LeBron James brings his team to Denver on Tuesday night. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Defending star players is a tricky business. Most teams need to devote additional resources to slow said star. So, double-teams, zone-ish or straight-up zone defenses, multiple eyes on the star, etc. Problem is, that distorts a team’s ability to defend everyone else on the court with the star. Be bold enough to defend that star one-on-one, and that star might burn you in the end.
The Nuggets face the star of all stars on Tuesday night in Cleveland’s LeBron James. They’ll have a plan for James, and that plan will have to carry through four quarters. Especially the fourth quarter. During this stretch where the Nuggets have lost five of their last six games, star players have repeatedly hurt the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, when games have been in the balance.
They’ll be looking to buck this troubling trend:
Dec. 20 vs. New Orleans: In the final 8:20 of the game, Pelicans star Anthony Davis had eight points, four rebounds and four blocked shots. New Orleans outscored the Nuggets 26-19 in that span — a seven-point differential in a five-point, 130-125 loss.
Dec. 22 vs. L.A. Lakers: Kobe Bryant scored 11 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter of the Lakers 111-107 win over the Nuggets. Additionally, Bryant impacted the game defensively as he guarded one of the Nuggets’ biggest scoring threats, guard Will Barton.
Dec. 27 vs. Oklahoma City: Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in the final 9:10 of the game, a stretch where Oklahoma City outscored the Nuggets 28-17, an 11-point bulge in a 10-point win.
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
