ROARING START

AFTER STUMBLING TOWARD THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON, DENVER CAME OUT HOT TO VANQUISH MINNESOTA

- CHRIS HERRING

BACK IN MARCH-generally the last regular-season month that's competitive, with most teams trying to stack victories-the first-place Nuggets, who had been so stable up to that point in the season, were looking off-kilter.

They had a bizarre, lifeless, 21-point home loss at full strength to the Bulls, who came into the meeting seven games under .500. Denver followed that with an embarrassing defeat in San Antonio to a Spurs club that would finish tied for last place in the West with 22 wins and eventually land the No. 1 pick. Then came a home setback against the post-Kevin Durant Nets and a 15-point drubbing in Toronto to mark a fourth straight loss. The Nuggets would end up dropping five of six during the stretch in all. In March they went just 7-7-tied with the Timberwolves for the worst mark that month of the 10 teams in the West that would continue to play after the regular season.