With a Nuggets win tonight, the team will clinch a playoff spot for the sixth-consecutive season — only Dallas, Detroit and San Antonio have also made postseason appearances every year since 2003-04. But for the Nuggets, this won’t be a champagne-spraying evening if they knock of the Knicks.
The Nuggets (48-26) enter today tied for the third-best record in the conference, but the difference between the No. 2 team and No. 7 team is just 2-1/2 games. There is still a lot of business at hand – vying for homecourt, a division crown and some confidence heading into the postseason.
“The main objective is to take care of business and try to get that second spot,” Nuggets center Chris Andersen said at this morning’s shootaround. “And if we can get six of the next eight, that ties the franchise record for wins. I’ve already talked to some of the guys, and it would be really nice to break that franchise record.”
The Knicks (29-45) have lost eight of their past 10, but the Nuggets have had some struggles against fast-paced teams this season, and as Denver coach George Karl said: “They play fast. We were talking about who plays faster — Golden State or New York? New York plays faster with bigger bodies. Al Harrington, David Lee, they’re runners and Chris Wilcox has given them some life. I think we’re all rooting for (center) Eddy Curry to be on the court a little bit so the game will slow down.
“And Nate Robinson is the 10th leading scorer after the all-star break – they give him a lot of freedom.”
The Nuggets won their only other game against New York this season, 117-110, a night when Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points. He averages 22.8 points per game, but in his past five games, the Nuggets forward has averaged 30.4 points.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
