.

The Nuggets won't have starting forward Danilo Gallinari (left ankle) - the team leader with 17.0 points per game - for a month. It's unclear if center Timofey Mozgov is ready to return from a left ankle injury.

They did get Aaron Afflalo and Nene back from injury Wednesday, but struggled again in a 105-95 defeat to Dallas, its fourth straight loss.

The Nuggets last dropped five in a row from Dec. 29, 2006-Jan. 6, 2007.

"I just think it's the process of the season," coach George Karl said. "We're banged up."

Denver leads the NBA with 103.7 points per game, but the club is averaging 92.8 during this slide as Karl's up-tempo scheme is being hampered by the absences.

"But it's no excuse," said reserve guard Rudy Fernandez, who had 17 points Wednesday. "We have a lot of young talent and a lot of players with experience. We have a long bench and at this moment with the injuries, we have to find a way to play better and more aggressively."

The Nuggets will likely need another group effort against Golden State (8-14). That's just what they got in the most recent meeting April 11, as nine players scored in double figures en route to a 134-111 win.

Denver has won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Warriors, including six in a row at home while averaging 127.2 points.

Golden State is having defensive issues during a 3-6 stretch, surrendering an average of 102.8 points. That continued with Tuesday's 119-116 loss to Oklahoma City, which followed a 114-106 overtime defeat at Sacramento three days prior.

"We have to break that cycle," guard Monta Ellis said. "The games we should win, we've got to start winning. And the games like this, we should go out and compete and give ourselves a chance to win."

Ellis is likely to have a major say in that.

He leads the Warriors with 22.6 points per game and is coming off a brilliant performance, scoring a career-high 48 points on 18 of 29 from the field - 3 for 6 from 3-point range - against the Thunder.

Ellis has averaged 30.0 points in his last five games against Denver, but missed the last game there due to a concussion.

David Lee recorded his second career triple-double Tuesday, with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

He is averaging 18.7 points, 10.0 boards and 2.5 assists this season, but has been limited to 12.0 points in six career visits to Denver.

Warriors hand Nuggets 5th straight loss, 109-101

By ARNIE STAPLETON
Posted Feb 10 2012 12:50AM

DENVER (AP) Golden State coach Mark Jackson thought Stephen Curry's stat line was a thing of beauty.

Not so his dance.

After sinking one of his six 3-pointers as the Warriors pulled away from the Denver Nuggets for a 109-101 victory Thursday night, Curry did the old shimmy-shake as he trotted back downcourt.

It was admittedly the only blemish of the night for Curry, who scored a season-best 36 points and sank 13 of 17 shots, including 6 of 9 from behind the arc.

"Just a spectacular night. When you look at that stat line it's a thing of beauty," said Jackson, who didn't extend his rave review to Curry's lame dance move.

"I tried to hold my laugh and stay in coach mode but I had to giggle," Jackson said. "Now I know why my dad told me to stop doing it."

Curry was embarrassed by what he fears will become the most mocked dance by an athlete since New England Patriots tight end Rob Growkowski was caught on camera dancing the night away shirtless after the Super Bowl last weekend.

"I don't know what got into me," Curry said. "But I turned around and I saw (Jackson). We had joked about it earlier that it was his signature move. I haven't practiced it but I'm scared to look at the film. That was the first time and probably the last time."

The Nuggets had more of a problem with his hot hand than his shimmying shoulders.

They lost their fifth straight game overall and their fifth straight at home, too. They've lost seven of eight as they fight through injuries, absences, physical fatigue and mental exhaustion.

The eight-point differential doesn't begin to tell how lopsided this one was.

The Warriors shot 52 percent both overall and from 3-point range, sinking 13 of 25 from behind the arc, they blocked 14 shots to Denver's one and started the second half with a 24-5 run.

Klay Thompson scored a career-best 19 points, Dorrell Wright had 15 and Monta Ellis 14 for the Warriors, who used a 37-20 third quarter to put this one away.

"That was horrible," Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo said. "You've got to give the Warriors credit, but on our home floor, that was horrible."

Trailing 51-47 at the half, Golden State opened the third quarter with a 14-2 run sparked by three jumpers from Curry and a fadeaway basket by Ellis that made it 61-53.

A 3-pointer by Afflalo, who led the Nuggets with 26 points, stopped the run. But the Warriors scored the next 10 points, capped by a 3-pointer from Curry, who did the regrettable shoulder-shake dance back downcourt in front of the scorer's table.

The Warriors made 14 of 20 shots in the decisive third quarter, taking an 84-71 lead, and they led by 20 points in the fourth quarter.

"I think we just stopped doing the things that we were doing earlier, and I blame myself for that because I was supposed to bring the energy," said Nuggets rookie Kenneth Faried, who set career highs with 10 points and eight rebounds. "We just need to stay focused on and not get down on each other."

The Nuggets look nothing like the team that started out 14-5 and was the feel-good story of the NBA for the first six weeks of the season following the long lockout.

Without starters Danilo Gallinari, their leading scorer, and Timofey Mozgov, who are both sidelined by sprained ankles, the rest of the roster isn't nearly as effective as it was before.

Forward Corey Brewer will get the majority of Gallinari's minutes during the month he's expected to be out, but Brewer missed his third straight game Thursday night following the death of his father. He's expected to rejoin the team at Indiana this weekend.

After the Nuggets' 10-point loss to Dallas a night earlier, coach George Karl suggested playing in Lithuania during the NBA lockout might have caught up to speedy point guard Ty Lawson.

Lawson had his second straight double-double Thursday night but several of his short shots again didn't fall.

Overall, Karl said his team hadn't recovered from three games in three nights last week, suggesting there was a residual effect both mentally and physically on his team. Every team will go through funks during this compressed season, and this is just the Nuggets' turn to endure the quirks of the busy schedule, Karl said.

He figures the Nuggets' good start gave them a bit of a buffer for tough times like these. Still, opponents are now coming into the Pepsi Center smelling blood.

"The last two home losses we've had, teams have just hit incredible shots," Afflalo said. "That's a credit to them a little bit, but our defensive intensity, including myself, needs to pick up."

Notes: Afflalo had the second-highest scoring game of his career with the 26 points. He scored 31 on Jan. 11, 2011, against Phoenix. ... Curry's previous season high was 32 points against Portland on Jan. 25. ... The Nuggets hadn't lost five straight at the Pepsi Center since 2003.

Notebook: Warriors 109, Nuggets 101

Posted Friday February 10, 2012 12:44AM

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Stephen Curry scored a season-high 36 points and added seven assists and seven rebounds, Klay Thompson had a career-high 19 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 109-101 on Thursday night.

Dorell Wright added 15 points and Monta Ellis had 14 for the Warriors.

Arron Afflalo had 20 points and Ty Lawson had 11 points and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who have lost five straight and seven of eight. Denver has also lost five straight at home.

QUOTABLE: "It was a reminder if we're trying to win and we say we're trying to win then we have to be about it on the court. Don't just say it, you've got to do it."
-- Stephen Curry, on coach Mark Jackson's fiery halftime talk when the Warriors were trailing 51-47.

THE STAT: The Warriors blocked 14 shots, the most they've had as a team since Nov. 29, 2006. Ekpe Udoh's five blocks were a season high for him.

TURNING POINT: The third quarter. Golden State trailed by four at the half but caught fire in the third. The Warriors hit 14 of 20 shots and 5-for-9 from 3-point range to outscore Denver 37-20. Wright and Curry did most of the damage, scoring 13 and 12 points in the period, respectively.

HOT: Curry, from opening tip to buzzer. The Warriors guard had 15 of his team's 28 points in the first quarter and never cooled off. When Denver gave him a sliver of room he drained shots, and he also used his hot shooting to pump fake and get to the bucket. He also had just one turnover in 36 minutes.

QUOTABLE II: "His stat line was a thing of beauty. It was a great performance by him. You can rave about the shooting, you can rave about the points, he played the game like he was in total control. Just a spectacular night."
-- Mark Jackson on Stephen Curry's game.

NOT: The Nuggets for the last two weeks. On Jan. 27 they won their sixth straight and were the talk of the NBA for being 14-5 without a superstar. Since then they've lost seven of their last eight and have looked uneven on offense. Their free-throw shooting has been an issue as well as their 3-point shooting. With plenty of games against teams with winning records it could be a long month for them.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: In three of his last four games, Curry has not missed many shots. In that stretch he has hit 30 of 40 shots and averaged 27.7 points.

QUOTABLE III: "It was ugly when coach Jackson did it and it was ugly when Steph did it."
-- Warriors forward David Lee, on Curry's shimmy shake -- a move he stole from Jackson -- after he hit his last 3-pointer of the night.

GOOD MOVE: The Warriors copied the formula used by Denver's last three opponents to beat the Nuggets. They got a lead and they kept the pressure on the Nuggets by staying aggressive offensively. They also took what Denver gave them. If the perimeter was covered they went inside for a layup or short jumper.

BAD MOVE: The Nuggets defense. They didn't rotate quickly enough on Golden State's 3-point shooters and were hurt by it.

QUOTABLE IV: "It was horrible. You've got to give the Warriors credit but on our home floor that was horrible."
-- Arron Afflalo, on Denver's defense in the third quarter.

ROOKIE WATCH: Thompson took charge in the fourth quarter when the Warriors put this one away. The rookie scored 14 of his 19 points in the frame, and his bucked with 5:17 left gave Golden State a 20-point lead.

NOTABLE: The Warriors had lost six straight and 13 of 14 in Denver before winning Thursday. ... Denver's five-game losing streak is its longest since the 2006-07 season. The Nuggets' five-game home losing streak is their longest since the 2002-03 season.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Sunday vs. Houston, Monday vs. Phoenix, Wednesday vs. Portland. For the Nuggets, Saturday @ Indiana, Tuesday vs. Phoenix, Wednesday @ Dallas.

• Warriors: Brown
• Nuggets: Brewer

• Warriors: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 15
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr., #61 Courtney Kirkland
• Attendance: 14960
• Duration: 2:11