NBA scores 2015: Nuggets’ implosion continues with loss in Philadelphia

Are Brian Shaw’s days in Denver numbered? Plus, three other things we learned in the NBA on Tuesday night.

by Yaron Weitzman

Feb 4, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Part Of

NBA schedule and results: Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry have huge nights

see all updates

On Tuesday, prior to his team's game against the Sixers, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw sort of accused his players of tanking games. "It just looks like you almost have to try to lose as bad, and in the way we've been losing," he said to the Denver Post. That was before the Nuggets handed the Sixers their 11th win of the year, a 105-98 victory Tuesday night over Denver in Philadelphia. It was a win in which the Sixers led by 28 at one point in the third quarter.

The Nuggets have now lost three in a row and 10 of their last 11. With the loss, they dropped to 19-30 on the season. Kenneth Faried played 19 minutes and failed to score a single point. Ty Lawson had just five points in 34 minutes.

It might not be tanking, but the effort for Denver certainly wasn’t there and doesn’t seem like it ever will be as long as Brian Shaw is the coach. Remember, this is a team that is just two years removed from a 57-win season. Now it can’t beat a group of undrafted players. The coach is saying the players aren’t trying and the whole thing seems to be falling apart.

Denver has the league’s ninth-worst offensive rating (101) and eighth-worst defensive rating (105). That’s not exactly a recipe for success and one that will likely cost Shaw his job, and soon. Shaw’s 55-75 record as Nuggets coach is not going to cut it. The team’s changing offense has never really worked and nothing that Shaw has brought with him has. The Nuggets are a mess, and unlike the team they lost to on Tuesday, they weren’t built to be one.

Pinning this all on Shaw would be unfair. The roster is a flawed one: not good enough to compete, not bad enough to garner a top pick. The Nuggets are stuck in the middle, the place NBA teams never want to be. One can sense that a tear-down and makeover is on the way. Guys like Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler could be traded.

But Shaw may also be on his way out of town. He called his players out and got no response. That usually signals that the end is near.

3 other things we learned

The Celtics are ready to start handing the keys to Marcus Smart. Smart was inserted into Boston's starting lineup Tuesday, replacing Evan Turner. It was just his fourth start of the year and his first since Dec. 31. Smart was solid in his new role, scoring 13 points in the Celtics' 108-97 win in New York over the Knicks. He also played a season-high 36 minutes and helped the Celtics jump out to an early 14-2 lead. The goal was always for Smart to eventually become the team's go-to guy. Now that Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green are gone, it appears as if Boston is willing to start easing Smart into that role.

Jared Sullinger on why the Celtics got off to a quick start: "Marcus Smart and the way he played defensively."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 4, 2015

Hassan Whiteside is good even when he's bad. This explains just how great Hassan Whiteside has been this year. Tuesday against the Pistons, he finished with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and five blocks in 24 minutes ... and that's an off night for him. The Heat lost in Detroit, 108-91 (despite a 34-point performance from Chris Bosh, which featured a 21-point, 9-of-9 third quarter), but at this point, the final scores are secondary. The Heat now have a 25-year-old center putting up double-doubles and swatting every shot he can get his hands on -- and there's no indication any of this is a fluke. With the loss, the Heat stand at 21-27, and tied with Charlotte for the eighth seed in the East. Whiteside could be a big reason why the Heat make the playoffs if they do, especially when a 11-10-5 night is his floor.

Brandon Jennings might be out, but the Pistons aren't. With its win over Miami, Detroit improved to 19-30. Normally, that would be the type of record that gets a team a lottery pick, but since this is the East, things are different. As it stands, the Pistons are just 2.5 games behind Charlotte and Miami for that eighth seed. D.J. Augustin led the way for Detroit on Tuesday with a 25-point, 13-assist output, no turnover output. Augustin is averaging 22 points and nine assists in the five games since Brandon Jennings went down. If he continues playing like that, the Pistons might actually be able to sneak into the postseason after all.