Hornets 94, Nuggets 81
Chris Kaman collected 20 points and seven rebounds and Carl Landry added 21 and five as the visiting New Orleans Hornets used a bigger lineup to halt the Denver Nuggets 94-81 on Monday.
Marco Belinelli scored 19 points and Jarrett Jack chipped in 13 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who snapped a six-game losing streak.
With Eric Gordon out for 2-to-3 weeks with a knee injury, New Orleans coach Monty Williams has been experimenting with a bigger lineup, starting centers Emeka Okafor and Kaman while playing power forward Landry heavy minutes off the bench.
The strategy finally worked against the Nuggets, who struggled to a 40.8 percent shooting effort and their lowest point total of the season. Denver entered the contest averaging 104.0 points - the second-best mark in the NBA.
The Hornets began to assert themselves in the second quarter Monday, using a lineup with Okafor, Landry and Al-Farouq Aminu in the frontcourt to begin the frame with a 19-8 burst and stretch the lead to double-digits.
New Orleans put it away in the fourth, holding the Nuggets scoreless for nearly five minutes while embarking on a 10-0 spurt.
Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson scored 15 points apiece for Denver.