PHILADELPHIA — This has been a slow build.
Two losses, in frustrating fashion, gave way to the bridge game of the Nuggets’ current road trip. That game, a near-miss loss at Chicago, brought with it a shot of confidence. The Bulls exposed a rebounding deficiency, but all other problem spots were remedied. The result was getting that game into the fourth quarter before succumbing.
The Nuggets used that momentum as the driving force behind an upset victory at Toronto the next night — Thursday — and are now staring at a chance to finish this five-game road trip with consecutive victories. But more importantly, wins that get them back into the proper mind frame and playing space that helped them get out to a 6-5 start.
“We have a chance to close out this five-game trip with two wins in a row,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. Denver (7-13) plays at Philadelphia (1-19) on Saturday in an 11 a.m. MST start. “Even during that losing streak our guys did not fragment, we did not fall apart, we did not stop working. We maintained a workmanlike mentality. We stayed positive and we stayed together and that’s the only way we’re going to maintain a positive environment and continue to be a competitive team moving forward.”
In the first three games of the trip, the Nuggets averaged just 81.7 points on 38.7 percent shooting. They shot 32 percent from the 3-point line, and averaged nearly as many turnovers (17.7) as assists (20.7).
But those numbers took a dramatic turn for the better Thursday night.
Their 106 points marked the Nuggets’ first game over 100 points since Nov. 22 (a loss to Golden State). The Nuggets are 7-3 this season when scoring 100 or more points, and 0-10 when they don’t. They shot 46.9 percent from the field, which was their first time shooting better than 45 percent since Nov. 20 at Phoenix.
Noticeable during the team’s lengthy losing streak was the absence of a true negative atmosphere, which they couldn’t avoid happening a season ago when consecutive losses started to mount. This group side-stepped that.
“The thing about the NBA is there’s always a game coming,” forward Darrell Arthur said. “You really can’t hang your head and dwell on the last game. You’ve got to play the next one.”
The next one, if it’s a win, could be a trip-salvaging victory.
“We’ve got to go there and get a win,” Barton said. “It’s time to put together a string of wins. We’ve got one. You can’t start (a streak) without one and now it’s time to take care of business.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
DENVER AT PHILADELPHIA
When: 11 a.m. Saturday
TV/Radio: ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Nerlens Noel:
This hasn’t been a rosy second season for the former Kentucky star. His points and rebounds are slightly up, but his field-goal percentage is way down as he’s struggled along with his team. And there have been complaints from 76ers fans about a dip in his defense too. Still, at his best, Noel is a defensive stalwart whose athleticism can make him effective on offense.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets:
They didn’t practice Friday, the usual procedure after playing back-to-back games. That means the status of forward Kenneth Faried will be updated before Saturday’s game. For now, Faried is listed as questionable with a sprained ankle that he tweaked Wednesday at Chicago. It kept him out of the Nuggets’ victory at Toronto on Thursday. … Denver was swept by the 76ers in their two-game series last season.
76ers:
Rookie big man Jahlil Okafor won’t play Saturday. The former Duke star is serving a two-game suspension, imposed by the 76ers, as punishment for recent detrimental conduct. Two videos of the scuffle he was involved in were made public by TMZ Sports, in addition to other incidents. Okafor was the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NBA draft. … Guards Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall, who have not played because of ACL rehab, have been called up from Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate for Saturday’s game.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
