When Cooper took over the Nuggets, he promised emphasis on defense. Perhaps, however, that thinking was somewhat misguided. Denver ranks 13th in the NBA in Defensive Rating this season, just 24th on Offense. (Points per game tells a different story about the Nuggets shortcomings because the team has played at an above-average pace.) The primary culprit continues to be a lack of perimeter punch. Denver has connected on just 133 three-pointers at a 32.1% rate, allowing opponents to pack the lane and negate the inside presence of Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby and Nenê. Anthony continues to struggle with his shooting since returning from a sprained ankle, shooting 34.0% during the month of January.

Denver has particularly struggled with adversity this season. On the road, the Nuggets are 4-12. They're 5-17 against Western Conference foes (10-5 against the East) and went 1-5 when Anthony was out. One place that doesn't extend is back-to-back games, where, strangely, the Nuggets are 0-9 in the first game and 3-5 in the second. Tonight completes Denver's ninth back-to-back set of the season, and fatigue will be something of an extra factor after the Nuggets played without three of their big men, Camby, Nenê and Francisco Elson because of NBA suspension. Camby and Elson are back tonight, but Nenê is out another three games including this evening.

The Seattle SuperSonics continued their trend of coming out to play in big games by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday at KeyArena. For the second straight game, the Sonics did it without All-Star candidate Rashard Lewis, who continues to be bothered by patella tendinitis in his left knee. Lewis did not practice Monday and remains questionable for Tuesday's game. In Lewis' absence, the Sonics have gotten strong performances from Antonio Daniels and Vladimir Radmanovic, but it will be difficult for them to continue winning without their second-leading scorer.

G U A R D S
	The season-ending Achilles tendon tear suffered by backcourt-mate Voshon Lenard has exposed Denver point guard Andre Miller's biggest flaw, his lack of three-point range. Miller is one of the biggest culprits in the Nuggets perimeter struggles, connecting on just three triples all year in 19 attempts. That aside, Miller is still a quality point guard who is shooting 48.0% this season in addition to getting to the line regularly (although not as often as last year with defenses packing it in). Though Miller is only 6-2, he's physical for a point guard, and that's presented problems for Sonics guard Luke Ridnour. In two matchups this season, Miller is averaging 19.0 points on 16-for-23 shooting against the Sonics.
	Denver has replaced Lenard with Greg Buckner, improving their perimeter defense but hurting them on the other end of the court. Buckner is shooting the ball well, bouncing back from last year's off year (he shot 37.7%) to hit 53.3% of his attempts this year. But Buckner is an infrequent scorer, attempting less than five shots a night, meaning opposing defenses don't have to worry a ton about him. Buckner's defensive ability will aid him in his matchup against Sonics guard Ray Allen. Allen had 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting earlier this season in Denver (Buckner played only 11 minutes in that game) and has generally played well against the Nuggets since Miller complained about being passed over for last year's All-Star team in Allen's favor.
F O R W A R D S
	It's been a trying season for Anthony, who has fallen prey to the so-called "Sophomore Slump". It's affected him not just on the court, where Anthony's 39.1% shooting ranks him 235th of the 278 players who have attempted at least 100 field goals this season, but off it, where controversy has dogged Anthony all year. Making matters worse was Anthony's injury, which came when he was seemingly rounding into form during December. Anthony is coming off of a good outing - 24 points and eight rebounds at Golden State - but he shot just 5-for-18 in Friday's loss to Minnesota. Anthony has been a key indicator for the Nuggets; he's shooting 43.8% in their wins, just 35.3% in losses. If Lewis is unable to lace them up, missing his third straight game, the Sonics will again go with Antonio Daniels as his replacement.
	Despite the chaos around him this season, the Nuggets have been able to depend on Kenyon Martin for a fairly consistent 15 points and eight rebounds each night. Unfortunately, after giving him a massive contract and surrendering three draft picks to acquire him from New Jersey, Denver might have been looking for more out of Martin. He remains one of the league's better role players, shooting a solid 48.1% from the field, but Martin struggles when asked to set up his own shot regularly. The Sonics had some success pushing Martin to the perimeter early in their first matchup, but he had 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the rematch in December. Sonics forward Reggie Evans has 26 rebounds in two games against Denver.
C E N T E R
	Camby's absence was easily apparent last night, as the Golden State Warriors drove to the unprotected basket time and again, guard Jason Richardson scoring a career-high 42 points on 17-for-30 shooting. The Nuggets rely on Camby's 2.5 blocks per game, which rank him fifth in the league. Camby is also one of the NBA's better per-minute rebounders. On offense, he isn't a major threat, averaging 8.9 points per game on 45.9% shooting. Sonics center Jerome James can match Camby's shot-blocking - they rank third and seventh, respectively, in blocks per 48 minutes - but will have to work to keep the Nuggets center off the boards while taking advantage of his size against the smaller Camby.
B E N C H
	Nenê's suspension hurts what is normally one of the NBA's better benches. Earl Boykins (right) is the catalyst, changing the pace of the game when he checks in. Boykins must be accounted for at all times, though he's shot worse this season, just 39.5% from the field. Several players see action on the perimeter. Dermarr Johnson is the best defender at a long 6-9 and is shooting 50% from the field. Bryon Russell is the three-point specialist, canning 39.7% of his threes and taking 78 of 107 shots from downtown. Rodney White is the scorer, averaging 20.7 points per 48 minutes. Up front, Elson will see heavy action in Nenê's absence. Sunday was arguably Vladimir Radmanovic's (left) best game of the season. Radmanovic had 23 points and 11 rebounds, making seven of his 11 shot attempts and keying the Sonics comeback. Danny Fortson added seven points and five rebounds before fouling out, Nick Collison five points and five boards. Both Collison and Ronald "Flip" Murray played well against the Nuggets on Dec. 22 in expanded roles because Daniels, who did not play, and Allen were ill.

TEAM LEADERS ALLEN ANTHONY Allen 24.1 PPG Anthony 20.9 Evans 8.5 RPG Camby 8.1 Ridnour 6.3 APG Miller 6.2 Ridnour 1.4 SPG Miller 1.5 James 1.3 BPG Camby 2.5 Allen 40.3 MPG Anthony 36.7