Monday night, Evan Fournier got the chance to revisit one of his favorite restaurants in Denver: the Sushi Den.
He and countryman Joffrey Lauvergne dined and talked and laughed — and it all felt just as good as he remembered from his time when he was part of the Nuggets.
“Denver will always be in my heart,” Fournier said. “It was my first city in America. I have a lot of good friends. I’m very attached to Denver. I really love this city. Denver will always be special.”
But things are different now. He is different now.
“As far as basketball,” Fournier said, “I’ve moved on.”
He returned to the Pepsi Center for the second time since he was traded to Orlando in the summer of 2014 in exchange for Arron Afflalo. Fournier was the Nuggets’ 20th pick of the 2012 draft, and showed plenty of promise as he learned the customs of a new country and the protocols of a new team.
Now, those early years are starting to pay off. He acknowledged he came to town in a bit of a slump, but not even a few off games changed the fact that he leads the Magic in scoring at 16.3 points a game and is generally playing some of the best basketball of his young career.
“Right now, I’m looking for my rhythm back,” Fournier said. “I’m kind of struggling right now. But I can’t focus on myself. The team is doing pretty good right now and that’s what matters. I just have to be in aggressive mode.”
Lauvergne battles illness. Nuggets center Lauvergne was a late addition to the game after he appeared likely to miss it because of a stomach illness. He did not go through the shootaround and rested most of the day. Lauvergne took an IV prior to the game and felt good enough to play.
Meanwhile, Darrell Arthur popped up on the injury list with right knee soreness. He did play.
