Home sweet home ends tonight for the Denver Nuggets. The last opponent on this eight game home stand is the 26-19 Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have not won in Denver since Dec. 6th, 2006 (98-92), eight straight wins for the Nuggets at home. If Denver wants to get close to their team goal on this home stand, they must win tonight.

“The goal was 6-2,” said Emmanuel Mudiay about the eight game home stand, “But going 5-3 that’d still be good [in] the West right now trying to get that eighth spot. So, when you lose one it’s kind of tough, but at the same time you’re still in it — so you’re just trying to win as many games as you can.”

Playoffs? Is Mudiay still talking about the playoffs?

“I’m talking about it,” said Mudiay, “I’m definitely talking about it. I don’t know who’s not talking about it, but me personally it’s about changing the culture. That’s my goal. That’s my dream is to not just make it to the playoffs, but be a championship caliber team. To be in the playoffs your first year is huge. So, me personally that’s something that I want to do, and I’m pretty sure everybody in that locker room wants to make it to the playoffs.”

Head coach Michael Malone was critical of his team’s playoff aspirations with their poor first quarter effort against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 21st.

“We have guys, you know, talk about playoffs,” said Malone after the Grizzlies loss. “Well, I don’t even use that word because our every day actions do not indicate to me that we are a team that is serious about making the playoffs. And the way that we played in that first quarter is not indicative of a team that wants to make the playoffs.”

Malone was clearly challenging his team to put together a full 48 minute performance on a consistent basis with those comments. The Nuggets are hanging around the playoff race in the Western Conference, three and a half games behind the Sacramento Kings (20-23), and it’s good that the players have made the post-season their goal. Try to find one NBA player that is concerned with “tanking,” that’s just not their reality.

Can Denver get there? Should they get there? That’s a debate best left to the media and social media. Coaches and players want to win, they don’t want to help their team find their replacement.

Hawks return to full strength: 

-Paul Millsap missed the team’s last game against the Phoenix Suns, a 98-95 loss, with the death of his grandfather. He’s back with the team today and is available to play tonight versus the Nuggets.

-This will be Mudiay’s first match up against Jeff Teague. Teague was the 19th pick of the talent-rich point guard draft of 2009. He was selected after all of the following point guards: Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday and Ty Lawson. One could argue that a re-draft would see Teague go second among that group, behind Curry (duh!).

Teague offers up a plethora of play-making ability either for himself or teammates and has been on the rise since entering the league out of Wake Forest.

“He’s found his way all the way to becoming an All-Star,” said Malone on Teague. “I like his attack mentality. He’s a guard that gets downhill, he plays to the rim. He doesn’t play side-to-side. Our guards will have their hands full tonight in terms of containing him one-on-one, but also in pick-and-rolls.”

How will Mudiay stack up against a player that his career rise will hopefully mirror?

“We’ll find out tonight,” said Mudiay. “This is our first time playing against each other. So, I’m just going to try to do my job, do what I can do and do what I can control.”

Teague averages 14.4 points per game and 5.5 assists in 28.4 minutes per game. Teague also averages 10.7 drives per game, good for seventh in the NBA, and scores 5.8 points per game off those drives, ninth in the NBA, according to NBA.com/stats. So, limiting his success off those drives will be a key factor tonight for the Nuggets.

-Kent Bazemore and Malone have close ties from their time together in Golden State. Bazemore has moved into a starting role this season with the Hawks and averages 13 points per game while shooting a deadly 42.3 percent on 4.1 attempts on 3-pointers. Bazemore averages 14.5 points per game on the road, and just 11.5 ppg at home.

“I hope he does not have a great road game tonight, obviously,” said Malone. “I’m very proud of him. He’s a guy that, when he was with us in Golden State, worked hard before practice, after practice — barely got a chance to play the year I was there. Great story for a lot of these young kids that want to come in the NBA. Keep on working, get better and he’s taken full advantage of every opportunity that has been given to him. I’m happy for Kent and I root for guys like that.”

Nuggets Notes: 

-Malone said Kenneth Faried participated in shoot around today, but remains a game time decision tonight with his adductor soreness (adductor muscles run along the inner thigh).

-Jameer Nelson also remains out, according to Malone, but the team will reevaluate him on the upcoming three-game road trip to the East Coast.