Nuggets report: Flying high or back to earth?

By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 17, 2008 at 5:31 p.m.

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Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood / Nbae Via Getty Images

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After beating up on three struggling teams at home, the Nuggets embark on an important five-game trip that starts Tuesday night against the Detroit Pistons, who own the second-best record in the NBA.

"Might as well go after the hardest one first," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

The eastern swing also includes stop in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Toronto and Memphis. The Nuggets, 1 1/2 games behind Golden State for the final Western Conference playoff spot, have their sights set on winning at least three of the five games.

"It's make-or-break our season right now," Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza said. "We haven't been the best team on the road. We've got to get some wins to try to make it to the playoffs."

HIGH SCORE

In the spirit of the Nuggets' pummeling of the Sonics on Sunday, we look at the highest-scoring victories for Denver's three other major pro teams:

Date Opponent Site Score

* Rockies: Sept. 20, 2005, San Diego at Coors Field, 20-1

Comment: Matt Holliday had two homers and eight RBI as the franchise set a record for margin of victory. The Rockies also have wins of 20-9 and 20-8 to their credit.

* Avalanche: Dec. 5, 1995, San Jose at McNichols Arena, 12-2

Comment: Valeri Kamensky recorded his first career hat trick in a scoring outburst that came one day before the Avs acquired Patrick Roy.

* Broncos: Oct. 6, 1963, San Diego at Mile High Stadium, 50-34

Comment: How in the world have the Broncos not scored more than 50 in the past 45 years?

RAISING THE BAR

When Karl took over as Nuggets coach in 2005, his players scoffed at the carrot he dangled in front of them.

Score 115 points in a victory, get a day off.

"They were like, 'Come on, we can't score 115,'" Karl recalled Monday.

After Sunday's 168-116 dismantling of the Seattle SuperSonics, Karl might have to re-evaluate his incentive plan -- again.

Karl now gives his players a day off if they score 125 points and record 30 assists in a game. The Nuggets have reached that mark three times this month, including each of the past two games.

"This 30 assists (milestone) is costing me a lot of practices," Karl said. "The standards are definitely going to move up. Too many days off."

NUMBERS GAME

4 NBA games last week in which two teams failed to combine for 168 points. Two featured the Pistons, who entered Monday tied with Boston in scoring defense at 90.3 points per game.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE

In a playoff race where every little advantage counts, the Nuggets have put themselves in position to win a tiebreaker against Northwest Division leader Utah.

If the Nuggets can beat the Jazz in Salt Lake City on April 12, they would split the season series and could finish no worse than 11-5 in the division, while Utah could finish no better than 10-6.

Division record is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results. The Nuggets entered play Monday three games behind the Jazz.

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Anyone with a strong marketing background might want to get in touch with Carmelo Anthony's people.

The two-time All-Star has terminated his marketing and public relations agreement with BDA Sports Marketing. Calvin Andrews of BDA Sports will continue to represent Anthony as his agent in NBA contract matters.

"I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for me in the future," Anthony said in a statement released by the Nuggets. "I look forward to teaming up with a new group that can help me achieve my goals and maximize my potential."

HE SAID IT

"We got to go out swinging and see what happens."

Kleiza on Tuesday's matchup against the blue-collar Pistons.

Nuggets at Pistons

* When: 5:30 MDT tonight.

* Where: Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich.

* TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950) and KJCD-FM (104.3).

* Probable starting lineups

Denver (40-26) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 25.5

4 Kenyon Martin F 6-9 11.8

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 9.3

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 26.5

25 Anthony Carter G 6-2 7.9

Coach: George Karl

Detroit (48-18) Pos. Ht. Pts.

22 Tayshaun Prince F 6-9 13.8

24 Antonio McDyess F 6-9 8.9

36 Rasheed Wallace C 6-11 13.2

1 Chauncey Billups G 6-3 17.7

32 Richard Hamilton G 6-7 17.7

Coach: Flip Saunders

* Injuries: Denver - F Nene (testicular tumor) is out; Camby (bruised right hip) and Iverson (broken finger) are probable. Detroit - None reported.

* Notes: For the first time since having surgery to remove a cancerous testicular tumor, Nuggets forward Nene traveled with the team on its five-game trip. Nene, who took a leave of absence Jan. 11, has been doing some light court work but remains uncertain if he will play again this season. . . . The Nuggets will play their first game at the Palace since losing an overtime shocker March 26. In that game, Wallace stole an inbounds pass with 1.5 seconds remaining and made a 62-foot shot to force overtime. . . . The Nuggets have lost 11 straight road games against the Pistons; their most recent win was March 10, 1995. . . . After scoring 168 points Sunday, the Nuggets will be doing well to reach 100 against Detroit. The Pistons allow an average of 90.3 points per game and have allowed 84, 80 and 83 in their past three. . . . The Pistons are 24-0 when recording at least 25 assists and commit the fewest turnovers in the NBA (11.5 per game).

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