Quick Recap: Nuggets Drop a Deuce with Kings

I liked Kevin’s Nesgoda’s format so much after the Oklahoma City Thunder game, I’m stealing it! (Thanks, Kevin!). Here’s the bad and good of Denver Nuggets vs. Sacramento Kings, Part Deux, Electric Boogie-Loo.

First Quarter
Nothing was new for Denver in the first quarter, save a lack of focus on defense. Shots as simple as layups didn't fall, and the team looked dispirited quickly. Even when they played decent D, the Kings shots were falling. Very little went right in Q1.

Second Quarter

The Nuggets closed the gap a bit early in Q2, with the bench getting a little scoring going. Nate Robinson poured in a few nice shots along the way, and Wilson Chandler was a bright spot, offensively, through the half. After going small, Denver kept the pressure on, and at one point, had closed the gap to eight points, before wrapping up the first half down by 14.

Third Quarter

The starters came out of the gates poorly again, and Sacramento’s lead was back to 18 before anyone came off the bench. Fouls were called abundantly against the Nuggets and things started getting chippy quickly. Even with the bench in the game, this one slowly got out of hand. DeMarcus Cousins got in foul trouble about halfway through Q3, and still Denver had difficulty making any inroads. Nuggets fouls got out of hand, with one of their few decent scorers, Darrell Arthur, fouling out with two minutes left in the period. By the end of the quarter, Denver had 72 points to go with their 30 fouls. Ugh.

Fourth Quarter

Well… What else to say? It didn’t get a whole lot better. We closed the gap a bit, but mostly in garbage time. Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson were in to close it out, you wonder if just to give them a chance to get unstuck. Good guys lose by 22.

Frustrating night yet again for the Nuggets, more to come in a bit with broader recap. For now, this is where we let it out, Nuggets Nation!