If in three weeks the Nuggets are able to look back at, say, seven wins in 10 games, they’ll point to getting their minds cleared on the road as the catalyst.
After two wins in their three-game road trip, they return to Denver a much calmer and confident team, hopeful that the momentum gained carries over. The victory at Cleveland on Monday night could be a turning point after a slow start.
“This is a situation we wanted be in,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “We have to use it as a big win and a rallying point from where we are right now. But I think moreso than anything it just shows that if we defend the way we defended and we play together and we play with the kind of heart that we showed that we can beat any team on any given night.”
‘Any’ team shows up in the form of Oklahoma City on Wednesday, the same short-handed Thunder team that slapped the Nuggets (3-7) with a 102-91 defeat in Oklahoma on Nov. 1.
Now comes Round 2, with the Thunder still missing their two stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, both out with injuries.
“Two wins on the road, we very possibly could have gotten three out of three,” Nuggets guard Ty Lawson said. “I feel like we came together a little bit on the road trip, from watching film and just being together. I think we’re all on the same page.”
The caliber of opponent eases up for the Nuggets for the next couple of weeks. The next seven Nuggets opponents have a combined record of 33-41.
“Basically we have to build off of (the Cleveland win),” Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur said after the victory Monday. “I don’t want to take this win and then go and lose to Oklahoma City at home. We need to build a lot of wins and build off this game and play this way every night.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
OKLA. CITY AT DENVER
7 p.m. Wednesday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Reggie Jackson: The former Palmer High School star has taken his fair share of criticism for his play, but he has been the go-to guy lately on an Oklahoma City team that has been competitive most nights despite being down two stars. Going into Tuesday’s game at Utah, Jackson was averaging 21.5 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds as the starting point guard while Russell Westbrook is out.
NOTEBOOK
Thunder: Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks has carved out a formidable defensive identity for his team while his stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, have been out. The Thunder ranked fifth in the NBA going into Tuesday night’s games, allowing just 42.2 percent shooting from the field and sixth in points allowed 93.1.
Nuggets: J.J. Hickson sat out the last game, as he’s not been cleared for back-to-back sets yet while coming off ACL surgery this year. He’ll be back for the Nuggets, though, against Oklahoma City. Hickson missed the first meeting between the teams while sitting out the first five games on a league suspension.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
