Nelson has teammates over for lobster and club bonding

philadelphia» On the menu was exactly what you would expect a bunch of hoop stars to have: lobster, shrimp, steak, salmon. And another successful night for Nuggets players at guard Jameer Nelson’s household.

But the feast wasn’t the main course.

Nelson’s yearly team gathering at his Philadelphia-area house Sunday night was a chance to make certain the Nuggets, who have hit a rough patch early this season, were still glued together as teammates.

“It was good,” Nelson said. “It was fun just to have guys around each other laughing and joking. There are times over the course of a season that things like that, those times, those moments get lost, especially when you’re losing. It’s also helpful when you’re losing to get guys together, especially out on the road.”

It lasted a few hours, but Nelson is hoping the ripple effects last the balance of the season.

“Guys get to come and enjoy my friends and family and we welcome them as family,” Nelson said. “You definitely want to stick together. It’s easy to separate when you have adversity. We lost a couple of games, we just need to stick together and get through it.”

Nuggets coaches were not there, but coach Michael Malone was appreciative of the gesture.

“The fact that Jameer has the team over to break bread, to spend time together, to be a team, I think that helps to get through tough times. I really do,” Malone said. “At some point, we’re going to get into a rhythm, at some point we’re going get in a groove and play well.

“Anytime you can strengthen team and build team … We know we’re struggling to win games. But we’re not struggling to stay together. We’re not struggling to keep a positive mind-set. That gives me hope.”

Footnotes.

Nuggets leading scorer Wilson Chandler did not have a point until the fourth quarter — and then he scored 10 points in the period. … Malone played 11 players in the first quarter. … Will Barton scored 22 points, his second consecutive game of 20 or more.