Denver Nuggets have been nearly overrun by injuries to key players in the past several weeks, but they finally did and a five-game losing streak by knocking off the Indiana Pacers 113-109 on Saturday. Since winning six straight games during a stretch from Jan. 17 to Jan. 27, the banged up Nuggets have lost seven of their last nine games and are hoping to tread water without important starters once again. Nene (calf) and Timofey Mozgoz (ankle) are not expected to play on Tuesday, while Danilo Gallinari (ankle) is out, so it will be up to Ty Lawson, Al Harrington and Andre Miller to carry the load.
Meanwhile, Steve Nash has been a beast in high pick and roll over the last five games, averaging 13.4 points on a scorching 64.4 percent shooting and 12.8 assists and raising the play of nearly every other Suns starter. SB Nation Arizona puts together a weekly power ranking of Suns players, and this week's version highlights just how well Jared Dudley and Channing Frye have fed off the great play of Steve Nash:
2. Channing Frye (10): Channing had, by far, his best week of the season. He exploded for 17.8 points and six rebounds in four games, including nabbing 21/10 in a losing effort against Houston. He's still inconsistent (zero rebounds in 27 minutes against the Kings??), but his production is on the uptick. Frye doesn't need to be the team's second-best player, but he needs to keep up his shooting percentages.
3. Jared Dudley (3): Both Channing Frye and Jared Dudley found their shooting touch this week. The Junkyard Dog shot a scorching 63 percent from the floor in four games this year after coming back injury. He had 20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in the win against the Kings, and averaged 14.3 points in the other three. The Suns are a decent team when all of their core players are contributing.
Here is some information to help you find the game:
Game day/time: 7:00 PM MT, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
TV: Altitude
For more on the Denver Nuggets, including in-depth analysis and commentary, be sure to visit the SB Nation Nuggets blog, Denver Stiffs. Suns news and analysis is available at Bright Side of the Sun. Head over to the SB Nation NBA news hub for more breaking news and notes.