EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Like a jukebox stuck on “Who Let the Dogs Out,” the Nuggets have been singing the same maddening song all season.
After numerous losses, they talk about lack of defensive focus, how they’re frustrated, how they know what they need to do.
Yet, they keep on singing.
Heading into this five-game road trip, during which Denver has lost the first two games, center Marcus Camby talked about it like he knew it was coming:
“Our downfall this year has been playing out there on the road. Some nights, games aren’t even close. Our mental focus has to be there. This road trip is pretty much going to define the season.”
Denver proceeded to lose Tuesday at Detroit, which shot 60.4 percent from the field. Twenty-four hours later, Philadelphia shot 60.3. The last time consecutive Denver opponents shot 60 percent or better? It was 1990.
“We need to help each other better, we need to stop the ball better,” forward Kenyon Martin said. “There’s a number of things we need to do. But there are times we do it, times we don’t. If we stop the ball better and play better defense, it could help. We need to get it done. It’s frustrating.”
Tonight, the Nuggets (40-28) play at New Jersey (29-39). On Jan. 25, the Nuggets played terrific defense against the Nets, who shot just 38.2 percent from the field.
Starting tonight, it’s impossible to overemphasize the importance of the next three games.
Denver enters tonight 2 1/2 games behind Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Denver’s next three games are against teams it is undefeated against this season — New Jersey tonight, Toronto on Sunday and Memphis on Monday.
Golden State’s next eight games, beginning tonight against Houston, are against Western Conference teams with winning records.
Denver, 12-21 on the road, can’t worry about Golden State, though. If the Nuggets don’t start clamping down defensively, it won’t matter if the Warriors lose games, because the Nuggets will keep losing games, too.
The Nuggets allow 105.6 points per game, 26th in the league, but their defense is high-risk — they lead the NBA in both blocks (6.85) and steals (9.26), and are also second in turnovers forced (16.7).
But how do they slow down opponents’ scoring? Players such as Allen Iverson said communication on defense needs to increase. Coach George Karl said the perimeter defenders are flimsy, and “penetration is breaking our defense down.”
Karl also is worried about rebounding, something that wasn’t an issue earlier in the season.
Against the Pistons, the Nuggets set a team season-low with 22 rebounds. The next night, they were outrebounded 44-34 by the 76ers.
“Our perimeter hasn’t helped the bigs rebound the ball as much as they need to,” Karl said. “We have not focused in on good rebounding teams.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Denver at New Jersey
5:30 p.m. tonight, ALT, KKFN 104.3 FM
Spotlight on Richard Jefferson: This is Jefferson’s seventh season, but surprisingly, he’s never averaged this many points per game. His 23.1 is good for ninth in the NBA, and he is coming off a tremendous performance against Atlanta on Wednesday. That night, he scored 33 on 10-for-17 shooting — and had five rebounds, too. Jefferson has yet to miss a game this season.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: In Denver’s only other game against the Nets, the Nuggets won at the Pepsi Center, 100-85, on Jan. 25. . . . New Jersey’s 11 first-quarter points were the second-fewest points Denver has allowed in an opening quarter. . . . In that game, Denver forward Linas Kleiza scored 23 points with a career-high 11 rebounds. Kleiza tied that career high in Denver’s game Wednesday at Philly.
Nets: The Nets are 6-1 at home against Denver since 2000-01, their lone loss last season on March 20, 2007. . . . The Nets have not been swept by the Nuggets since 1989-90. . . . In his 11 games since joining the Nets, former Dallas guard Devin Harris has increased his season averages — 14.4 points to 16.3 and 5.3 assists to 5.6.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
