April 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Andre Iguodala (9) drives to the basket during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight was a double dip of bad news for Planet Orange. The Phoenix Suns(25-57) got blown out by the Denver Nuggets(57-25) tonight by the final score of 118-98. The Nuggets raced out to a 26 point halftime lead and never looked back.

“We all have a feeling what’s a better matchup, but come on, man, realistically … with the history of my time of coaching says is just go do the right thing, go win every game you can and see where it falls,” George Karl said.

Denver dominated the Suns tonight in every sense of the word. Denver scored 80 of their 118 points in the paint, recorded 35 fastbreak points, had seven different players with double-figure scoring, out rebounded the Suns 54-47, and shot 52.7% from the field.

Denvers’ forwards Andre Iguodala, and Wilson Chandler combined for 41 points on 16 of 28 shooting from the floor, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals; Anthony Randolph 11 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks off the bench.

The Suns were without their top player Goran Dragic who missed the game due to an ankle injury. Kendall Marshall started in his place. While Marshall by no means played well, he didn’t play awful neither. Marshall finished the game with a career high 14 assists with zero turnovers; in three starts, Marshall has averaged 12.3 assists.

This was just not the Suns night, simply put. The Suns shot just 38.5% from the floor and had issues against the size of the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets as a team had eight blocks on the game, three courtesy of Anthony Randolph.

To make matters worse for the Suns, the Utah Jazz were unable to secure a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies tonight which means that the Suns double-lottery pick hopes are out the window along with their 2012-2013 season. 

This season was dreadful, but fact of the matter is, it could have been worse. The Suns had one of the worst rosters going into this season, and living in the western conference certainly didn’t make life easier.

With the end to one of the worst seasons in Phoenix Suns franchise history, the days will begin to look brighter. With the Cleveland Cavaliers losing to the Bobcats, the Suns are now owners of the fourth worst overall record in the NBA which means the Suns have roughly a 12% chance to win the number overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Nov. 12, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Andre Miller (24) handles the ball against the Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Nuggets 110-100. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will close out their seasons tonight at the Pepsi Center in the mile-high city. Going into tonight’s game the Nuggets will look to retain the best home record in the NBA this season; the Nuggets haven’t lost at home since January 18th. Denver are 37-3 at home this season(League best) and are the favorites by a 12.0 margin according to ESPN.com.

“I’ve always felt that home court, if it was an even series, it’s tough for teams to win twice on your home court,” coach George Karl said. “And our home court, I know teams don’t like to play there. Hopefully mentally they struggle with the thought of playing there.”

The Nuggets will be without Kenneth Faried tonight. “Faried’s ankle injury was revealed to be a sprain of the anterior talofibular ligament, which will sideline him for the final two outings of the season.” As reported by Rotowire.com.

The Suns were without Jermaine O’Neal in their Monday night win against the Houston Rockets. O’Neal is questionable for tonight’s game.

Keys to the game: Suns

• No turnovers! The Denver Nuggets are second to none in the NBA when it comes to capitalizing off of turnovers.
• Be aggressive. The Suns were successful against the Rockets on Monday because they were aggressive on both ends of the floor.

Keys to the game: Denver

• Rebounding. Without Faried, the Nuggets as a group will need to step up on the boards.
• Attack the paint. The Suns without Marcin Gortat and possibly without Jermaine O’Neal will have next to zero shot-blocking, Ty Lawson and company need to take advantage of that.

The X-Factor!

• High altitude. The Nuggets are one of the few indoor professional sports teams that has a element advantage at home which is reflected in their excellent home record.

Match-up of the night!

• Ty Lawson vs. Goran Dragic! Dragic has been balling lately! In the month of April, Dragic is averaging 17.4 points, 9.4 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 47% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc.