SB Nation Denver - Rockets Vs. Nuggets: Big 2nd Half Helps Denver To 101-86 Victory

Nuggets Schedule 2012: Denver To Face Four Tough Opponents

2012-04-16T14:15:48Z

The Denver Nuggets have no cupcakes this week as they fight for playoff position, which may actually be a good thing considering recent losses to the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Hornets and Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets will face three teams within a few games of them in the West standings, plus an Eastern conference powerhouse.

Monday, April 16: at Houston Rockets (6:00 p.m. MT, ALT)

The Nuggets beat the Rockets by 15 on Sunday night in Denver to jump above them and into the No. 7 slot in the West, but Monday night's game remains a large one. If the Rockets get back a win, the two teams will once again be tied. But if Denver wins, they'll find themselves up two games on the Rockets with five to play.

Wednesday, April 18: at Los Angeles Clippers (7:00 p.m. MT, ALT)

It's unlikely that the Nuggets can catch the Clippers— who currently occupy the West's fourth seed— but if anything this game will be a solid measuring stick for Denver, as they go up against a team that some consider to be a legitimate NBA Finals contender.

Saturday, April 21: at Phoenix Suns (3:30 p.m. MT, ALT/ESPN)

The Suns are currently a game back of Houston for the eighth seed and two back of Denver for the seventh, so this game could have serious playoff implications. If the Suns have a rough week, Denver may have a chance to put the final nail in their coffin, or they may find themselves furiously fighting back the streaking Suns.

Sunday, April 22: vs Orlando Magic (6:00 p.m. MT, ALT)

The Nuggets will supposedly be without star center Dwight Howard, who is sitting out with a back injury, but they may be forced to throw him into the action if their position in the East standings begins to slip any further.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Rockets Vs. Nuggets Final Score: Denver Wins 101-86

2012-04-16T02:47:07Z

The Denver Nuggets found themselves down six points to the Houston Rockets at halftime, but a huge second half propelled them to a surprisingly comfortable win, 101-86. The Nuggets came out and set the tone by out-scoring Houston 37-19 in the third quarter, and it was that period of play that ultimately proved the difference.

Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo paced the Nuggets with 20 points apiece, Andre Miller had 11 assists and Kenneth Faried picked up a 10-point, 11-rebound double double.

The win moved the Nuggets into sole possession of seventh place in the West, one game ahead of the eighth-place Rockets and two games ahead of ninth-place Phoenix. Denver will get another shot at Houston on Monday night.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Rockets Vs. Nuggets Score Update: Strong 3rd Quarter Propels Denver To 80-68 Lead

2012-04-16T01:56:57Z

The Denver Nuggets began the second half against the Houston Rockets with a six-point deficit, but they picked up the pace at the offensive end, scored 37 points in the third quarter, and now they have an 80-68 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Ty Lawson scored eight points in the quarter and has 16 for the game. Arron Afflalo and Danilo Gallinari are also in double figures for the Nuggets, who are shooting 51.7% from the field as a team.

Luis Scola and Chase Budinger are leading the Rockets with 19 points apiece; they are a combined 15-27 from the floor, and Budinger has knocked down five three-point shots.

Houston is shooting just 38.6%, but they've hit 10 three-point shots.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Rockets Vs. Nuggets Score Update: Houston Up 49-43 At Halftime

2012-04-16T01:18:53Z

The Houston Rockets only shot 40% from the field in the first half against the Denver Nuggets, but they have a 49-43 lead at halftime nonetheless. The Rockets were a bit better than Denver on the boards and finished the half +3 in the turnover category, which has helped their cause.

The Nuggets shot 45% in the half and Ty Lawson leads the team with eight points, though he is just 2-7 from the field. Danilo Gallinari has seven points, Andre Miller scored six points to go with five assists and Kenneth Faried leads the way with five rebounds.

Chase Budinger has 16 point for Houston, and Luis Scola has scored 14.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Wilson Chandler Injury Update: Chandler Should Be Available Against Rockets

2012-04-15T21:45:50Z

It appears the Denver Nuggets could benefit from the return of a key scoring option as they prepare to enter the stretch run of the season, as Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post is reporting that Wilson Chandler should be available tonight after battling groin and hip injuries:

@nuggetsnews: Wilson Chandler should be available to play tonight for the #Nuggets

Chandler hasn't been able to make the impact that many were hoping for when he returned from China. Chandler has appeared in only seven games and has been sidelined since March 30 with a groin/hip injury. Earlier this week, George Karl told the Denver Post that even when he returned, Chandler wouldn't be at 100%.

Karl said that "if and when" Chandler gets back, he will be in a similar situation to that of Al Harrington, who is playing with torn meniscus.

"His hip is not going to heal this year," Karl said of Chandler. "But can he play and be effective?"

The recent return of Danilo Gallinari lessens the blow, but Denver still has a void at forward off the bench. Corey Brewer, among others, will be expected to bring energy and production.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.

NBA Standings 2012: Nuggets Locked In Battle For 1 Of Last 2 Playoff Spots

2012-04-15T15:49:07Z

The Denver Nuggets enter Sunday's game against the Houston Rockets in a tie with them for the seventh and eighth spots in the Western Conference playoffs. They have identical 32-27 records with seven games to go. This home-and-home set over Sunday and Monday will be a huge test for the Nuggets.

Denver has a magic number of six to secure a playoff spot. As the Nuggets' Twitter account explains:

#Nuggets currently have a magic number of 6, meaning any combination of DEN Ws and PHX Ls equaling 6 will give them a playoff spot.

Next Saturday, the Nuggets play the Suns, which conceivably could be a game between a Denver team in the playoffs and a Phoenix team eliminated from the postseason. The Nuggets would need to win all three of their games before that and the Suns losers in their three games.

Here is the current Western Conference standings:

Western Standings

	GP	W-L	PCT
Oklahoma City Thunder	60	44-16	.733
San Antonio Spurs	58	42-16	.724
Los Angeles Lakers	60	38-22	.633
Los Angeles Clippers	60	37-23	.617
Memphis Grizzlies	59	35-24	.593
Dallas Mavericks	60	34-26	.567
Houston Rockets	59	32-27	.542
Denver Nuggets	59	32-27	.542
Phoenix Suns	60	31-29	.517
Utah Jazz	61	31-30	.508
Portland Trail Blazers	60	28-32	.467
Minnesota Timberwolves	61	25-36	.410
Golden State Warriors	59	22-37	.373
Sacramento Kings	60	19-41	.317
New Orleans Hornets	59	17-42	.288

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Rockets Vs. Nuggets: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

2012-04-15T12:00:23Z

With the start of the NBA playoffs just two weeks away, the Denver Nuggets know that each game left on the schedule could be the difference between a spot in the playoffs and a premature end to their season. After a tough loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets will look to get back on track when they host the Houston Rockets in the first game of a back-to-back matchup between the two teams.

What makes this back-to-back between the two teams even more enticing is that they are tied for the 7/8 spots in the Western Conference, with Phoenix and Utah both within 1 1/2 games. If either team were to be swept, it could do serious damage to their playoff hopes.

Game Time / Date: Sunday, April 15 / 6 p.m. (MT)

Location: Pepsi Center/ Denver, CO.

Television: Altitude

For more on this situation, stick with SB Nation Denver. For more on the Nuggets, head over to Denver Stiffs. For more news, notes and analysis around the league, visit SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Nuggets Vs. Lakers Recap: 30 Points From Andrew Bynum Lifts LA Over Denver, 103-97

2012-04-14T13:19:39Z

The Denver Nuggets suffered a setback in their playoff push on Friday night as they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers, 103-97. The Lakers played their fourth consecutive game without Kobe Bryant (shin) and also didn't have head coach Mike Brown (family emergency), but Andrew Bynum poured in 30 points and reserve forward Matt Barnes added 24 points on a scorching 9-11 shooting and 4-4 from beyond the arc to lead to charge.

As for the Nuggets, it was a rough game for their starting five, who combined for just 43 of the team's 97 points. Arron Afflalo led that quintet with 18 points, but Danilo Gallinari (seven points, three turnovers), Kenneth Faried (seven points, seven rebounds) and Ty Lawson (nine points, four assists) notably lagged behind.

If you need to know how hardcore Nuggets fans felt watching the fourth quarter, Nate Timmons of Denver Stiffs give a wonderful window into that emotional state:

Sure, that fourth quarter lineup was able to get the Nuggets back into the game, but it also exhausted any chance the Nuggets had to win. Remember that scene in Braveheart where William Wallace leads his troops into battle against impossible odds, then they actually start to win the battle, and all they need to put them over the top are their reinforcements that are laying in wait? The reinforcements that never came? Yep, when Wallace looked back for his fresh soldiers they refused to ride in for the rescue. Well, Karl did the same thing to his "trust" player by refusing to inject some fresh legs in the form of THE CORE OF THE DAMN TEAM!

Lawson, Danilo Gallinari (2-9 shooting, 7 points), and Kenneth Faried (18 minutes, SERIOUSLY?!?) rotted away on the bench. Aren't these guys the future of the team? Didn't the Nuggets commit serious money to Gallo? Clear the way for Lawson by trading Chauncey Billups and Raymond Felton? Deal Nene to allow Faried more minutes?...Unbelievable.

With the loss the Nuggets are now just one game ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA's Western Conference.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over toNuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.