In Tuesday’s Nuggets-Nets game, it got scary for a second there — the Nets won the tipoff!
But that was about all the fear New Jersey could instill in Denver. The Nets shot 38.9 percent in the first quarter, a harbinger of clanks to come. The Nuggets won 101-87, and New Jersey remains winless on the year (0-14).
In the Nuggets’ previous game against New Jersey, on Nov. 4, Carmelo Anthony actually started out 1-for-11 (but for the night was 8-for-24). In the rematch, Anthony again attempted six first-half shots, this time making six. The NBA’s leading scorer finished with 27 points in 34 minutes, as well as six rebounds and four assists.
Playing against a lackluster low-post, Denver center Nene erupted, finishing with 17 points, including numerous rim-rattling slams. Nene’s low-post counterpart, though, wasn’t as effective. Kenyon Martin shot just 2-for-10 from the field.
Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups also struggled shooting, which he has in a few recent games. Mr. Big Shot made just two shots and missed 10. But he did tally seven assists in his 30 minutes and five rebounds too.
Often this season, the Nuggets catch fire in the second half of games, and on Tuesday, they led by (“just”) 12 at the half and by 5:30 in the third quarter, Denver led 70-50, thanks to a brutal 15-7 run to start the quarter.
After three quarters, the Nets trailed 80-61 and had just one player, Rafer Alston, with five or more field goals (and he only had five). At this point, New Jersey had shot 37.3 percent from the field, an abysmal night for an abysmal team.
