With a sparkling 31-3 record in the Pepsi Center, the Denver Nuggets own one of the most significant homecourt advantages in the NBA. The Nuggets play their home games at altitude in the Mile High City, giving them an edge on visiting teams not accustomed to the thin air. The Nuggets’ dominance in Denver is something the New Orleans Hornets have already twice witnessed this season, to the tune of 18- and 15-point defeats.
Fortunately for the Hornets, their third and final matchup of 2012-13 against the Nuggets will take place in New Orleans on Monday evening. With less than a month remaining in the season, Denver is just 16-19 on the road, a drastic difference from its effectiveness at home.
Overall, the Nuggets will enter Monday's game in New Orleans with a 15-game winning streak, the longest in franchise history.
The Hornets struggled to keep up with the fast-paced Nuggets in the previous two encounters, falling by final margins of 102-84 and 113-98. Denver led by 22 points through three quarters on Nov. 25; in the Feb. 1 meeting, it outscored New Orleans in each of the final three periods to methodically take control. Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez were the only Hornets players to reach double figures in scoring in both games against the Nuggets, averaging 18.5 and 13.5 points, respectively.
If New Orleans is to break through for its first victory this season against Denver, it must do a much better job of protecting the ball. The opportunistic Nuggets often capitalize on an opponent’s mistakes, making the Hornets’ 35 combined turnovers in the prior two matchups a severe problem. New Orleans actually shot very well in the Feb. 1 game, at 52.8 percent from the field, but committed 21 turnovers. Denver parlayed many of those miscues into easy baskets at the other end of the floor, partly accounting for the Nuggets’ 62-point eruption in the second half.
Intriguing matchup: Shooting guard, Eric Gordon vs. Andre Iguodala
Iguodala has been a major thorn in the Hornets’ sides this season, his first as a member of the Nuggets. Perhaps best known for his defense, the athletic Iguodala has also been Denver’s leading scorer in each victory vs. New Orleans, tallying 23 and 24 points, respectively. Gordon missed the Nov. 25 game at Denver prior to making his season debut Dec. 29, then had eight points on 3-for-8 shooting on Feb. 1.
