Heading into Tuesday night’s game between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, we knew that it would be fantasy basketball gold. It was the 30th best defense facing off against the 27th best defense for the past month, so we knew there would be some points being scored.
The Nuggets won 127-121, picking up their seventh straight win over the Lakers at the Staples Center.
Now riding a three-game winning streak (including two blow outs), it’s safe to say the Nuggets are playing some of their best basketball of the season.
The hot streak has allowed Denver to apply some pressure on the bottom dwellers in the Western conference playoff race ,as they now take over sole possession for the 8th seed. Their timing couldn’t be better, as their next few games are against the Spurs, Clippers, Timberwolves and Jazz.
While many things can be attributed to the Nuggets’ turnaround, such as the effort shown since playing in London, Nikola Jokic getting back to playing at a historical level or simply implementing Faried into the starting lineup. With how well the team has been playing, there’s plenty of credit to go around, but one thing that can’t be overlooked is the play of Emmanuel Mudiay.
Mudiay’s stat’s for the last three games:
Against the Pacers: 9 points, 7 assist and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Against the Magic: 18 points, 13 assist, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Against the Lakers: 14 points, 6 assist, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Perimeter shooting, defense, turnovers and finishing at the rim has been an uphill battle for most of Mudiay’s career, but he has shown signs of improvement as of late.
Midrange and outside shooting has been something that Mudiay has struggled with as well, often times shooting off balance or taking ill-advised shots, but on this winning streak, Mudiay has hit two three-pointers in all three games, going 6-for-12 from three-point range, and looking like the player the Nuggets felt like they were getting when they drafted him at No.7.
Mudiay has been finishing well lately, not only converting on baskets at the rim but staying aggressive and dunking, something that he wasn’t doing much of prior to the streak. He’s at his best when he uses his size, speed and athleticism in the open court to gain an advantage over defenders.
Check out this @emmanuelmudiay jam on the transition pic.twitter.com/jXyIy8JGw1
— NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) January 17, 2017
Defense and turnovers is something that Mudiay is still struggling with, but he is showing signs of improvement lately. For the year, he is averaging 2.6 turnovers per game which is good for 19th in the league. During this streak he has two, four and three turnovers, respectively, which is about his average. If Mudiay can string along a few games of taking care of the ball, with the fourth best offense in the NBA, the Nuggets could possibly make some noise in the West. Their next test will be the daunting task of going to San Antonio on Thursday, and increasing the three-game win streak to four.