By Rich Myhre
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – For two quarters, Nick Van Exel of the Denver Nuggets was something less than mediocre.
In the last two quarters, he was nothing short of magnificent.
Van Exel, the Nuggets’ off-and-on point guard, put on a dazzling second half shooting display Saturday night, scoring 30 of his game-high 38 points after the intermission to help lift Denver to a 103-93 victory over the dazed Seattle SuperSonics.
In particular, Van Exel scorched the Sonics in the third period, converting six of 11 shots, including 5-for-7 from the 3-point line. Four free throws gave him 21 points in the quarter, a barrage that almost single-handedly lifted Denver from a 54-48 halftime deficit to an 81-70 margin heading into the fourth quarter.
“(Van Exel) was phenomenal in the third quarter and that’s really where they took over the game,” said Sonics guard Brent Barry. “They just made a lot of tough shots.”
The irony is that Van Exel was inept in the first half. He made just three of 13 attempts before the break, including one of five from the 3-point line. One shot after another missed, and the Sonics seemed poised to take the game in hand.
But in the second half, Van Exel suddenly found his aim. As Seattle’s defenders began to contest his shot, Van Exel simply moved back until he was launching tries from well beyond the stripe.
“He was unbelievably hot,” said Seattle’s Desmond Mason, who guarded Van Exel for much of that period. “Guys had a hand up in his face and he was a couple of steps off the 3-point line, and he just kept shooting it. There’s really not much you can do about that. If he’s making them from there, all you can do is shake his hand.”
“Nick’s a shooter,” said Denver coach Dan Issel. “Nick is one of the few guys on our team that has the mentality that if he misses five in a row, the next five are going to go in.”
Denver’s lead grew to a high of 14 points early in the final period, but the Sonics managed to make one last burst. Forward Rashard Lewis converted consecutive field goals to pull Seattle within 93-90 with 3:36 to play, but from there the Sonics’ offense went sour. Seattle failed to convert a field goal in the remaining minutes, missing its next five chances from the field as the Nuggets ran off eight unanswered points.
Lewis ended the string with a 3-point goal with 27 seconds to play, but by then the outcome was decided.
“We allowed those guys to hang around and Nick finally got hot,” Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. “We played some pretty good defense on him, and if he misses those shots the game goes the other way.
“But we just didn’t play good basketball. Those guys are capable of hitting those shots. You have to force them to penetrate and not allow them to get into a rhythm. We talked about that. That’s how they play the game. They live and die with that kind of shot.”
The win was the first ever for the Nuggets at KeyArena and the first in Seattle since Denver’s memorable Game 5 triumph over the Sonics in the 1993-94 first round playoff series – remember then-Denver center Dikembe Mutombo lying on the Seattle Center Coliseum floor in joyful triumph?
Continuing injuries to Seattle’s big men led McMillan to shuffle his starting lineup, then his rotation. With center Jerome James, who started Friday’s game against Golden State, slowed by a mild ankle sprain, the Sonics moved Antonio Harvey into the opening lineup. James entered the game in the first half, about the same time Harvey was leaving because of knee tendinitis.
Specifically, the Sonics missed their best low-post player, forward Vin Baker, who is on the injured list with a knee contusion.
“Against the Warriors we somehow found a way, but tonight we just needed somebody to bang around and get some rebounds,” Barry said. “(The Nuggets) went small a lot, too, so there’s really no excuse. But we still need a low post to establish something. You have to work inside out if you’re going to be successful in this league.”
“There’s no question,” McMillan agreed. “I don’t think you win (consistently) on perimeter shooting.”
For one night, anyway, the Nuggets did.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.