Nuggets 117, Cavaliers 103
Chauncey Billups’ 3-pointer with 3:52 left sealed the Denver Nuggets’ 117-103 win over Cleveland on Friday, handing the Cavaliers their 19th consecutive loss to tie a single-season team record.
The Cavs trailed by as much as 22, but used a 10-0 run in the third quarter and scrappy play in the fourth to cut the deficit to six on a basket by J.J. Hickson with 6:13 remaining. Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets prevented the Cavs from getting any closer to win for the fourth time in five games and improve to 3-0 on their five-game East Coast trip.
More importantly, they avoided being the team that lost to the woeful Cavaliers, who previously dropped their final 19 games of the 1981-82 season. The Cavs can set their single-season record with a loss at Orlando on Saturday. After that are records for longest losing streak in NBA history in a single season (23 games), and the longest streak in league history overall – which the Cavs also hold at 24 games.
Anthony had 33 points, including 15 from the free-throw line to match the Cavs’ total effort as a team. Arron Afflalo added 23 points and Ty Lawson had 15 off the bench for the Nuggets.
J.J. Hickson had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs.