The Denver Nuggets don’t have a single All-Star, not one player who was selected to play during the annual break next weekend.
The Cavaliers have their young, flashy point guard, one of the best in the NBA who steals the spotlight often when given the chance.
But with the court devoid of any All-Star for key stretches Saturday night after Kyrie Irving logged his fourth foul, the balanced Nuggets with the potent running game extended their winning streak to nine games with a 111-103 victory at The Q. Cleveland’s loss snapped a three-game winning streak and dropped the Cavaliers to 16-35.
“I’m not disappointed in our effort,” Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. “We played hard. They just played a little bit harder than we did.”
Said Denver coach George Karl, “We’re going to try to shock the world and become the first team to win a championship without a superstar. Without an All-Star.”
Irving’s fourth foul with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter doomed the Cavaliers, who were hoping to gauge their recent progress against one of the NBA’s hottest teams. The answer? There’s still much work to be done.
“That fourth foul was key,” Irving admitted. “Not whether we were on the upper end offensively or defensively or anything like that. [But] that fourth foul was key for me.”
That wasn’t the only factor in the loss, however. There’s the defense, which allowed more than 100 points for the sixth time in nine games. The Nuggets sank 50 percent of their attempts, and eight players scored in double digits, led by Danilo Gallinari’s 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
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