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DENVER, March 10, 2010.  .   .  .  ANY frequent observer of an NBA team can get caught up in the number of games that are won or lost and with the tactics that can succeed or fail, rarely noticing individual player accomplishments. Praise is now due, and for nearly every Nuggets player who has fought in the more than 60 games played since the 2009/10 season began.

 
Starting with the stats that the Nuggets reached when 40 games were won this month, and with regard to total points per all games played since the season began in ‘09, forward Carmelo Anthony and guard Chauncey Billups were able to boast of having reached four digits, Anthony with 1,373 points, averaging 28.6 points per game, Billups with 1,044, averaging 20.1 ppg, and center/forward Nene next highest with 848, averaging 13.9 ppg. Two other Nuggets players locked in double digit ppg averages---guard J.R. Smith with 14.9 ppg, and center/forward Kenyon Martin with 11.8. Martin’s stats carried far, in that other than Nene he accumulated more minutes of play than any other Nuggets athlete (1,920 minutes behind Nene’s 2,051 min.), yet while Martin bucketed only around half the field goals that Anthony has completed, his FG percentage reached .457, a point higher than Anthony’s FG percentage.  

As of the 40 games-won mark, Anthony remained among the top three scorers in the NBA this year, and Billups listed with the best three-point scorers in the game from 122 of 283 attempts, a .431 percentage. J.R. Smith reached close to Billups in the three-point category with 110 of 316 attempts, a .348 percentage. As to total successful field goals, Anthony led last week with  470 netted, Nene next with 332, but Nene, having succeeded with fewer FG attempts, had the higher FG percentage, .590 vs. Anthony’s .457. As to success at the free throw line, Anthony and Billups scored over 300 points apiece during more than 50 games played, Anthony’s FT percentage being .829, Billups, .904.

 
Blocks? Of course, center Chris Anderson guaranteed a season lead last week with a total of 107, and as to rebounds no-one on the Nuggets has come close to Kenyon Martin’s 520 on the day that the 40 games-won position came to be, Nene next with over 470 and Anderson with more than 360. Regarding the power of assists, Billups has led overwhelmingly with 312, next highest Ty Lawson with 180, Lawson proving that being a small player in the NBA can be offset by skills and by a strong and natural inclination for teamwork.

 
Looking at game highs for the individual Nuggets players, no-one has topped Anthony’s 50 points within 48 minutes of game time, Smith being second with 41 points scored in just under 39 minutes, Billups third with 39 points for 45 minutes of effort, Martin fourth with 25 points inside of 47 minutes. As for most rebounds taken in a single game, Martin tops other Nuggets with 17, and Anderson and Nene have 15 each. For most blocks gained in a single game, the answer is a no-brainer: Anderson's five. As to game highs regarding assists, Billups and Carter have each achieved 12, respectively in 45 and 34 minutes of play. But as for the subject of steals, Nene runs ahead of the pack with more than 90, Smith next highest with more than 70.

 
And, the Nuggets individual players have excelled as a team, accumulating more than 6,500 points during 60+ games, around a third from successful FG’s. That's a team total of 107 ppg, which with the team's total of 1,300 assists allowed for today’s 42-21 Nuggets record, signaling post-season play for the Denver team.

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 If you missed the previous blog from Kitt Amundson about the NHL trade deadline recap, you can visit her blog page to read it.

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