Nuggets three point barrage buries Hornets

By:
Published: March 14, 2011

Five minutes into the third quarter, Kenton Martin hit a step back, fall away jump shot over David West to put the Nuggets up by 17 points. Monty Williams couldn’t do anything but laugh; he knew that it was just one of those nights. The second and third quarters saw the Nuggets score a combined 71 points and they seemingly hit everything they threw up at the basket. New Orleans simply does not have the firepower to keep up with a team hitting on all cylinders like that, and the result was a 114-103 loss at the hands of the Nuggets.

Chris Paul’s stat line was superb tonight (27pts, 10ast, 7 stls, and 5 rebs), but it was the Nuggets’ point guards who stole the show.  Both had double-double, as Ty Lawson went for 23 and 10 and Ray Felton came off the bench to get 22 and 12. Once Denver went to their two point guard lineup, the game was essentially over, as they just sliced and diced the Hornets defense to shreds. Those two were the catalysts for the second quarter explosion by Denver, and they never let their foot off the pedal.

The Hornets were simply outplayed in every aspect, and truth be told, if it were not for CP3, this game might have looked a lot like a certain playoff game from years back that we shall not mention. Denver was more physical, they were quicker, they showed more skill, and they just seemed to want it more. In all honesty, they look a lot like the Hornets team who started the season- the one with a chip on its shoulder; the one that everybody doubted. Now Denver has that chip after people assumed they would fade following the Carmelo trade. Not gonna happen. This team is for real.

Other Notes and Observations:

– How often do you see a starter get 6 minutes? Unless he is in foul trouble or gets injured, it is pretty rare, but that is what Gary Forbes got tonight. Sure, you can play two PG’s together for 35 minutes, but you shouldn’t dare start them!

– Since coming over from New York, Felton and Chandler were averaging a combined two made 3’s per game on 5.6 attempts. Tonight? Well, they go 10-14 of course. Just one of those games.

– Kenyon continues to be a Fluffy Stopper. Thankfully, there is no way the Hornets could meet Denver in the first round.

– Mek still doesn’t look right. Remember the stretch in December and January where we could legitimately argue Emeka was playing like a top 3 center? He is not back to that level yet.

– Nuggets turn the ball over 21 times and the Hornets only get 7 fast break points. If you are the other team, who are you worried about on this roster besides CP3 in transition?

– The stat sheet says Ariza only had three turnovers, but he always seemed to be fumbling the ball. There is just no fluidity in his offensive game, and to be honest, he looks like he has lost nearly all the confidence he had built up back in January.

– Uh, it could have been worse. Al Harrington could have been on our team.

– I know this is a Hornets site, but give credit where credit is due. Nuggets played well and they are a fun team to watch. If I’m a Nuggets fan, I am liking the trade more and more each day, especially since I know deep down that Melo is not the #1 guy on a title team and I wasn’t going to get anyone better than him. This team will be a tough out in the playoffs.

– As I write this, Thornton is 10-14 with 29 points in the third quarter. Please leave him out of the comments. Please.

– So many great caps tonight for the pic, don’t know how to pick a winner. So I let the fans vote and they went with “Am I Kenyon Martin yet?” by cameronismyname. Nicely done.

– Now two games back of Denver, but we still own the tiebreaker. Denver has a rough stretch of games, but they are playing well. Honestly, it is looking more and more like 6th or 7th seed, where we hope to get Dallas and dodge LA.

– Don’t forget to enter the Hornets247 Bracket Challenge and Donate if you can. Have a good night, and let’s get this one back against Phoenix on Wednesday night.

59 Comments

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.