Is Melo Enough for a Nuggets Championship?

The Denver Nuggets pulled off their 19th win of the year last night at the Pepsi Center, putting them at a franchise-best 19-7 after 26 games. There were plenty of highlights in the 111-101 win over the Houston Rockets, including rookie Ty Lawson’s career-high six assists and Carmelo Anthony’s seemingly effortless 38 points.

Denver Stiffs thinks Melo’s 38 points put him in former Nugget Alex English territory, showing that he can score at will against most any defense on any given night. Fox Sports cites Melo’s prodigious talent as one of the reasons the Nuggets can win a championship this year, calling him one of the league’s most dangerous one-on-one scorers.

But Fox also points to several reasons why the Nuggets can’t win a championship, including big, slow men on the screen-and-roll defense, Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s innate ability to impress while being outplayed by counterparts on opposing teams, J.R. Smith’s continuing immaturity, and three teams: the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the Orlando Magic.

Meanwhile, Chauncy Billups’ age was on display last night, injuring his groin, which could put him out “a couple games,” reports The Denver Post.

The Nuggets play the New Orleans Hornets Friday and at the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, both winnable games if they can focus.