I'm sure that the last person new defensive-minded coach Scott Skiles had his team focus on in practice was Linas Kleiza.  It was clear from the get-go that the Bucks were at least trying to come out with a strong defensive presence. Although the Nuggets scored 34 points in the first quarter, they sure didn't get many easy buckets. It seemed like every other posession Carmelo or Dahntay Jones were at the line. Rookie Luc Mbah a Moute had looked pretty impressive so far this season, especially on the defensive end. However in this game, he looked lost and over-agressive. I can't believe he only had 5 fouls, I think he could have had 8.  Even Richard Jefferson seemed to be overwhelmed by the ultra-agressive Nuggets attack.  It wasn't only Melo and Dahntay Jones causing chaos. Like I said before, it was the "L-train" Linas Kleiza chugging his way through the lane and looking almost unstoppable at times on his way to a Nuggets high 25 points. Although the Nuggets starters were holding their own, the energy of Kleiza and Renaldo Balkman was unbelievable and shocked the Bucks.  While Kleiza's damage was done mostly on the offensive end, Balkman dominated on the defensive end with 4 blocks and 2 steals in only 20 minutes of play.  It is really great to see such energy off the bench for the Nuggets, especially with "Birdman" Chris Anderson still out.  48 bench points is the most of the season and hopefully a good sign for things to come. I have seen that some fans are worried about the Nuggets starters needing more minutes together and need to find their rhythm, and I have previously agreed with that.  But with the Spurs coming up just one night later, I think it was a great move to let the bench players get some time as long as they were playing well.

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