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Nuggets 4-0 for first time since '85
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It was going to be impossible for Carmelo Anthony to keep up the unreal pace he set for himself through the season’s first three games. The 37.7 points he was averaging were just too many.
A slightly off shooting night on Tuesday (6 of 17, 25 points) proved that.
As for the Nuggets, they won’t be able to keep up with their incredible early-season pace, either.
But for at least another night, the streak lives on and they remain on pace to go 82-0.
Denver moved to 4-0 for the first time in 24 years with a 111-93 win at Indiana, but it was more of a Pacers loss than it was a Nuggets victory.
A dysfunctional Indiana offense scored a measly 13 points in the first quarter, and the team’s best player, forward Danny Granger, went just 2 of 10 from the 3-point line.
The pregame storyline centered on Dahntay Jones, who signed a multi-year deal with Indiana this summer after playing a significant role in Denver‘s playoff run last season. And like many players facing their former teams, Jones played very well, scoring a team-high 20 points.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the man pegged as Jones’ replacement, Aaron Afflalo, also played well. Afflalo led a productive Denver bench with 15 points. Prior to the game Afflalo had struggled offensively with his new team, scoring 10 points on 4 of 12 shooting through three games.
Even if the game was served on a silver platter, the Nuggets likely aren’t feeling guilty for taking advantage of the 0-3 Pacers.
Starting off a six-game road trip with a W, no matter the means, is all the Nuggets needed. After all, less than 24 hours after walking off the Conseco Fieldhouse court, Denver will playing in New Jersey tonight.
It will be the first of three back-to-backs during the trip, the team’s longest of the season. The Nuggets will be looking to avenge an ugly 44-point loss to the Nets in New Jersey last season.
Thumbs Up
- The Bench: Denver got 38 points from its bench, including 15 from Afflalo.
- 3-Point Shooting: For the second-straight game the Nuggets made at least eight threes, going 8 of 15 from behind the arc.
- Rebounding: A early-season weakness was a strength against Indiana, as Denver out-rebounding the Pacers 56-44.
Thumbs Down
- Turnovers: Eighteen times the Nuggets turned the ball over, though they were able to clean things up in the second half.
- Indiana Crowd: The official attendance was a modest 10,627, but it looked like far fewer showed up to see the hapless hometown team.
- Intensity: At times Tuesday it looked more like a high school scrimmage than an NBA regular season game. Perhaps that had a lot to do with the (lack of) attendance.
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