Jazzhoops   The ultimate Denver Nuggets report by Carlos Cardoso Probable starting lineup: Lorinza "Junior" Harrington, pg - an un-drafted rookie from a small college. Junior is fast, a decent defender and a fine passer, but is an inconsistent shooter, at best. Vincent Yarbrough, sg - rookie sg, he is a nice ball handler, he even started some games for Denver at pg. Like Harrington, his mid/long range shot needs improvement. Even if he starts, he probably won't play the majority of the minutes. Ryan Bowen, sf - very energetic, Bowen is the guy who does the "dirty work" for Denver. His stats aren't that great, but everybody in Denver say that his contributions are much bigger than what you see in the box score. Juwan Howard, pf - their best player, and only consistent scorer. He has been playing brilliantly lately, even grabbing a lot of rebounds. But he is not a great inside threat, he scores mostly from mid range. Nene Hilario, c - Another rookie, he has shown huge improvement lately. He was having averages of 17 pts, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and shooting 70 % from the field in a 6-game stretch prior to Monday's game against the Timberwolves. Bench: Rodney White, sf - this guy is showing this season why he was considered a hot prospect in 2001's draft. He is probably better than both Bowen and Yarbrough, but coach Bzdelik prefers to bring him of the bench. Still, expect him to play over 30 minutes. Donnel Harvey, sf - if healthy, Harvey may even start, replacing Bowen. He was their starter for most of the season, but he is injured and may miss the Jazz game. He is very athletic, and a decent shooter. John Crotty, pg - Crotty is also recovering form an Achilles injury, but he is expected to play. He is probably Denver's best long range shooter, but is still learning how to play with all those young players. Nikoloz Tskitshvilli, sf - so far, Skita has shown very few to justify being selected by Denver with the 5th pick in the draft. Denver's media is questioning this decision, saying that Denver could have now the most promising frontcourt in the league, with Amare Stoudemire and Nene Hilario. Still, Skita is young and very inexperienced. A big project. Mark Blount, c - a mediocre offensive player, but a fine defender and shot-blocker. The only thing Denver expect from him is defense. He was the starting center earlier this season, but with Nene Hilario improving, his minutes are going down. The team: Denver has one of the worst records in the league, and their offense is terrible. But they have a tough D, and they were able to beat Portland twice this season, Seattle (in Seattle), Indiana and San Antonio. They play close games with good teams making them look as bad as they are, and that's a huge compliment to their defense. Nuggets games always have low scoring and poor shooting percentages. Their offense isn't based in execution, they play a very open offense, but the biggest focus is in Juwan Howard. Harrington, Yarbrough, White and Harvey are good at penetrating the middle, Howard has a few moves close to the basket and can hit the mid-range shot consistently. Nene Hilario scores mostly with dunks after passes from driving teammates or offensive rebounds. He can hit a short range hook shot, but he doesn't have a jump shot. Keys to the win: Execute, like usual. Denver is a young team, they will probably be a little confused with the Jazz execution. If they use their center to guard Malone, he will have to bang inside, and that would be a great option because Nene Hilario is among the top-5 in the NBA in committed fouls. Shoot the midrange shot over Nene isn't a good idea, because he has Yao Ming's wingspan. Defensively, Malone will have to be very careful with Howard's shot. Their quick players may cause problems with their penetrations, so Ostertag's presence protecting the basket will be much needed. On the other hand, Nene's quickness will cause problems to him, as Doc Rivers said, he is probably the fastest big man in the game, rim-to-rim. Protect the ball to avoid Denver's fast breaks will be important.