Nuggets 99, Bobcats 88
NUGGETS 99, BOBCATS 88: Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson each had a double-double to help Denver hand host Charlotte its sixth straight loss.
Six Nuggets scored in double digits to avoid losing consecutive contests and stay in the Western Conference playoff race.
Afflalo scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Lawson, who was coming off a season high-tying 27 points Monday and 26 on Wednesday, dropped 14 points and dished out 10 assists.
JaVale McGee set the tone early in the first quarter with a thunderous one-handed dunk over Bobcats forward Bismack Biyombo, but Charlotte closed out the second quarter on an 8-0 run to trail by a point at the half, 52-51.
The Nuggets used a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take a 70-59 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Al Harrington (10 points, 11 boards) also had a double-double for Denver.
After dropping 17 first-half points, Bobcats forward Corey Maggette left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained right Achilles tendon and didn't return.
Charlotte guard Gerald Henderson had a game-high 21 points and has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 contests.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Guard D.J. Augustin (right knee tendinitis) and forward Tyrus Thomas (elbow) returned to the lineup for the Bobcats ... The Nuggets picked up the win despite turning the ball over 25 times ... Denver shot 52 percent from the field but only converted on two of its 17 3-point attempts.