The Philippine Online Chronicles

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl returned to the bench after a week-long absence, and his players were able to welcome him with a win, beating the slumping Washington Wizards 97-87.

It almost didn’t turn out that way, what with the way the Wizards played in the first half. Led by Andray Blatche, the Wizards took a six-point lead into the halftime break, 45-39, leaving the Nuggets scratching their heads.

However, the Nuggets started the third period strong, holding the Wizards to only two field goals and five free throws through the first six minutes of the quarter. In the meantime, the Nuggets had scored 17 points, making 6 of 10 shots to settle for a two-point lead, 56-54, as Washington called timeout.

The rest of the quarter had the two teams slugging it out, with the Denver lead reaching seven points, but the Wizards always managed to put some points on the board, ending the third quarter down by only two points, 65-63, after a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Alonzo Gee.

After a little more back-and-forth to begin the fourth quarter, with the Nuggets leading by only five, J.R. Smith went on a scoring spree, going on a personal 9-4 run to pad the lead to 10 with 2:53 to play. After a Denver timeout, it was time for Carmelo Anthony to take over. Anthony scored seven straight, making an and-one, two free throws, and tipping in a missed free throw by Nene, making the lead 13, 95-82 with a little over a minute left, essentially sealing the game for the Nuggets. Washington’s Alonzo Gee scored the last five points for his team, including a meaningless dunk in the last second to cap the scoring.

A night after scoring 45 points, Carmelo Anthony had 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Nene had 16 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field, and added five rebounds and four assists, while J.R. Smith scored 17 points off the bench.

Andray Blatche led the Wizards with 23 points and eight rebounds before leaving in the fourth quarter after spraining his ankle. Al Thornton had 16 points. Struggling Wizards guard Randy Foye, who was replaced by Shaun Livingston in the starting lineup, had two points and two assists, shooting only 1-of-6 in 18 minutes. Meanwhile, Livingston had four points, five rebounds, and six assists, making 2-of-6 in just a little under 19 minutes, as guard Alonzo Gee was playing well. Gee finished with 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench for the Wizards.

George Karl missed the Nuggets’ recent road trip, which was coached by assistant coach Adrian Dantley. The Nuggets went 3-1 in that trip, only losing to Houston on a last second jumper by Aaron Brooks, which snapped their six-game winning streak. The Nuggets hope that this win can be the start of a new streak, as this game also marks their sixth straight home win. To end March, they have two consecutive home games versus New Orleans and Milwaukee before going on a tough five-game road trip which includes Boston, Orlando, and Dallas.

GAME NOTES:

• The Wizards lost their ninth straight game, the first time they’ve done so since 2001.
• Washington’s Andray Blatche twisted his ankle with 5:40 remaining. He is listed as day-to-day.
• Gee, an undrafted rookie call-up from the NBDL’s Austin Toros, is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in five games for the Wizards, teaming up with James Singleton (who had six points, four rebounds, and a block) to provide a spark off the bench.