Will Barton thriving as role player for Nuggets

Steven J. Gaither

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Will Barton thriving as role player for Nuggets image

A year ago, Will Barton was sitting at the end of the Trailblazers bench, barely getting any burn.

Barton’s still coming off the bench these days, but that’s about all that’s the same for him in Denver. The 25-year-old swingman from Baltimore has become a valued contributor for the Nuggets. Never was that more evident than Sunday night.

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Barton came up huge in the fourth quarter as he helped the Nuggets blitz the Pacers with a potent offensive attack and come away with a 129-126 win.

He scored 15 of his 21 points in the quarter, including this ridiculous off-balance layup, keying a 45-point final 12 minutes for his team.

Barton is averaging career highs in points (15.8), minutes (29.5), rebounds (6.3) and just about every other category. He also came up big in the team’s win over the Warriors on Wednesday, scoring 21 points in that game as well. 

Despite the team’s subpar record, he’s building quite a case for either the Sixth Man or Most Improved Player of the Year awards so far.

Studs of the night

LaMarcus Aldridge continues to get comfortable in the Spurs lineup. The big man scored 23 points, hitting 9 of 15 shots in his team’s 112-83 win over the Mavs on Sunday. It’s his third game of 22 or more points in his team’s last four.

Duds of the night

The Suns lost by 30 points (117-87) to a Timberwolves team that had lost nine games in a row heading into Sunday. They couldn't buy a 3-pointer and shot just 43 percent from the field as a team.

Tweet of the night 

Game recognizes game. Sorry, Jonathan. 

Looking ahead

Warriors (37-4) at Cavs (28-10), 8 p.m. ET: We get a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals for the second time in less than a month. The Warriors got the best of that Christmas special, but they are in somewhat of a slump, having lost two of their last three games. They will face a Cavs team that is well rested after winning in Houston on Friday night. 

Steven J. Gaither