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Nuggets Look to Bounce Back Against Brooklyn

By Christopher Dempsey

If there is a team that has had some sort of weird hex over the Denver Nuggets in recent meetings, it’s the Brooklyn Nets.

To wit:

Dec. 7, 2016 – Brooklyn jumps out to a 29-point lead in the third quarter, Nuggets coach Michael Malone was ejected after picking up two technical fouls….and the Nuggets rallied. They went on a massive 46-19 run to chop a 92-62 lead to two (111-109), but Brooklyn held on in the final seconds to win.

March 4, 2016 – Brook Lopez tips in Shane Larkin’s missed layup with 0.4 seconds to play, lifting Brooklyn to a stunning 121-120 overtime win over the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.

Feb 8, 2016 – Kenneth Faried makes a jumper with 4.7 seconds left to give the Nuggets a two-point lead in Brooklyn. But Joe Johnson answered with a prayer of a 3-point shot that banked in at the buzzer, which beat the Nuggets 105-104.

Maybe it was just 2016. The Nuggets are hoping a change of the calendar can help change their fortunes against a Nets team that has won six straight games against the Nuggets – three of those at the Pepsi Center.

Toss in the fact the Nuggets are 2-10 in the second of back-to-back sets this season, and it’s clear the challenge is real in Friday night’s Nuggets-Nets game (7 p.m., ALT, 950 AM) at the Pepsi Center. Even though Brooklyn is an NBA-worst 9-47.

The Nuggets are coming off of a loss at Sacramento on Thursday night. The Nets have been in Denver waiting for them, as this is their first game after the All-Star break. It’s the first of a huge eight-game road trip while their arena, Barclays Center, is being used for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.

Energy is the buzzword around the Nuggets tonight. They want to start the game with it, but just as important, sustain a high energy level throughout. They were not able to do that against Sacramento on Thursday night. Nikola Jokic is looking to bounce back from an off shooting night against the Kings in which he scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting. It was Jokic’s first single-digit scoring night since Dec. 23, snapping a streak of 22 straight games in double figures.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, is debuting two new players acquired at the trade deadline, forwards K.J. McDaniels and Andrew Nicholson. On top of that, Brooklyn is an improving defensive team, ranking in the top 10 in field goal percentage allowed (44.6) and 3-point field goal percentage allowed (34.0) in its last nine games.