Nuggets 104, Kings 90
Ty Lawson scored 20 points and J.R. Smith and Danilo Gallinari added 17 points apiece as the Denver Nuggets defeated the visiting Sacramento Kings 104-90 on Wednesday.
Al Harrington scored 15 points and Nene had 12 points and 15 rebounds as Denver (45-29) won its fourth straight game.
Marcus Thornton scored 27 points and Tyreke Evans added 22 points and seven assists for Sacramento (21-53), which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
The Kings trailed 80-79 after Thornton’s two free throws with 6:09 to play but Denver pulled away with a 14-4 run. Nene’s hoop gave the Nuggets an 88-81 lead and back-to-back 3-pointers by Gallinari and Felton pushed the lead to 11 with 3:09 remaining.
Beno Udrih added 12 points and 10 assists for Sacramento.
Sacramento never trailed in the first half. The Kings jumped out to 16-5 lead midway through the opening quarter and again led by 11 after Thornton’s 3-pointer with 3:35 left in the half.
The Kings led 51-41 at halftime but Denver used a 10-0 run to take the lead for the initial time at 59-57 on Harrington’s dunk with 6:33 to play in the third quarter.