|
Cancar played a total of 25 minutes through the first month of
the season, but with several players missing he has been pushed
into service. He is averaging 23.4 minutes over the last four
games and has made key contributions on both offense and
defense.
He'll get more quality time when Denver hosts Houston on Monday
night in the first of two home games against the Rockets.
Michael Porter Jr. (heel) and Jeff Green (knee) are not expected
to play.
Cancar's expanded role started at Dallas on Nov. 18 when the
Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron
Gordon. Denver lost that game by 28 points but beat the
Mavericks two nights later, and a big reason was Cancar's
halfcourt heave that ended the second quarter.
In the last two games he has played 60 minutes, averaging 16
points while playing strong defense. He had three blocks in an
overtime win at Oklahoma City on Wednesday and was disruptive in
a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
"(The Thunder game) gave me a lot of confidence, but at the same
time, I'm proud of myself just to stay ready for any given
opportunity," Cancar told The Denver Post. "Just to play simple
basketball. When you play simple and play to win, you're going
to get rewarded by that."
Houston brings a two-game winning streak to Denver and has won
three of its last five after starting the season 2-12. The
Rockets beat Oklahoma City and rallied to beat Atlanta for their
first winning streak.
Houston's wins have come against good teams, including a win at
Dallas on Nov. 16.
"I think we're just tired of losing in general," Jalen Green
said. "We're coming together and buying in on the defensive
side. I think that's what's been helping us out."
The Rockets made key plays down the stretch in the win over the
Hawks. Garrison Mathews stole the ball with Houston up one in
the final two minutes and drew a foul to give the Rockets more
of a cushion.
"Obviously we're better than we were last year on defense,"
Mathews said. "We got more rim protectors, we got better
rebounds, all that stuff. Some more athletic guys, that's super
important when it comes to defense."
Green has taken on challenges against some of the best guards in
the NBA -- including Trae Young and Steph Curry -- and has held
his own.
"Coach (Stephen Silas) has been really trusting me to guard the
best players every night," Green said after the win over
Atlanta. "That's a new thing for me this year. Last year I
didn't even get to do any of that. I was probably one of the
players that they would attack in the defense. Now they're not
really wanting to use me as a mismatch this year."
--Field Level Media
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
