SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A year ago, April wasn’t a month as much as it was a 30-day sentence.
When the month began, “The worst part of the cancer treatment was kicking in,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “It’s when I knew I was in for a long battle.”
By the end of the month, his Nuggets were reeling in the playoffs, and Karl was at home, a prisoner of radiation and reality.
One April 1 later, “It’s like a sun-shining spring day in Denver,” Karl said Friday. “Everybody has a lot of hope and excitement.”
His Nuggets slapped around Sacramento 99-90 on Friday night, pulling off the rare sweep of an NBA home-and-home series, complemented by Wednesday’s win.
Denver (46-29) is now 14-4 since trading Carmelo Anthony and is in prime position to secure the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference playoffs (Denver is 2 1/2 games ahead of Portland).
“Very few times in your coaching career does your team spark and come together like this team has come together — and has done so in a short period of time,” said Karl, who made his triumphant return to coaching this season after beating throat-and- neck cancer. “I’m just trying to convince them to keep working at it — you are a good team and you can be a better team.”
Raymond Felton was Friday’s hero. Well, he was Friday’s fourth-quarter hero. He entered the final 12 minutes with just three points but finished the night with 17, thanks in part to seven free throws and one dagger 3-pointer.
“I was just being aggressive, trying to get to the basket and be active on defense,” Felton said.
Six Nuggets cracked double figures Friday, including Chris Andersen, who lived up to his ornithological nickname by soaring above the rim for dunks, boards and blocks. He finished with 10, three and three in 11 minutes but ultimately suffered a setback — spraining his right ankle in the second half, heading to the locker room for the rest of the night.
“He’s hurting,” Karl said. “I don’t think he’ll be playing Sunday (at the Lakers).”
X-rays of Andersen’s ankle came back negative.
Also, Denver’s Arron Afflalo tweaked his strained left hamstring. Afflalo said he hopes to play in the matinee in L.A. — his hometown, no less — and will have a better idea at today’s practice.
The last time the Nuggets were in Sacramento, on Jan. 6, they were embarrassed on national TV, losing by 20, arguably the low point of the Melodrama. Friday’s vengeance snapped Denver’s four-game losing streak in Sacramento, just in time for the Kings to move to Anaheim.
And now, the Nuggets enter the final stretch of a crazy season, which just happens to be the toughest stretch of the season — the Lakers, Thunder, Mavericks and Thunder again, with just one of those games at home (Tuesday against Oklahoma City).
But the Nuggets are making believers out of nonbelievers with every win.
Across the NBA, most folks believe that Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau or San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich should win the NBA’s award for coach of the year. But what about Karl?
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Factoring in Melo
The Nuggets are 14-4 and the Knicks 9-12 since their blockbuster trade Feb. 21:
BEFORE TRADE
Rec. GB Div. Conf.
Denver 32-25 4 1/2 7th
New York 28-26 12 6th
TODAY
Denver 46-29 4 5th
New York 37-38 15 7th
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Al Harrington’s right Achilles tendon tightened up, and he left the game in the third quarter. . . . Danilo Gallinari made a hard fourth- quarter foul on DeMarcus Cousins and got a technical foul. Sacramento’s Samuel Dalembert put his hands on Gallo and also got a technical.
Final thought
Sloppy win, but they’ll take any win on the road.
Up next
Sunday at Los Angeles Lakers, 1:30 p.m.
