There was a point in the Nuggets’ season where many wondered if the weight of living up to a big, new contract might get the best of .
That seems so long ago.
Lately, when the Nuggets have needed their shooting guard most, he has delivered. And delivered. And delivered some more.
April ought to be called Arron Afflalo Appreciation Month around the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets shooting guard has been just short of spectacular. In the midst of a playoff run, he has averaged 20.3 points on 51.5 percent shooting, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists and has shot 47.2 percent from 3-point range.
“Shooting the ball well, he’s defending, he’s out there working,” guard said. “He deserves everything that’s coming to him as far as his hustle and his professionalism. He’s playing good basketball.”
Afflalo is playing his best basketball of the season. The Nuggets have won four of their last five games to move up from eighth to sixth in the Western Conference. In those games, Afflalo averaged 20 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Asked to explain his run of success, Afflalo shrugged.
“Just being confident in my shot and my playmaking ability. … When you’re on the court with and Andre and (), these guys are playmakers, but they are unselfish playmakers. So, for a shooting guard, that’s wonderful.”
Afflalo scored 17 points in the first half against Houston on Monday night, 12 of those in a second quarter when the otherwise cold-shooting Nuggets were in danger of getting blown out. Denver went into the half down by seven. The Nuggets regrouped to pull out a 105-102 victory, perhaps their biggest of the season.
“We’re not in the game if he doesn’t have the first half he had,” Nuggets coach said. “He took very much a big-time offensive responsibility to make that game close.”
Karl pointed toward better chemistry between Afflalo and Lawson as a contributor to former UCLA standout Afflalo’s success.
“It just seems that Afflalo and Ty are getting better communication,” Karl said. “Their flow, and I think Gallo coming back has kind of released their stress a little bit of having to play and make every decision. His confidence seems to be at a great level, and we’ve been riding him.”
After a slow start, Afflalo’s minutes, field-goal percentage, 3-pointers made, assists, rebounds and points per game have increased each month. He is averaging 38.9 minutes in April and is taking a season-high 14.7 shots per game.
“I’m definitely looking for my shot and looking to make plays in general more so than just my shot,” Afflalo said. “But that’s a part of being aggressive. I attribute that to working with the coaches and keeping my game tight. But, also I have to give a lot of appreciation to my teammates because we have an unselfish team.”
Christopher Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
L.A. CLIPPERS AT DENVER
7 p.m. tonight, ALT, 103.1 FM/104.3 FM/ 950 AM
Spotlight on Randy Foye: The Clippers have taken sizable hits to the guard spots via injuries this season, but Randy Foye has done a yeoman’s job of lessening the pain. He is averaging 15.3 points per game this month, and of his 5.6 field goals made per game, a whopping 3.1 of them are 3-pointers. He’s shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (hip) is not expected to play tonight. He is day to day, with no timetable for his return. … The Nuggets have won five consecutive home games and have not lost at the Pepsi Center in April. The team’s last home loss was on March 19 to Dallas. … Andre Miller has reached double figures in assists 15 times this season and is averaging 7.8 in April, his highest average in any month this season.
Clippers: The Clippers have won two of the three meetings between the teams this season. … The Clippers are 20-9 this season when Caron Butler scores 13 or more points. … Point guard Chris Paul is turning in another stellar season. He is the only NBA player averaging at least 19 points, 8.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
