Nuggets 123, Nets 115
Danilo Gallinari scored 17 of his 22 points in the first quarter as the Denver Nuggets took control early and rolled to a 123-115 victory over the visiting New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.
Corey Brewer came off the bench to score 17 of his season-high 19 points in the second quarter and the Nuggets shot a blistering 59.5 percent (44 of 74) to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 5-1 at home.
Jordan Farmar scored a game-high 26 points for New Jersey, which tumbled to its ninth loss in 10 games despite burying a franchise-record 20 3-pointers on 35 attempts.
Arron Afflalo also had 19 points as Denver rebounded from its lowest point total of the season in Monday's 94-81 home loss to New Orleans to register a season high in points while connecting on 11 of 18 3-pointers.
Despite playing without starting point guard Ty Lawson (foot), the Nuggets reached 100 points and built a 23-point lead in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Farmer made it slightly interesting by scoring 13 points in a 15-0 run to cut the deficit to 100-92, but point guard Andre Miller scored six straight points to spark a 9-0 spurt that pushed the lead to 17 points.
The Nets' plight was illustrated by their numbers after three quarters: They shot 51 percent from the floor and hit 14 of 27 3-pointers but still trailed by 20 points.