23-year old Ty Lawson has moved into the starting lineup ahead of the newly acquired Raymond Felton. He has played in 3 games since the trade, and he is averaging 32.3 minutes, 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game. To keep the starting gig, Lawson is going to have to get a tad more consistent. He has played in 57 games (8 starts) so far this year for the Nuggets and he is averaging 24.2 minutes, 10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Raymond Felton is going to be breathing down Lawson’s back the rest of this year.

The Nuggets left everything they had on the basketball court last night in Portland but they just fell a tad short in the end. Danilo Gallinari (30 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Wilson Chandler (20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots) led the way for the Nuggets last night. Arron Afflalo (19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Nene (12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals) also had good games for the Nuggets last night. The Nuggets are now 34-26 on the season.

The Nuggets outscored the Celtics 28-15 in the 4th quarter last night to surge to a very impressive victory. They held the Celtics to 39% shooting from the floor and they outrebounded the Nuggets 52-38 which helps explain the win. Kenyon Martin led the way for the Nuggets last night with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 26 minutes on the floor. Wilson Chandler had a solid Nuggets’ debut with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in 25 minutes off the bench. Arron Afflalo (13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot), Nene (12 points and 10 rebounds) and J.R. Smith (12 points and 8 rebounds) also pitched in last night for the new look Nuggets. The Nuggets are now 34-25 on the season and 2-0 without Carmelo Anthony.

The Nuggets only dressed 9 players (8 played) last night against the Grizzlies and they still kicked their butts. The Nuggets were up 102-76 after the first three quarters before calling off the dogs last night. J.R. Smith led the way for the Nuggets in this game with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 42 minutes on the floor. Arron Afflalo (21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists) and Ty Lawson (21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals in 39 minutes on the floor) also had great games last night. Nene (15 points), Chris Andersen (15 points) and Gary Forbes (10 points) also pitched in last night for the Nuggets. The Nuggets are now 33-25 on the season.

The Denver Nuggets have finally waved goodbye to Carmelo Anthony but they got a nice haul for him. Who knows, they might still make the playoffs this season but it is going to be a tad harder now. The Nuggets are 32-25 on the season which has them in 3rd place in the Northwest Division, 4.5 games behind the Thunder in the Northwest Division. The Nuggets are currently #7 in the Western Conference, 14.5 games behind the Spurs. The Nuggets are currently 1/2 a game behind both the Blazers & Hornets and they are ahead of the Grizzlies & Jazz, so they have little room for error. The new guys are going to have to hit the ground running if the Nuggets are going to make it back to the playoffs this year.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: 25-year old Arron Afflalo has stepped up his game for the Nuggets so far this year. He has played in 57 games (all starts) for the Nuggets so far this year and he is averaging 35.1 minutes, 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Afflalo has been a outstanding shooter from everywhere on the court as he is hitting 50.2% from the floor, 43.8% from three point range and 86% from the free throw line. It will be interesting to see if Wilson Chandler’s arrival cuts into Afflalo’s P.T. the rest of the year.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 31-year old forward Al Harrington was supposed to give the Nuggets good shooting off the bench. But, that hasn’t been the case so far this year as he is hitting 41.4% from the floor and 36.8% from three point range. Harrington has played in 51 games (2 starts) for the Nuggets so far this year and he is averaging 25.0 minutes, 11.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Nuggets are really going to try to move Harrington before the trade deadline this Thursday.