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January 27: Denver Nuggets

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  • January 27: Denver Nuggets

    ESPN Preview:


    The Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors both have leading scorers from Italy, but only one of those countrymen will be available Friday night.

    Danilo Gallinari and the surging Nuggets look for a sixth straight victory when they host a Raptors team that expects to be without Andrea Bargnani.

    Denver (13-5) is one of the biggest surprises in the NBA, with Gallinari averaging a career-high 17.7 points. He signed a four-year, $42 million contract extension Wednesday before scoring 21 of his 23 points in the first half of a 122-93 rout at Sacramento later that night.

    "The contract means a lot. It means this team, this franchise really believes in me," said Gallinari, who's averaged 27.0 points in his last three games. "I feel great about this team. It was easy for me to say yes to this contract."

    Bargnani, meanwhile, is averaging 23.5 points for Toronto (6-13). The sixth-year forward, however, reinjured his strained left calf late in Wednesday's 111-106 double-overtime win at Utah and wasn't optimistic about when he will be back on the court.

    "This time it's bad," Bargnani said. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be out for a while."

    The Raptors ended a 12-game losing streak against the Jazz. Now they will try to end an eight-game slide against the Nuggets, as well as a run of seven straight defeats in Denver.

    "It's great to win after all those years for the franchise," point guard Jose Calderon said. "Hopefully I think Denver, we've kind of got to be in the same situation. I don't know if I won there, neither. That's the next one."

    Denver will return home in a confident mood after the first 5-0 road trip in franchise history. Six other Nuggets besides Gallinari also scored in double figures Wednesday, when Denver posted 92 points in the paint -- the most since the NBA began keeping track of the statistic in 2000-01.

    "I like doing things that have never been done before," coach George Karl said. "Right now we have good energy, good focus, and guys are playing together."

    The Nuggets lead the league in scoring (106.4 points per game) and assists (24.7 per game). Andre Miller had 10 of Denver's 29 assists against the Kings.

    "The ball was moving tonight and the ball was going in the net," guard Ty Lawson said. "Everyone was touching the ball, everyone was sharing, and everyone was scoring. It was a fun game for us."

    Lawson wasn't around to see all of it, however. He left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle and is expected to miss Friday's game. He hopes to return Sunday against the Clippers.

    Lawson's absence should help Toronto -- the NBA's second-worst scoring team at 87.5 points per game -- slow the pace a bit. They took advantage of Wednesday's extra sessions to top 100 for the first time in 18 games.

    Former Nuggets swingman Linas Kleiza scored a season-high 25 points.

    "Linas did a heckuva job," coach Dwane Casey said. "He really shot the ball well, he was aggressive offensively."

    Kleiza, who could replace Bargnani in the starting lineup, spent his first four seasons with Denver before signing with Toronto as a free agent before last season. This is his first game at Pepsi Center as a visitor after he missed last season's trip with a knee injury.

    The Raptors are seeking their first three-game win streak this season as well as their first three-game run on the road since Dec. 11-18, 2007.
    No Italian bragging rights on the line as Bargnani is out indefinitely. There is no structural damage but they are going to take the recovery very slow..... essentially a tanker's wet dream. The Raps are 6-7 with Bargnani in the lineup and you can do the math to figure out what the total without him is but I'll give you a hint: it is awful and has a few zero's in it.


    I think lady luck is running out on the Raptors and I do not anticipate tonight being a pretty game for the Raptors given a) it is Denver, b) it is in Denver, and c) no Bargnani. I really hope I'm wrong and it is a good game.


    "Paging DeMar and Ed. Paging DeMar and Ed. Please bring your game tonight."

  • #2
    ESPN Accuscore has this one 84/16 for the Nuggets.

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    • #3
      Seriously TSN... lacrosse???

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      • #4
        If this goes to OT, I will be pissed. Basketball please!

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        • #5
          Man, when I was crapping on AB last year about his defence and rebounding, at least he gave us scoring. I'm not sure what Demar is doing this year.
          “The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

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          • #6
            My boy Bayless finally has a nice offensive game coming off his injury and he gets rewarded with 16 minutes. >.> Calderon played terribly too, wtf.

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            • #7
              At least they made it interesting. Unfortunately it was after digging another huge hole.

              Jack had the quote of the night (paraphrased):

              "I started getting calls when I had good players. Years when I didn't get calls, I had bad players."

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              • #8
                Balls of Steel wrote: View Post
                Man, when I was crapping on AB last year about his defence and rebounding, at least he gave us scoring. I'm not sure what Demar is doing this year.
                He stinks and has not improved any of his weak skills.

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                • #9
                  WhatWhat wrote: View Post
                  My boy Bayless finally has a nice offensive game coming off his injury and he gets rewarded with 16 minutes. >.> Calderon played terribly too, wtf.
                  Amazing that Bayless and Barbosa rode the bench tonight in favor of a horrible Derozan and a poor game from Jose!

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                  • #10
                    WhatWhat wrote: View Post
                    My boy Bayless finally has a nice offensive game coming off his injury and he gets rewarded with 16 minutes. >.> Calderon played terribly too, wtf.
                    I agree, that was BS, how come Bayless and Barbosa didnt play the last 5-6 min. of this game ... Derozan needed to be benched, he is hurting the team right now, they need to limit his shots when they are not falling. Calderon had only 2 assists and he was playing in the final minutes? I dont understand ... how tired could Bayless be after only 16 min. That was weird.

                    Raptors showed heart though to try and claw back into it, but without Andrea Bargnani, we just lack the scoring to compete. Unless Derozan, and Bayless get it together consistently we are gonna see a lot of nights with around 80 pts in total scoring.
                    "Defense wins championships."

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                    • #11
                      not a bad stat line for Aaron Gray again tonight 11 rebounds including 4 offensive in only 15 min. of play, not bad.
                      "Defense wins championships."

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                      • #12
                        SuperRaptor wrote: View Post
                        not a bad stat line for Aaron Gray again tonight 11 rebounds including 4 offensive in only 15 min. of play, not bad.
                        He did have 4 fouls in 15 minutes. Exact same with Amir. ED also had 4 fouls but he required an extra 3 minutes to do it.


                        How much longer until Raptors figure it out, you could never move on a screen but this year you really can't.

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                        • #13
                          Three and a half minutes to go, with 6 points down and the Raps had Butler, DeRozan and Davis on the floor. What's up with that?

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                          • #14
                            Puffer wrote: View Post
                            Three and a half minutes to go, with 6 points down and the Raps had Butler, DeRozan and Davis on the floor. What's up with that?
                            tanking?

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                            • #15
                              Matt52 wrote: View Post
                              He did have 4 fouls in 15 minutes. Exact same with Amir. ED also had 4 fouls but he required an extra 3 minutes to do it.


                              How much longer until Raptors figure it out, you could never move on a screen but this year you really can't.
                              Yeah those moving screen fouls are too easily correctable to continue happening, just dont do it, how hard is that. If you are a big man that made it all the way to the NBA you MUST know how to set a proper screen right? We have to learn to play without fouling so much, we could be one of the top defensive teams in the league if we could keep opponents off the charity stripe.
                              "Defense wins championships."

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