Bucks-Nuggets Preview

By PAUL DIGIACOMO
Posted Feb 04 2013 7:07PM

The Denver Nuggets have been scoring at will for the last month, dominating teams at home and playing like a serious contender in the Western Conference.

All of the talk from the team after its last game, though, was how it finally finished strong on the defensive end.

The Nuggets try to win seven straight for the first time in just over two years when they continue a season-high six-game homestand Tuesday night against a Milwaukee Bucks team that has never had much success in Denver.

Denver (30-18) is on its second six-game win streak in four weeks, part of a 13-3 surge since the calendar moved to 2013. It has helped that 13 of those 16 games have come at home, where the Nuggets are 20-3 and averaging 108.2 points.

They've won five in a row on their own court, putting up even better offensive numbers. Denver, which last won seven straight overall Nov. 20-Dec. 5, 2010, is averaging 115.0 points and shooting 50.5 percent during the home win streak.

The Nuggets, though, are allowing an average of 104.0 points on 46.8 shooting in those games, which has not sat well with George Karl. The coach was especially bothered by his team's fourth-quarter defense, but Denver held New Orleans to 20 points in the final period of Friday's 113-98 win.

The Nuggets were outscored 32-21 in the fourth quarter of a 112-108 home loss to lowly Washington on Jan. 18, and blew a 14-point lead late in a 102-101 win over Indiana on Jan. 28.

"In general we've been good getting leads in the fourth quarter, but we've been giving them back," Karl said. "Tonight we didn't do that."

Denver was ahead by 16 with 3:33 left before two 3-pointers cut it to eight with 1:28 remaining, but the Hornets never really threatened.

"The story of the night was when we had a 10-point lead with 3 minutes to go, we didn't give it up," said Andre Iguodala, who scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Milwaukee (25-21) allowed 31 points in the fourth quarter Saturday but scored 28 of its own in a 107-98 home win over Orlando. The Bucks got contributions from across the board as they avoided a third straight loss.

Monta Ellis had 21 points and a season high-tying 11 assists, Brandon Jennings scored 20 and Larry Sanders added 17 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points and eight rebounds and reserve Mike Dunleavy scored 11, hitting three of four 3-pointers.

"Everybody moved the ball well. I thought we just had a nice little rhythm going," coach Jim Boylan said. "Sometimes when we play with that kind of ease, we can get a little distracted and lose a little focus and we did on a couple of occasions."

The Bucks can ill afford to have down moments in Denver, where they are 9-36 all-time including playoffs. Milwaukee has lost four in a row overall to the Nuggets.

"We've just got to play our game," Ellis said. "Go in there with a lot of intensity, be aggressive and hopefully come out with a win."

Nuggets rally past Bucks for 112-104 win

By DENNIS GEORGATOS
Posted Feb 06 2013 1:43AM

DENVER (AP) Reserve Milwaukee center Samuel Dalembert got on a roll for the best game of his 10-year career. The Denver Nuggets finally found an answer.

Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson each scored 22 points and the Nuggets overcame a career-high 35-point performance by Dalembert, rallying past the Bucks 112-104 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.

"Of course, we were shocked," Lawson said. "You don't see many players in the NBA get 35 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. I thought his first half was crazy. But that's OK. We weathered the storm, but the second half, he just kept going."

Dalembert finished 17 for 21 from the floor in surpassing his previous career high of 27 points on March 14, 2011, against Golden State while with Sacramento. Luc Mbah a Moute, Larry Sanders, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings added 12 points apiece for the Bucks, who led most of the way before being overtaken in the final period, when they were outscored 33-18.

"It was one of those nights when you make the most of your time out there," Dalembert said. "I was able to get into the flow and get some minutes. It was one of those games where I seemed to make baskets every time."

Said Nuggets coach George Karl: "He's been shooting better, but I've never seen him shoot the ball that well."

The Nuggets never really stopped Dalembert all night but they did manage to turn up their offense and defense in the late going to pull out their seventh win in a row, their longest winning streak in more than two years.

"I've had one of those nights before, where I hit like 10 3-pointers in a row," Lawson said. "You're just feeling it, and he was knocking down shots nobody thought he would make. He almost won the game for them. But we just stuck with it. We knew we had a chance to get back in the game."

Corey Brewer added 20 points and Kenneth Faried 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who didn't lead in the game until late in the fourth quarter.

"They were able to get a lot of fastbreak points," Dalembert said. "And then, there were so many shots that we weren't making. They got momentum going for them and we couldn't stop them."

Trailing by 15 at halftime, Denver opened the third quarter with a 9-0 burst to pull to 66-60 when Danilo dunked off a lob from Andre Iguodala.

A running jumper by Wilson Chandler near the end of the third narrowed Milwaukee's lead to 82-78, but Dalembert and Beno Udrih connected on jumpers around a free throw by Chandler, and the Bucks took an 86-79 lead into the fourth quarter.

Milwaukee stretched its lead to 10 points early in the fourth when Udrih made a 3-pointer but the Nuggets gradually cut into the lead, pulling to 100-97 after Gallinari's 3-pointer with 5:08 left to play.

Faried made a free throw, and Brewer got loose for a breakaway dunk off a Milwaukee turnover to even the score at 100-all with 3:36 remaining.

Denver got six straight points from Lawson, including a pair of free throws with 3:06 left that gave the Nuggets their first lead. A turnover by Jennings led to another fastbreak that Iguodala finished with a dunk to put the Nuggets up 108-103 with 1:27 remaining. The Bucks managed only a free throw by Jennings the rest of the way.

"It was definitely the defense," Gallinari said. "We picked up our defense and that made us play better."

Scoring a season-high for a half, the Bucks took a 66-51 lead at the break, boosted by Dalembert's blistering performance. He hit his first nine shots before finally misfiring on a layup, only to get the rebound and put it back in to finish the first half with 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor.

Iguodala hit a jumper to pull Denver within 46-43 with 4:22 left in the second quarter. Milwaukee responded by closing the period with a 20-8 run, starting with a 3-pointer by Mbah a Moute followed by five consecutive fastbreaks, including four ending in layups by Jennings.

NOTES: The Bucks' previous high in a half was 65 points (second half) a week ago at Detroit. ... JaVale McGee returned to action for the Nuggets after missing the previous three games with soreness in his left shin. ... Dalembert's previous scoring high this season was 15 points against New Orleans on Nov. 17. ... The Nuggets last won seven in a row from Nov. 20-Dec. 5, 2010. ... Milwaukee has lost eight of its last 10 in Denver.

Notebook: Nuggets 112, Bucks 104

Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:14 AM - Updated Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:14 AM

THE FACTS: Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points each and the Denver Nuggets used a 19-4 run in the final 6:13 to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-104 on Tuesday night.

The late surge helped Denver overcome a monster night from Samuel Dalembert. The 6-foot-11 veteran scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.

Corey Brewer had 20 points and Kenneth Faried had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won seven straight.

QUOTABLE: "When you get the groove and you're in a zone you continue. The mentality was not to force anything and see what the game was giving me."
-- Samuel Dalembert

THE STAT: The Nuggets held Milwaukee's two top scorers, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, to a combined 24 points, 13 below what the two average per game together. Together they shot 11-for-36 from the field

TURNING POINT: Denver's aggressive defense down the stretch created problems for the Bucks. After Ellis hit a jumper to make it 100-93, Milwaukee missed its next four shots and turned it over twice, which helped fuel the Nuggets' run. Once the defense created turnovers the offense scored layups and dunks and ran past the Bucks.

QUOTABLE II: "Their switching defense, they were really aggressive. They played small the whole second half which causes a little bit of a problem for us."
-- Milwaukee coach Jim Boylan

HOT: A model of efficiency, Dalembert needed just 15 minutes to surpass his career high of 27 set two years ago. He hit his first nine shots and finished 17-for-21 from the field and easily topped his career high for made field goals, which was 13. He also played a season-high 27 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "The mistakes we were making they were getting easy shots and they were finishing them. Dalembert getting 35, we rejuvenated his career. He's been shooting the ball better but I've never seen him shoot the ball that well."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl

NOT: The Nuggets defense in the first half. The Bucks shot 60.8 percent in the first two quarters, including 68 percent in the second period alone. They sure fixed it in the second half, holding Milwaukee to 34.7 percent shooting.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Gallinari has come on strong during the Nuggets' winning streak. Over the last six games he is averaging 21 points and five rebounds. He has emerged as a steady offensive force.

GOOD MOVE: The Nuggets went small in the fourth quarter and it paid off defensively. They didn't sacrifice rebounding and were able to force seven turnovers and block four shots.

QUOTABLE IV: "That's what we got [Andre] Iguodala for, his defense, and Corey [Brewer] made some plays. We just made some plays down the stretch."
-- Ty Lawson

BAD MOVE: Larry Sanders had to be helped off the court after he hit the floor hard with 4:41 left. Sanders, who had five blocks, tried for a sixth on Faried's dunk attempt and fell awkwardly to the floor.

QUOTABLE V: "It's the back of the hip bone. They did a couple of X-rays but it's nothing too serious. I'll take care of this and get back as fast as I can."
-- Bucks' Larry Sanders

NOTABLE: The Bucks fell to 8-34 all-time in Denver. ... Denver's seven-game winning streak is its longest since Nov. 20-Dec 5, 2010. ... Dalembert's 35 points are the most in the NBA from a bench player this season. ... Lawson has scored 20 points in seven of the last 11 games. The Nuggets are 6-1 in those games.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Wednesday @ Utah, Saturday vs. Detroit, Monday vs. Washington. For the Nuggets, Thursday vs. Chicago, Saturday @ Cleveland, Sunday @ Boston.

• Bucks: Daniels, Lamb
• Nuggets: Miller, Stone

• Bucks: --
• Nuggets: Gallinari

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #14 Ed Malloy, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 15272
• Duration: 2:15