DENVER — The Nuggets were presented this week with a chance to make a statement, or at least create some separation, in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
First, a game against a Sacramento Kings team on Thursday night that had just been shaken to its foundation by the trade of franchise cornerstone DeMarcus Cousins and was incorporating three new players.
Strike one. The Nuggets fell apart in a dismal second quarter and never recovered in a lopsided loss, a perplexing stumble out of the all-star break.
Its back suddenly against the ball, Denver didn’t miss Friday’s at-bats against a slow-swaying piñata that hung in the Pepsi Center in the form of the woeful Brooklyn Nets, who had lost 14 straight games.
The Nuggets had little problem making it 15 in row, riding three 20-point scorers to a 129-109 win in front of a crowd of 17,143 that included former Nuggets great Alex English.
Sitting courtside, English, the eight-time All-Star and 1997 Hall of Fame inductee, said he has enjoyed watching the Nuggets this season, likening the team’s high-scoring offense to the free-flowing system he helped steer under former coach Doug Moe.
The Nuggets gave the franchise’s all-time leading scorer the entertainment he coveted. Denver eclipsed the 100-point mark when Jamal Murray nailed a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Nuggets up 101-74.
Gary Harris had a career-high 25 points, Wilson Chandler scored 24 and Danilo Gallinari had 20 points and eight rebounds to help the Nuggets snap a six-game losing streak to the Nets, a stretch that included two buzzer-beating defeats last season. The Nuggets shot 14-of-31 from the 3-point line.
The Nuggets were forced to adjust on the fly when center Nikola Jokic picked up his second foul less than three minutes into the first quarter.
Jokic picked up an early foul in the opening moments to stifle a fast break. Nets center Brook Lopez alertly attacked Jokic several possessions later and drew the second foul. Denver’s second-year center, who has been out of sync in the last three games, was limited to only 14 minutes by the foul trouble and finished with four points, five rebounds and seven assists.
New acquisition Mason Plumlee picked up the slack. The 6-foot-11 rim-running big man injected quick energy and created plays on the glass. Plumlee had eight rebounds in the first half alone and flirted with a triple-double. His final line: 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried left the game in the third quarter with back spasms and did not return.
Nuggets 129, Nets 109
BROOKLYN
Lopez 7-11 2-4 17, Lin 2-3 2-2 7, Foye 2-4 0-0 5, LeVert 4-8 1-2 10, Hollis-Jefferson 7-10 0-2 15, Booker 6-12 3-5 15, Hamilton 3-7 1-2 8, Dinwiddie 3-7 2-3 8, Whitehead 4-7 2-2 12, J.Harris 2-7 1-2 7, Kilpatrick 1-7 3-7 5. Totals 41-83 17-31 109.
DENVER
Gallinari 8-13 1-2 20, Faried 3-4 3-4 9, Jokic 1-1 0-0 2, Nelson 3-5 0-0 8, G.Harris 9-15 3-3 25, Barton 3-9 5-7 11, Chandler 11-21 0-0 24, Hernangomez 3-5 0-0 7, Arthur 0-1 0-0 0, Plumlee 5-8 2-4 12, Mudiay 0-1 2-2 2, Murray 3-14 1-2 9, Miller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 49-97 17-24 129.
3-Point goals — Brooklyn 10-29 (Whitehead 2-3, J.Harris 2-5, Lin 1-1, Hollis-Jefferson 1-2, Foye 1-3, Hamilton 1-3, LeVert 1-4, Lopez 1-4, Booker 0-1, Dinwiddie 0-1, Kilpatrick 0-2), Denver 14-32 (G.Harris 4-7, Gallinari 3-6, Nelson 2-4, Murray 2-5, Chandler 2-6, Hernangomez 1-2, Arthur 0-1, Barton 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Brooklyn 42 (Booker 10), Denver 51 (Plumlee 12). Assists — Brooklyn 27 (Lin, Dinwiddie 5), Denver 32 (Plumlee 8). Total fouls — Brooklyn 23, Denver 24.
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