Nuggets-Bobcats Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Mar 29 2012 3:49PM

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl isn't going to panic about his team's spot in the Western Conference standings, but his players are worried about their inconsistent play.

A game against the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats could quiet those concerns for at least one night.

The Nuggets continue their season-high seven-game road trip Friday when these teams meet for the only time in 2011-12.

Denver (27-24) is in ninth place in the West but has the same record as the two clubs in front of it - Utah and Houston.

"I've said it a thousand times, we have fought very hard to be in a good place and I still think we are in a good place," said Karl, whose team lost 105-96 to Toronto on Wednesday. "The schedule is difficult but it isn't impossible. There's going to be a lot of maneuvering."

That may be true, but if the Nuggets are going to stay in the playoff mix and avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 2002-03, they'll need to string some wins together. Denver, a 108-91 winner at league-best Chicago on Monday, has lost its last six following a victory.

"For the past month we haven't had the proper focus after a good game," guard Arron Afflalo said Wednesday after scoring 15 points. "We've done a great job of bouncing back and recovering but usually when we win a game, we come out and lose that next one. That's a habit we can't afford at this point in the season."

While the Nuggets are trying to remain in playoff contention, the lowly Bobcats (7-41) are looking to end a five-game losing streak.

"We just got to go out there and keep playing hard and getting better," said rookie guard Kemba Walker, who scored 20 points in Wednesday's 88-83 loss to Minnesota. "That is all we can do right now for the rest of the season."

Walker could slide into the starting lineup Friday after D.J. Augustin missed Thursday's practice with a knee injury.

No matter who starts at point guard, the Bobcats will need to find a way to slow down Ty Lawson. The former North Carolina star has registered two of his highest-scoring games of 2011-12 this week with a season high-tying 27 points Monday and 26 on Wednesday.

Lawson, though, is averaging 6.3 points in four games against Charlotte.

The Bobcats, going for their fourth win in Denver's last five visits, could also be without forward Tyrus Thomas for a second straight game due to right elbow bursitis.

If Thomas can't go, DJ White would likely get the start alongside Corey Maggette, who finished with a team-best 22 points Wednesday.

The Bobcats are at the bottom of the NBA with 87.5 points per game and 41.6 percent shooting. They may be able to improve those numbers Friday, as the Nuggets' last six opponents have averaged 110.2 points and shot 49.3 percent from the field.

Afflalo scores 19 as Nuggets down Bobcats 99-88

By STEVE REED
Posted Mar 30 2012 10:59PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Denver's 99-88 win over the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats was far from his team's best effort of the season, but Nuggets coach George Karl isn't complaining.

Not one bit.

"This was a beautiful game," Karl said. "I'm happy. We had turnovers and missed open 3-pointers and still played hard enough defensively to get a win. It wasn't pretty, but it sure was special."

The Nuggets were 2 of 17 on 3-pointers and turned the ball over 25 times, but still got the win to remain in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference. The Nuggets entered in a three-way tie for seventh place in the standings with Houston and Utah. The Rockets beat Memphis, while the Jazz played late Friday night.

Arron Afflalo scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and added 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

"He helped us out a lot, especially in the third quarter," Ty Lawson said of Afflalo. "They came out strong, everybody was missing shots and he was carrying us then, getting fouled, getting to the bucket and that's what we needed. I think he's one of the best two guards playing. I think he just has to keep going."

Lawson added 14 points and 10 assists, while Corey Brewer added 17 points off the bench on 7-for-11 shooting, and Kenneth Faried had 12 points.

The importance of the win was not lost on the Nuggets (28-25).

"We needed this win," Brewer said. "We gave one away the other night in Toronto. We had to get this one and now we need to go to Orlando and get another and keep moving up in the standings."

Gerald Henderson had 21 points to lead the Bobcats, who've lost six straight games and remain the only team in the league with fewer than 10 victories.

The Bobcats may have a tough time reaching that 10-win plateau after losing their leading scorer Corey Maggette in the second half to a strained right Achilles. Bobcats coach Paul Silas said Maggette is out at least a week and will not travel with the team to Detroit for Saturday night's game.

Results of an MRI exam were not yet known.

Maggette had 19 points and six rebounds before the injury and came into the game and is averaging 15.4 points per game.

"I just hope he's OK," Henderson said. "I didn't see where he hurt it. Obviously, he's a huge part of what we're doing. Hopefully, it turns out all right for him."

Silas said he expects Reggie Williams to replace Maggette in the starting lineup.

Williams had 15 points off the bench.

The Bobcats came in worst in the league in 3-point shooting percentage at less than 30 percent, but opened the game by hitting four of their first five shots from behind the arc to build a 28-23 lead after the first quarter.

Maggette hit three of those long-range shots.

D.J. Augustin, who was encouraged by Silas to shoot more, attempted just five shots and made two, finishing with four points. Augustin, who Silas refers to as his team's "best shooter," has just 21 points in the past six games and can't seem to break out of his slump.

The Nuggets regained the lead in the second quarter and led by as many as nine before the Bobcats closed the first half with an 8-0 run to trim the deficit to 52-51 entering the locker room.

But the third quarter, which has been the Achilles heel for the Bobcats all season, did them in once again. Denver outscored them 22-15 to take an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter which they never relinquished.

"We just can't seem to pick it up in that third quarter," Silas said.

The Nuggets outscored the Bobcats 58-38 in the paint and outrebounded them by 15 to make up for their poor long-distance shooting. The got 17 second-chance points compared to just four for Charlotte.

Despite the loss, Silas was happy with the way his outmanned team played.

"I like the way we hustled," Silas said. "We played hard and we're not giving up and that's what this thing is all about. If we were going out there and just showing up then I'd have a real problem. But I don't have a problem with these guys at all."

Notes: Former N.C. State and NBA legend David Thompson was at Friday night's game. ... Maggette and Augustin were both assessed technical fouls for disputing calls. ... The Bobcats reserves scored 42 points, marking the fifth time in six games they've scored at least 38 points. ... JaVale McGee scored in double digits for the fifth time since joining the Nuggets on March 15.

Notebook: Nuggets 99, Bobcats 88

Posted Friday March 30, 2012 10:33PM

Derek S. Smith, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Arron Afflalo scored a team-best 19 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets picked up a 99-88 win over the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena Friday night. Afflalo was one of six Nuggets in double figures while Gerald Henderson scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bobcats, who dropped their sixth straight.

QUOTABLE: "We're such a fast break team that when the guards get in there and rebound it gets us really going on offense. We did a great job on the boards and that really showed on offense."
-- Afflalo

THE STAT: Three-point shooting. Charlotte got out of the gate early from behind the three-point line and connected on five of their first seven attempts and was then just one for their last fifteen. The Nuggets were equally poor from behind arc as well. Denver was just two-for-17.

TURNING POINT: Losing composure. The Bobcats were in the midst of a comeback midway through the third quarter having cut the lead to three at 62-59 when Corey Maggette was hit with a technical foul. The Nuggets reeled off an 8-0 run to take an 11-point lead.

QUOTABLE II: "There were too many turnovers and a lot of missed threes, but we got out there and did it defensively. It wasn't pretty, but it sure was special to get the win."
-- Denver coach George Karl

HOT: Afflalo was 7-for-12 from the floor with a team-best 19 points and grabbed 11 boards. Afflalo was one of three Nuggets to notch double-double on the night. Afflalo set a season-high with his rebounding effort and is averaging 18.7 points in his last five games.

NOT: Charlotte's Tyrus Thomas played just eight minutes and picked up four fouls with no points and three rebounds.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Friday was the last of five NBA Hardwood Classic ABA nights at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Bobcats went 0-5 as the Carolina Cougars. David Thompson, who starred in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and played collegiately at N.C. State, was in attendance. It was also Military Appreciation Night.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kenneth Faried grabbed eight rebounds and scored 12 points for the Nuggets while Kemba Walker scored 11 points and dished four assists for the Bobcats. Walker scored in double figures for the fifth time in six games and is averaging 12.3 points during that stretch.

NOTABLE: Maggette strained his right Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter and is expected to miss the team's upcoming four-game road swing. He was taken to nearby Presbyterian Hospital for an MRI on the injured Achilles ... the Bobcats reserves have scored at least 38 points in five of the last six games after netting 42 in the loss ... Henderson has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games and is averaging 16.8 during that stretch ... JaVale McGee has had at least two blocks in each of his six games with the Nuggets ... The Nuggets had 29 assists on 38 made field goals Friday night and continue to lead the league in assists and are 16-6 when dishing out 25 or more assists ... The Nuggets are also tops in the league in points in the paint at 52.0 per game and were credited with 58 in the paint against Charlotte ... Denver shots 52.1 percent on the night and improved to 12-2 when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor ... Nuggets forward Corey Brewer scored in double figures for the 19th time this season while Al Harrington notched his ninth double-double of the season.

UP NEXT: For the Nuggets, Sunday @ Orlando, Wednesday @ New Orleans, Friday vs. Phoenix. For the Bobcats, Saturday @ Detroit, Tuesday @ Toronto, Wednesday @ Atlanta.

• Nuggets: Fernandez, Gallinari
• Bobcats: Diop

• Nuggets: --
• Bobcats: Augustin, Maggette

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #32 Eddie F. Rush, #18 Matt Boland, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 13806
• Duration: 2:09