Only four and a half games separate the first place Phoenix Suns and the tenth place Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s how competitive the top ten teams in the Western Conference have been.
The Denver Nuggets are just a game behind the Suns and on a three game winning streak since losing to the Detroit Pistons last week. Since then the Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 12 in the Western Conference), the L.A. Clippers (No. 5 in the Western Conference), and on Monday night they beat the Houston Rockets (No. 15 in the Western Conference) 129 – 113.
The Nuggets will play the Rockets this week at Ball Arena before heading to Atlanta to face the Hawks who are 8th in the Eastern Conference and on a three game losing streak (as of this writing).
Nikola got a double-double (12 Reb., 8 Ast., 32 Pts.) in Monday nights win and was just two assists shy of a triple-double. Jamal Murray added 31 points, while DeAndre Jordan added 10 rebounds. Zeke Nnaji scored 15 points and Ish Smith added 10 more to Denver’s final. The Nuggets were 56.8 percent from the floor and hit 12 of 30 from three-point range.
In other sports, the Colorado Avalanche have won four of their last five after defeating the Dallas Stars on Saturday night at Ball Arena. That is the second win over the Western Conference leading stars in three games. The Avalanche were scheduled to paly the Nashville Predators on Friday night, however; due to a water main break at Bridgestone Arena, the game was postponed (TBD).
Despite Colorado’s injury bug, they still have managed to win games. This week the Avs are in Winnipeg (results of game not available at the time of this writing) to face the Jets who have been battling the Avs for second place in the Western Conference all week. Despite Colorado’s recent wins over the Dallas Stars they still remain four points behind the Stars for first in the Conference.
The Avs will remain on the road through next Monday, traveling to Buffalo to face the Sabres this Thursday, to Boston to face the Bruins on Saturday, and to Philly to face the Flyers on Monday.
The Denver Broncos have earned the ire of Broncos Country after their third straight loss. The Broncos were in the Carolinas on Sunday to face a struggling Panthers. The Broncos however looked like they were more in tune with the struggle than the Panthers. The Panthers lead Denver 10-3 heading into the half on Sunday in another game where Denver’s offense was nonexistent.
The Broncos finally scored a meaningless touchdown late in the fourth quarter in an attempt to make the blowout look less embarrassing. Nose tackle Mike Purcell showed his frustration with the offense after approaching quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline. The exchange was caught on camera and Purcell appeared frustrated with Wilson. On Monday, Purcell was asked if there was division in the locker room and he had this to say, “We’ve got no choice but to be together. We’re all in this together and that’s the bottom line.”
