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Max Power · 11-23-2003, 09:43 AM

Nuggets' fast start not enough
Miller, Barry combine for 42
By Marc J. Spears
Denver Post Sports Writer
AP / Tony Gutierrez

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony gets by the Dallas defense during the first quarter Saturday.

DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban walked onto the floor at sold-out American Airlines Center at the end of halftime fearful of these new Nuggets. And after Denver fell 115-101 in a swift back-and-forth game Saturday night, Cuban walked off with respect for his foes and a postseason prediction.

"The Nuggets have one of the most exciting teams in the league," Cuban said. "The way they run. ... Guys on (our) bench were talking about how the Nuggets ran. We thought we ran.

"The Nuggets ran more than us. These guys are playing hard. I wouldn't be shocked if these guys make the playoffs."

Through the latter part of the third quarter, Denver challenged and often held the lead against one of the NBA's elite teams in arguably the toughest road venue while playing its fourth game in five nights. But Denver (7-6) allowed a season high in points and lost for the 13th straight time in Dallas.

The Nuggets definitely would have cherished a win against Dallas (9-4), which improved to 7-0 at home. But through this loss, Denver may have gained more confidence about how good it can be. The Nuggets also have secured wins at home over perennial powers Sacramento and reigning NBA champion San Antonio.

"We've had a lot of games the last few nights," Nuggets guard Voshon Lenard said. "I'm proud. We've been playing hard. (This game) shows our character.

"We're starting to come together."

The Mavericks entered the game averaging 98.6 points per game. Denver averaged 91.2 and had scored 94 or more points in four of the previous five games. In essence, this was the making of a sneaker scorcher.

The Mavericks jumped to a 16-7 lead in the first quarter after an Antoine Walker lay-in. But Denver showed grit by finishing the first with an 18-16 run to trim their deficit to 32-25.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter with a 19-11 run to take a 44-43 lead on a reverse layup by Andre Miller. A Miller layup at the halftime buzzer gave Denver a 60-54 advantage and left the Mavericks and their fans stunned.

"I was very displeased with the first half," Dallas coach Don Nelson said.

Denver shot 46 percent by intermission and had a combined 45 points by Miller, rookie forward Carmelo Anthony and Jon Barry.

Denver came out strong in the beginning of the third quarter, too, as two Francisco Elson free throws pushed its lead to 64-58 at the 9:22 mark. Dallas, however, responded with a 21-13 run to take the lead 79-77 following a Walker jump shot with 1:56 left in the third. The Mavericks finished the third with an 86-80 lead and cruised the rest of the way by pushing their lead to as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter.

In the second half, the Nuggets shot just 31.1 percent and received cold 6-of-29 shooting from Anthony, Miller and Lenard. As for the Mavericks, they shot 53.7 percent in the second half and received double-digit scoring from Walker (14), reserve Antawn Jamison (20) and Dirk Nowitzki (16).

"We got a little sideways offensively and defensively in certain periods of the second half," Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "I told our team that you can't beat one of the league's elite teams unless you're rock solid throughout the course of 48 minutes."

While the Nuggets couldn't compete with the Mavericks for 48 minutes, how they challenged this NBA power for much of the game has them as optimistic about their future as Cuban.

"We can get the eighth spot," said Anthony, referring to the final spot available for the playoffs in the Western Conference. "I swear we can. From what I'm seeing, we can get that."

11-23-2003, 09:43 AM	#244
Max Power Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 2,640	RE:Mavs vs. Nuggets Gameday Thread Nuggets' fast start not enough Miller, Barry combine for 42 By Marc J. Spears Denver Post Sports Writer AP / Tony Gutierrez Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony gets by the Dallas defense during the first quarter Saturday. DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban walked onto the floor at sold-out American Airlines Center at the end of halftime fearful of these new Nuggets. And after Denver fell 115-101 in a swift back-and-forth game Saturday night, Cuban walked off with respect for his foes and a postseason prediction. "The Nuggets have one of the most exciting teams in the league," Cuban said. "The way they run. ... Guys on (our) bench were talking about how the Nuggets ran. We thought we ran. "The Nuggets ran more than us. These guys are playing hard. I wouldn't be shocked if these guys make the playoffs." Through the latter part of the third quarter, Denver challenged and often held the lead against one of the NBA's elite teams in arguably the toughest road venue while playing its fourth game in five nights. But Denver (7-6) allowed a season high in points and lost for the 13th straight time in Dallas. The Nuggets definitely would have cherished a win against Dallas (9-4), which improved to 7-0 at home. But through this loss, Denver may have gained more confidence about how good it can be. The Nuggets also have secured wins at home over perennial powers Sacramento and reigning NBA champion San Antonio. "We've had a lot of games the last few nights," Nuggets guard Voshon Lenard said. "I'm proud. We've been playing hard. (This game) shows our character. "We're starting to come together." The Mavericks entered the game averaging 98.6 points per game. Denver averaged 91.2 and had scored 94 or more points in four of the previous five games. In essence, this was the making of a sneaker scorcher. The Mavericks jumped to a 16-7 lead in the first quarter after an Antoine Walker lay-in. But Denver showed grit by finishing the first with an 18-16 run to trim their deficit to 32-25. The Nuggets opened the second quarter with a 19-11 run to take a 44-43 lead on a reverse layup by Andre Miller. A Miller layup at the halftime buzzer gave Denver a 60-54 advantage and left the Mavericks and their fans stunned. "I was very displeased with the first half," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. Denver shot 46 percent by intermission and had a combined 45 points by Miller, rookie forward Carmelo Anthony and Jon Barry. Denver came out strong in the beginning of the third quarter, too, as two Francisco Elson free throws pushed its lead to 64-58 at the 9:22 mark. Dallas, however, responded with a 21-13 run to take the lead 79-77 following a Walker jump shot with 1:56 left in the third. The Mavericks finished the third with an 86-80 lead and cruised the rest of the way by pushing their lead to as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. In the second half, the Nuggets shot just 31.1 percent and received cold 6-of-29 shooting from Anthony, Miller and Lenard. As for the Mavericks, they shot 53.7 percent in the second half and received double-digit scoring from Walker (14), reserve Antawn Jamison (20) and Dirk Nowitzki (16). "We got a little sideways offensively and defensively in certain periods of the second half," Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "I told our team that you can't beat one of the league's elite teams unless you're rock solid throughout the course of 48 minutes." While the Nuggets couldn't compete with the Mavericks for 48 minutes, how they challenged this NBA power for much of the game has them as optimistic about their future as Cuban. "We can get the eighth spot," said Anthony, referring to the final spot available for the playoffs in the Western Conference. "I swear we can. From what I'm seeing, we can get that."