Nuggets Win 13th Straight, Beat Thunder 114-104
The Denver Nuggets won 114-104 over the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday for their 13th straight win. The Nuggets’ Andre Miller celebrated his birthday with 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on the way to the big win against the Thunder.
Miller turned 37-years-old Tuesday, and came off the bench to help hold off the Thunder in the fourth quarter.Miller scored 13 points in the final frame, including five-of-six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets 13-game winning streak is the longest in franchise history since joining the NBA in 1976. The Nuggets are now just five games back in the West after beating Kevin Durant and the Thunder Tuesday.
Durant led all scorers with 34 points, but the Thunder failed to hold the lead early in the second half and the Nuggets rolled on to their 13th straight win. The Nuggets have now beat the Thunder three times this season, being the only team in the NBA to do so.
Russell Westbrook scored 25 points in the loss to the Nuggets, as the Thunder lost for only the fifth time at home this season. The Thunder now go on the road and face the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday before a match-up with the struggling Orlando Magic on Friday.
Denver is undefeated in March, and take on the Philadelphia 76ers at home on Thursday. The Nuggets beat the Thunder twice during their 13-game winning streak, but won’t face them again this season unless they meet again in the playoffs.
Andre Miller stole the show Tuesday and only played 23 minutes in the game. Most of those minutes came in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets needed it most, and the birthday boy responded with back-to-back jumpers and clutch free throws.
Kenneth Faried was great in the paint for the Nuggets, finishing with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Ty Lawson added 25 points to offset Andre Iguodala’s tough night. Iguodala shot 5-for-14 from the field, and missed all four three-pointers he attempted.
The Nuggets are simply running over Western Conference teams, as eight of their 13 straight wins have come against teams in the West. With 12 games left, and 10 of them being against teams in the West, the Nuggets have a good chance of moving into a better position going into the playoffs. Does the Nuggets win over the Thunder prove they are legitimate NBA title contenders?
