Nuggets 114, Hornets 103
Ty Lawson had 23 points and 10 assists, and Raymond Felton added 22 points and 12 assists as the Denver Nuggets point guards ran wild in their 114-103 victory over the host New Orleans Hornets on Monday.
Wilson Chandler scored 21 points and J.R. Smith chipped in 18 for the Nuggets (40-27), who have won three straight and six of seven to move two games ahead of the Hornets (39-30) for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference.
Denver closed the second quarter on a 12-5 spurt highlighted by 10 straight points from Lawson to go into the break with a 58-45 edge.
The Nuggets knocked down seven 3-pointers in the third quarter and extending the lead to as many as 23 points, 91-68, with less than a minute left in the period.
Denver finished 17 of 29 from 3-point range, and shot 53 percent from the field.
Chris Paul was the lone bright spot for New Orleans with with 27 points, 10 assists, seven steals and five rebounds.