MEMPHIS, tenn. — Ty Lawson returned to the Nuggets on Tuesday, but coach George Karl was cautious before the game — and it had nothing to do with Lawson’s sprained ankle.
“The one thing with Ty and Andre (Miller), they create a lot of their offense with defensive steals and they’re very good around the ball,” Karl said at the shootaround. “We have to protect the ball. If we don’t, they’ll be in the game and they’ll have a chance to beat us. If we have a low turnover game, I think they’ll have trouble beating us.”
Well, after missing three games, Lawson tallied just four assists in Denver’s 100-97 overtime loss, while committing five turnovers.
And Miller, the reserve guard who played down the stretch, had six assists but four turnovers. As Karl predicted, the Nuggets struggled.
Still, the Nuggets were happy to have Lawson back — he pushes Denver’s offense into another gear with his slithering speed. Lawson averages 15.7 points per game and 6.5 assists this season, his first full season as a starter.
Miller has proved to be one of the top reserve guards in the league this season, averaging 10.8 points and 7.3 assists, entering Tuesday with four consecutive games with double-digit assist totals.
What a month. The Nuggets finished 12-5 in January, one win from tying a franchise record set in March 1982, when coach Doug Moe’s squad went 13-2. Of course, because of the lockout-crammed schedule, the Nuggets played two more games than that team.
But with home wins against the Lakers and Heat, as well as a four-game East Coast sweep, Karl said, “It might have been the best month I’ve ever had, in my mind.” Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
