The Nuggets have been here before: optimistic after a losing streak-busting victory, giddy about the potential in the road ahead.
There was a lot of good in the Nuggets’ 111-107 victory Monday night over Memphis, but their history this season raises the question: Can they keep this up?
“It’s just a step forward. There’s things that we’ve got to correct,” guard Allen Iverson said. “But when you get a win, obviously you did some things right and you can concentrate on the positive and then try to correct the negative.”
The Nuggets were sluggish after the all-star break in games against some of the best competition the NBA has to offer. Dallas is the only team in NBA history to have three 12-game win streaks in one season. San Antonio has demolished all competition since the break, winning by an average of 17.3 points. The Nuggets’ 114-104 home loss to an injury-depleted Utah team last Friday was the toughest to take.
“Those are three of probably the top five or six teams in the NBA,” center Marcus Camby said. “Definitely not using that as an excuse; we feel we should beat those teams. But it was tough, especially with two of those ballgames on the road. Our work was cut out for us. Hopefully we get things going.”
The next three games are at the Pepsi Center: tonight against Orlando, Friday against Houston and Tuesday against New Orleans. Outside of Houston, that might not look like much, but if the playoffs began today, Orlando would be in, while New Orleans is just outside the Western Conference’s top eight.
The Nuggets haven’t taken advantage of the spark a win can bring. Three of their six most recent victories have been followed by three- or four-game losing streaks. They haven’t won a majority of games in a 10-game stretch since going 6-4 from Jan. 8-27.
The team wants that to change.
“It puts us in a position where we go home for a couple games and hopefully win a couple more,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “I think the whole season has been kind of good and bad. We have a good stretch, and then we have a bad stretch.
“I don’t think this is a bad stretch; losing to three of the best teams in basketball when we’re going through a little bit of a change, and J.R. (Smith) not playing, it just seems like we can never get that edge we had early in the season, before the suspensions.”
Since Carmelo Anthony and Smith were suspended, the Nuggets are 14-19. They were 13-9 after that Dec. 16 game in New York.
“I think we’re all alarmed, but I don’t think we’re panicking,” forward Linas Kleiza said. “It’s not like we’re stepping on the court trying to lose games. We had a tough break, especially after all-star having those three teams. But we’re not in a bad place – just have to put some wins together, jell, and just get ready for playoffs.
“If we can make the playoffs, we’ll be a really dangerous team when we come together and start playing to our potential.”
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
