Tag: Denver Nuggets

Denver defense grinds out Rockets as winning streak ends at eight

James Harden and Russell Westbrook had 52 combined points, but Houston missed 26 threes and had its 8-game winning streak snapped in Denver.

James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 52, but the Houston Rockets failed to score 100 points as a team for the first time in the 2019-20 season and had their eight-game winning streak snapped in Wednesday’s 105-95 loss (box score) in Denver.

Led by 27 points and 12 rebounds from big man Nikola Jokic and 60 paint points by the team as a whole, the Nuggets improved to 10-3 with the victory. The Rockets fell to 11-4 with the loss.

Harden led the Rockets with 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting and 4-of-8 on three-pointers, and he also had seven rebounds and seven assists. However, his eight turnovers led the team’s uncharacteristic 20 giveaways, with the Rockets struggling to counter a unique series of traps and hedges by the Nuggets against Houston ball-handlers.

Westbrook had 25 points and five assists, but his 2-of-9 (22.2%) showing from three-point range felt appropriate on a night that Houston made just 12-of-38 (31.6%) from behind the arc overall.

Clint Capela (12 points, 21 rebounds) extended his streak of consecutive games with at least 20 rebounds to five, tying Elvin Hayes for the longest such streak in Rockets franchise history.

The Detroit Pistons’ Ben Wallace was the last NBA player to record five straight 20-rebound games, having done so in 2003.

Outside of Harden, Westbrook, and Capela, no Houston player in Mike D’Antoni‘s rotation scored more than six points for the game. Starting small forward Danuel House Jr. left early with left shoulder soreness after running into the 284-pound Jokic on a screen.

The Rockets return to action Friday night in Los Angeles against Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the rest of the star-studded Clippers. The Rockets defeated the Clippers last week in Houston.

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Rockets list Capela, House as probable to return Monday

The Rockets upgraded the medical status of two starters, with Clint Capela (concussion) and Danuel House Jr. (back) now probable for Monday.

The Houston Rockets appear likely to get a pair of needed reinforcements for Monday’s home game versus Portland.

In Sunday’s injury report, the Rockets listed both Clint Capela and Danuel House Jr. as probable. House missed the last three games with a bruised back, while Capela sat out the last two with a concussion.

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The Rockets (10-3) have won seven consecutive games, but the schedule for the upcoming week appears difficult — headlined by road games on Wednesday and Friday at a pair of likely Western Conference contenders in Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Thus, it certainly feels like an opportune time for Houston’s starting center and small forward to return.

In 11 games, Capela has averaged 13.4 points (65% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game. The 6-foot-10 big man has grabbed 20 rebounds in his last three games, making the 25-year-old the first Rockets player to do so since Moses Malone in 1982.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old House is averaging 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game, led by a blistering 45.5% mark on three-pointers. The defensive rating of 104.0 and overall net rating of 8.0 by the 6-foot-6 forward and native Houstonian are both among the best of any player in head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s regular rotation.

Ben McLemore and Tyson Chandler, who each started in the absence of House and Capela, will return to bench roles.

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Charles Barkley on Nets: ‘Brooklyn stinks’

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley doesn’t like what he’s seen from the Brooklyn Nets to start 2019-20.

The Nets have had a disappointing start to the 2019-20 season. They’re now 4-7 after Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, and have lost back-to-back games in which they led by double-digits at the half. Plus, those two letdowns came on the heels of a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns.

To make matters worse for Brooklyn, the team is now without Caris LeVert for four to six weeks after he needed surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his right thumb.

No matter how you slice it, the Nets are not in a spot most expected them to be in following the additions of Kyrie Irving, Taurean Prince, Garrett Temple and DeAndre Jordan over the summer. Some seem to have already given up on Brooklyn, including TNT NBA analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.

Following Thursday’s loss, Barkley’s co-worker, Kenny Smith, explained how the Nuggets are in a good spot because they were able to win another contest despite the fact they didn’t put together a full game again. Barkley disagreed:

You’re not going to be able to turn it on against the elite teams. You’re gonna beat the Brooklyn Nets. I mean, come on, they stink.

Barkley doubled-down soon after his initial comment about the Nets.

They were gonna come back on Brooklyn ’cause Brooklyn stinks.

Nets drop third consecutive game of road trip

The Brooklyn Nets are now in the middle of their first losing streak of 2019-20 following Thursday’s game in Denver.

On Tuesday, the Nets held a 15-point lead over the Utah Jazz at halftime. Brooklyn lost the game by five.

The Nets ran into a similar situation on Thursday in Denver. Brooklyn held a 12-point lead at the half, but wound up losing 101-93 to the Nuggets.

Brooklyn’s offense was explosive at the start of the game, but ran out of gas in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. The Nets scored 32 points between the third and fourth quarters — after they’d scored 35 points in the first quarter alone.

One of the Nets’ major issues down the stretch was their inability to knock down threes. They missed their final 18 attempts of the game from behind the arc.

Dzanan Musa and Taurean Prince were the only two Nets to hit multiple 3-pointers (two apiece). But Musa was the only one who was efficient, going 2-for-3 from three. Prince went 2-for-11, while Kyrie Irving and Garrett Temple each went 1-for-5, Spencer Dinwiddie went 1-for-7 and Joe Harris went 1-for-4 from 3-point territory.

DeAndre Jordan led the Nets with 11 rebounds, while Jarrett Allen had 10 in his double-double performance. Allen tied Irving and Dinwiddie for the team-lead in points (17).

Irving almost had himself a double-double, too. He logged nine assists.

Nets-Nuggets odds: Denver favored heavily at home

Previewing Thursday’s Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks

The Brooklyn Nets (4-6) roll into the Mile High City to take on the high-flying Denver Nuggets (7-3) Thursday at Pepsi Center at 10:30 p.m. ET.

We analyze the Nets-Nuggets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Nets-Nuggets: Key injuries

Nets: PG Kyrie Irving (shoulder) is listed as questionable, suffering from a right shoulder impingement. SG Caris LeVert (thumb) will be sidelined until early December.

Nuggets: SF Jerami Grant (finger) is expected to be in the lineup, while SG Malik Beasley (illness) is under the weather and much less certain.

Nets-Nuggets: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Nuggets 111, Nets 99

Moneyline (ML)

PASS. The Nuggets (-455) are expensive on the moneyline whether or not Irving is able to play. It’s a good idea to avoid this line completely.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered that Denver wins profits $0.22 if the Nuggets prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $2.20, $20 to win $4.40, $45.50 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the NUGGETS (-9, –110) regardless if Kyrie plays or not. Keep in mind you’ll be going against all of the series trends, as the Nets (+9, -110) are 5-1 ATS in the past six trips to Denver, 9-2 ATS in the past 11 meetings, and the underdog is 6-2 ATS in the past eight in this series.

However, those series trends are all when the Nets did not have Irving in their backcourt. Of course, that might also be the case Thursday might, too.

Over/under (O/U)

With Irving’s availability in doubt, question, the O/U is off the board as of this publishing.

However, if the line is posted, the UNDER (whatever it is) the play regardless of Irving’s status, as Denver’s recent trends drive this pick. The under is 4-1 ATS in the past five overall for the Nuggets, while going 11-2 in their past 13 against Eastern Conference foes and 18-7 ATS in the past 25 at home.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Trae Young nutmegged a defender, hit a jumper, and stared down the Nuggets’ bench

This looked way too easy.

It hasn’t taken long for Trae Young to become one of the more exciting players to watch in the NBA.

And right now he’s on an absolute tear.

The second-year Atlanta Hawks guard has scored over 30 points in each of his last three games, including 42 in Tuesday night’s victory over the Nuggets in Denver in which he hit eight 3-pointers.

But it was a nice two-pointer that stood out the most against the Nuggets as he nutmegged a defender, collected the ball, hit a jumper, and then stared down Denver’s bench for about five seconds.

You’re gonna want to check this out:

Here’s a better angle of the nutmeg:

Insane.

Here are his highlights from the win:

NBA fans loved the nutmeg:

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A look at the Thunder’s quality 3-point shooting to begin the season

The Thunder are ranked seventh in the league for 3-point percentage to begin this season.

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It may have taken starting a rebuild for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be a good 3-point shooting team.

And yet with the Thunder at 4-6 to start the season, they’re one of the best shooting teams in the NBA.

The Thunder made a season-high 17 3-pointers in their 121-119 loss Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Mike Muscala and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each had a team-high four 3-pointers, and Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder each had three.

Through 10 games this season, the Thunder rank seventh in the league for 3-point percentage, shooting at a 37.5% clip. As a team, the Thunder make 11.5 3-pointers a game, and five players account for a good portion of those makes.

Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson, Danilo Gallinari and Darius Bazley combine for 8.7 of the Thunder’s 3-pointers per game. Each player has shot at least 38% from 3-point range.

Despite being two games under .500, the Thunder’s quality shooting has helped them remain competitive.

They’ve only shot below 36% from the 3-point line in two games. Both of those were losses, and in both games, they lost by 12 or fewer points. In games where they have shot 36% or better from deep, they’re 4-4. In each of the four losses, the Thunder have lost by single digits.

Having new players such as Paul, Gallinari and Gilgeous-Alexander has helped the Thunder improve their shooting.

Paul and Gallinari have both shot at least 37% from 3-point range in their careers. A rookie last season, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 36.7% with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ferguson has also improved his shooting steadily over his career. He’s shooting 38.1% from three on 2.1 attempts. Bazley, a rookie, has shot 40.0% on 2.5 attempts. He ranks seventh among rookies for 3-point percentage, according to NBA.com.

In the past three seasons, the Thunder have been in the bottom half of the league for 3-point percentage. The last time they were in the top half was in the 2013-14 season, when they ranked 14th.

Their top two shooters last season were Jerami Grant and Paul George, but both players were traded this offseason to the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. Ferguson was the team’s third-best 3-point shooter last season, hitting at a 36.6% clip.

The Thunder are rebuilding, but they have a budding young player in Gilgeous-Alexander. Paul and Gallinari are proven talents, so their leadership helps. Though the Thunder might not make the playoffs, their shooting ability gives them a chance to compete against most teams.

OKC will play the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

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