Game Thread: Pelicans vs Nuggets - 1-28-15

[SaintPelican225]

Denver exposing our weakness.....IMO a true two way SF and a quality backup PG...and with Reke playing PG, we don't have a SG on the second unit....

[JunkHead]

Actually, they are terrible. Fluke game for them, many of the makes were contested.

Conversely, we shot just 40% on Uncontested shots in this game, including 3-15 from Gordon and Ryno who both shot well the last two games.

It's a long season. Sometimes your team just has "One of those nights"

LOGIC BAD!!!!

[Pelicantoo]

AD went out, and Tyreke and Ryno thought it was time to put it on their backs. Once he came back, they never got back to that ball movement offense... and we went stagnant. Despite that, Tyreke kept us in this game tonight. We needed that. Ryno is more of the problem than Tyreke

This is how I feel. AD going out screwed everything up, and gave Danver a HUGE boost of confidence.

[MichaelMcNamara]

LOGIC BAD!!!!

I know, right.

There are games we can pick apart and say we could have done this differently or that, but tonight we got a lot of open looks and missed while Denver hit shots they don't normally make and we still and a chance with 2 mins to go to win this one.

I am more impressed that they stayed in this one on such a terrible shooting night than I am mad that they lost

[Pelicantoo]

Actually, they are terrible. Fluke game for them, many of the makes were contested.

Conversely, we shot just 40% on Uncontested shots in this game, including 3-15 from Gordon and Ryno who both shot well the last two games.

It's a long season. Sometimes your team just has "One of those nights"

This! Dang it! We as a board need to differentiate between us playing like crap and a few Denver guys having absurd nights while all our shots roll out.

DENVER SHOT 58% from 3!!!! Well more than half of them were at least decently contested.

Nurkic was shooting 39% the past 10 games, this game he shot 78%.... and don't tell me that's ALL because Asik didn't guard him well enough.

This is basketball, not football... this crap happens from time to time. Anyone who's played pickup has seen the scrub who catches fire and hits turnaround fadeaways (not that those guys are really scrubs)

[jprdbulldog20]

Only against the Pelicans do Afflalo and Gallinari turn into Steph and Klay

[Pelicantoo]

This is on monty.

Unless he shot Nurkic with steroids before the game or gave Denver a WNBA ball on offense, I'm not sure how that's true.

Also, Why? You know, with reasoning...

[Asteptooslow]

I thought Denver would play well, BUT we should have matched that after the last time we played them. We can't afford too many one of those things nights in our position. We are in a fight for our playoff lives.

[Pelicantoo]

Only against the Pelicans do Afflalo and Gallinari turn into Steph and Klay

GS shoots 38% as a team, and KT and SC shoot 46 and 39% respectively. The nuggets shot 58%

[new city champ]

Just back from arena. Agree that we just beefed a lot of open looks tonight and they made a bunch of contested shots, especially in the first half. But really we just couldn't score. One test of the kind of team you have is how many of these nights you suffer through. Good teams, it's just a handful a year. With average teams, they crop up on a semi-regular basis. Hope they become rarer and rarer for us.

One quibble, and not sure it would have made any difference, but this is the kind of game where I'd give my bench more of a burn to see if they can jumpstart things a bit. Specifically, I'd have played Luke and Alexi to see if we get some shots to fall. Would have given Jimmer some more minutes as well.

[JunkHead]

Unless he shot Nurkic with steroids before the game or gave Denver a WNBA ball on offense, I'm not sure how that's true.

Also, Why? You know, with reasoning...

Maybe because he didn't play Raptor Ajinca.... or something.... I dunno. Making stuff up.

[Pelicantoo]

Just back from arena. Agree that we just beefed a lot of open looks tonight and they made a bunch of contested shots, especially in the first half. But really we just couldn't score. One test of the kind of team you have is how many of these nights you suffer through. Good teams, it's just a handful a year. With average teams, they crop up on a semi-regular basis. Hope they become rarer and rarer for us.

One quibble, and not sure it would have made any difference, but this is the kind of game where I'd give my bench more of a burn to see if they can jumpstart things a bit. Specifically, I'd have played Luke and Alexi to see if we get some shots to fall. Would have given Jimmer some more minutes as well.

Thanks for this, I felt like those Gordon layups were all ridiculously close. I agree on the bench in priciple... but against a team as athletic as Denver, both those guys get crushed. I think perhaps in a normal, closer game maybe, but when afflalo and Gallinari are burying 3's over our good defenders, imagine what would happen with Ringo Starr guarding them.

[jegirouard]

I know, right.

There are games we can pick apart and say we could have done this differently or that, but tonight we got a lot of open looks and missed while Denver hit shots they don't normally make and we still and a chance with 2 mins to go to win this one.

I am more impressed that they stayed in this one on such a terrible shooting night than I am mad that they lost

I was in the arena tonight for the first time this year... This is exactly what I saw.

[Pelicantoo]

This, my friends, is the reason why you play 7-game series in the playoffs. Because nights like this happen. We could've started Tyreke, Scottie Pippen, Scottie Pippen, AD, Bill Russell and it wouldn'tve made those shots go out.... (OKay, OKay, I'm exaggerating).

[Asteptooslow]

We had 15 assist as a team compared to 30 for Chikin Nuggest. Reke had 2 assists this game. (not picking on him) Do you think he consciously says I had 11 dimes last night, I'm going to score tonight?

[Sleeper]

Does anyone else think that Ajinca could have been key when Davis went out?

[Asteptooslow]

Does anyone else think that Ajinca could have been key when Davis went out?

I think so, maybe they thought he couldn't move well enough?

[Sleeper]

We had 15 assist as a team compared to 30 for Chikin Nuggest. Reke had 2 assists this game. (not picking on him) Do you think he consciously says I had 11 dimes last night, I'm going to score tonight?

You can't say you are not picking on him, when your last posts do just that. Look at the shooting percentages tonight of the people he had to assist to and then come back to this post.

[UNO Gracias]

We stayed close because we had 3 times as many ft's as them. They made an absurd amount of 3pters, we had an absurd amount of ft's.

All I am saying is you need to know how to deal with lineup changes when your best player is hurt, your 2nd best player is out, and your 3rd (or 4th) best player might be sick. You can still play AD and Reke, but not as heavy for Pete's sake. I wouldn't fault Monty for not playing Reke as many minuets, of AD (when he returned from being hurt). Find a way to make it work against a 18-27 (now 19-27) team.

[N.O.Bronco]

Gordon knocks down a few of those good looks he got and made for himself and this a completely different game.

Evans makes a few smarter decisions at critical times and this is a different game.

AD doesnt go down and this is a different game.

Monty does a better job adjusting with AD down and this is a different game.

Some of our role players hit a few of their good looks and this is a different game.

The Nuggets shoot their season norm from three and this is a different game

A lot of the same issues I have had most of the season were still evident tonight but ultimately this was just one of those games that happen. One of those handful of games that you just aren't gonna win. Even the great teams have a few of those this season. This just puts an even more pressure on these harder upcoming games.

[jgman]

We had 15 assist as a team compared to 30 for Chikin Nuggest. Reke had 2 assists this game. (not picking on him) Do you think he consciously says I had 11 dimes last night, I'm going to score tonight?

Tyreke and Ad 19 for 37, rest of team 13 of 45. how can he get assists if the rest of the team isn't hitting anything

[Pelicantoo]

We had 15 assist as a team compared to 30 for Chikin Nuggest. Reke had 2 assists this game. (not picking on him) Do you think he consciously says I had 11 dimes last night, I'm going to score tonight?

Did you watch it? Tyreke easily has 8 if dudes make their open shots. EG probably has 10 or 11.

[Pelicantoo]

We stayed close because we had 3 times as many ft's as them. They made an absurd amount of 3pters, we had an absurd amount of ft's.

All I am saying is you need to know how to deal with lineup changes when your best player is hurt, your 2nd best player is out, and your 3rd (or 4th) best player might be sick. You can still play AD and Reke, but not as heavy for Pete's sake. I wouldn't fault Monty for not playing Reke as many minuets, of AD (when he returned from being hurt). Find a way to make it work against a 18-27 (now 19-27) team.

The FT point is definitely a valid point.... but I'm not sure what your gripe is against Monty? Wouldn't the best way to win against Denver be to play them big minutes?

Also I'm 90% sure AD was decoying in there for the most part. I saw monty run a play for ryno at the end. He defnitely was effed up a bit.

[UNO Gracias]

Why do you have to play them big minuets to win? Boston and Minny just recently beat Denver and they don't have an AD or Reke.
You put AD when he is hurt and you are playing 4 on 5. Bravo!
If these results are the best we can come up with we might get a new coach sooner rather than later.

[Pelicantoo]

Why do you have to play them big minuets to win? Boston and Minny just recently beat Denver and they don't have an AD or Reke.
You put AD when he is hurt and you are playing 4 on 5. Bravo!
If these results are the best we can come up with we might get a new coach sooner rather than later.

In the Boston game, Denver shot 28% from three on 21 attempts. In the Minny game, they shot 32%

AD blocked a shot and scored a bucket once he came back.... what are the odds ajinca or withey do that in a 2 minute stretch.

Would you just say " I don't like the coach so Im going to irrationally blame him for every thing bad that happens." It'd make me feel better.