Their Saturday loss to the Los Angeles Clippers notwithstanding, the Denver Nuggets are playing some very good basketball and showcasing better defense. Of course, that's also happened since Carmelo Anthony departed for the bright lights of New York City. And completely related to the Carmelo Anthony trade, TNT decided to preempt this Nuggets-Suns game for a Knicks-Mavericks tilt.
In the seven games since 'Melo left for New York, the Nuggets have gone 5-2, including an impressive 89-75 victory over the Celtics. But tonight will be another tough test since the Nuggets haven't won in Phoenix for seven years. They dropped their other game there, 100-94, back in November.
But on the other hand, in Denver the Nuggets easily handled Phoenix, 132-98. The Nuggets and the Suns are the No. 1 and No. 4 teams in points per game, but also ranked in the 20s for points allowed. Denver will need more of that new-found defense to show up if they want to break their losing streak in Phoenix.
Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. MT and Altitude will have coverage.