Nuggets vs. Nets, Nov. 24, 2009 Game Recap

We're not #1!

Despite an ominous beginning, the Nugs got it together defensively about halfway through the 1st quarter to break the fragile will of this young Nets team and cruise to their 10th victory of the season in 14 games while leaving the Nets searching for their first victory of the season. I was afraid that the early lead might jump-start the confidence of the New Jersey players after such an awful start to their year, but after the first dose of adversity, their energy level dropped off a cliff. I can imagine after losing 13 games in a row, then going on the road to face one of the NBA's top teams, it can be pretty frustrating once that team heats up and builds a double-digit lead in the first half. All that being said, the Nets have a few nice, young players to build around for the future in Devin Harris, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez. They have a long way to go, but having a solid backcourt and center is a good place to start.

I didn't get to watch the first 3 quarters, but judging by Jerry Schemmel's solid radio commentary, I can make a few observations. One is that it was nice hearing how often Nene was dunking the ball. It's extremely frustrating that a player with so much athletic ability and that is so physically imposing decides to finish so many drives to the hoop with soft lay-ins that are often blocked or just as often missed when there's contact in the lane. Nene is clearly at his best when he's throwing down emphatic jams. Another is that Melo continues to showcase his playmaking ability on fast breaks as well as passing out of double-teams. It's very nice to see and hopefully that aspect of Melo's game continues to develop throughout the season. It's also nice to see Melo continue to be an incredibly efficient scorer, finishing with 27 points on 18 shots tonight, including some incredible drives to the hoop through a variety of Nets players.

While their was a distinct lack of energy in the game tonight, I can't be too hard on the Nuggets for lacking a killer instinct. These guys have to feel for each other, and there's no bad blood as far as I know between any of the players on either team, so it's gotta be hard to really pour it on against a team that's had such a tough start.

The final score was good enough for me, and I'm also pretty happy that the Nuggets most dominating performance of the season so far is still the first game I made it up to the Pepsi Center for against the Lakers and that's all I have to say about that.

Good night, and go Nugs!