Defense has the weekend off.
Two high-octane NBA teams, Denver and Golden State, will glue their hightops to the gas pedals in a game of NASC-ketball.
The Nuggets are third in the NBA with 106.8 points per game, trailing Golden State (108.1) and Phoenix (109.7). The Nuggets and Warriors play tonight in Oakland, Calif., and then again on Sunday at the Pepsi Center, a rare consecutive-game series during the regular season.
Both Denver and Golden State have 17 wins, both are in the top four in steals and both are trying to reach contender status in the Western Conference come spring.
“When we get out in the open court in transition, it’s hard to beat us,” Denver forward Carmelo Anthony said.
Denver (17-11) is allowing the seventh-lowest field-goal percentage in the NBA, while the Warriors (17-12) allow the 21st-lowest. And the Nuggets are a better rebounding team (fifth to 11th), bolstered by center Marcus Camby, fresh off a triple-double, and power forwards Nene — finally healthy — and Kenyon Martin, who rested his hamstring for five days, then played the first half in Wednesday’s blowout, again resting the hamstring in the second half.
The scheduling glitch, historically, isn’t good for either team. Since 2003-04, there have been 24 instances where two teams played each other in consecutive games. Only eight times did one team win both games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Consider this. The Nuggets are 17-11, which is their best record through 28 games since 2003-04. And the Nuggets are 7-1 in games they shoot 50 percent or better, most recently their 54.7-percent effort against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
So long, farewell.
With the return of power forward Nene, the Nuggets have cut post Jelani McCoy — again. This is the third time since the beginning of preseason that McCoy has been waived by the Nuggets. Last week, the Nuggets waived the former UCLA product on Wednesday and signed him again on Friday, the same night he started because four Nuggets posts were injured. In six appearances, McCoy averaged 0.5 points and 1.2 rebounds.
Still No. 1.
Anthony continues to lead all Western Conference forwards in all-star voting (767,722 votes). The Spurs’ Tim Duncan is second (722,059) and the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki is third (686,853). Denver guard Allen Iverson and center Marcus Camby are both fourth in their respective voting. Paper balloting will end Jan. 13 and online balloting on Jan. 20. The starters will be announced on Jan. 24, followed by the reserves on Jan. 31.
Hunter back soon.
Talk about bad luck. Denver reserve center Steven Hunter, who plays behind three other big men, would have actually played last weekend, because of injuries to Camby, Martin and Nene. But Hunter, too, has been out following right knee surgery. The DePaul product expects to return in two weeks, and he will help at practice and fill in, when time allows it, during games.
“Things are going great,” Hunter said Thursday. “My knee feels so much better than when I got here, because it has been bothering me since training camp. I love the team, I’m happy and I’m looking forward to my future with the Nuggets.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: Forward Kenyon Martin is expected to play (hamstring). Carmelo Anthony has recorded a double-double in each of the past four games. Denver is 5-7 on the road this season. In Denver’s most recent game against Milwaukee, it made eight 3-pointers. The Nuggets are 8-2 when they make eight or more 3s.
Warriors: Since forward Stephen Jackson returned to the lineup, the Warriors are 16-6. Jackson averages 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 39.0 minutes. Forward Andris Biedrins leads the NBA with a 62.6 field-goal percentage. Golden State, like Denver, is on a two-game win streak, and both teams have won six of the past 10 games.
