Nuggets 120 - Clippers 104 (Mini Minny preview)

by Nate Timmons on Apr 5, 2009 3:01 PM MDT

I mentioned the other day that Melo was playing like and NBA Jam videogame character, but I think we can all agree that J.R. Smith is way past heating up.

Smith has been absolutely torching the nets from beyond the arc. In his last two games Smith is 15-27 from three-point range ... a mind numbing 55.5%. J.R. scored 34 points in just 26 minutes last night against the Clippers going 7-14 from three range. J.R. has scored 62 points combined in his last two games.

The Clippers were playing without Marcus Camby, Al Thornton, and Chris Kamen last night and didn't have any answers for Smith and the Nuggets.

Denver cruised to victory last night and put the game basically on ice after the first quarter. The Nuggets earned their 51st win of the season and have a chance to move 2 games ahead of the slumping Spurs after San Antonio lost the Cavaliers earlier today. Denver will be in Minnesota for a 5:00 p.m. tipoff (MTN) against the Timberwolves.

Denver @ Minnesota

Records:
Denver 51-26 (20-18 on the road)
Minnesota 22-54 (11-27 at home)

The Nuggets are 3-0 against the Wolves this season and are looking to sweep the series against the Pups today. Minnesota is just 2-8 in their last 10 games, but are coming off an impressive win IN UTAH last Friday (April 3rd).

These teams haven't faced off since December 10th in Denver's 116-105 victory at The Can. If you recall Melo dropped in an NBA record 33 points (matching George Gervin) in the 3rd Quarter in that one on his way to a season high 45 points.

The Wolves have nothing to play for other than to get some of their young guys some burn. One guy I'll be keeping my eyeballs on is Kevin Love. The 6'10'' 260 pound rookie out of UCLA is averaging 11 points and 8.9 rebounds a game this season. He was fun to watch in college and I haven't really had the chance to see him play much.

Love averages just 25 minutes a game, but has seen an increased role averaging 30.2 minutes in his last five contests.

The Nuggets will be looking to add to season high six game win steak tonight.

Views you can use and pregame notes:

The Nuggets are now 23-6 when the Bird blocks 3+ shots in a game ... Anderson has 11 blocks (8 and 3) in his last two games (both wins)
Billups shot 4-5 last night scoring 12 points ... the Nuggets are 14-1 when Billups tallies single digit shot attempts

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

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STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

Metta resorted back to Ron Ron last Sunday by clubbing James Hardenwith an "inadvertent celebratory elbow", landing him a 7-game suspension. Apparently, changing his name didn't prevent NBA commissioner David Stern from overlooking Metta's past behavior problems.

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The 'Cats are on the verge of securing the worst winning percentage in NBA history. Given that the guy who runs the team - Michael Jordan - had previously drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, should this really be a shock?

3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.