Nuggets 106, Knicks 78
Kenneth Faried had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Wilson Chandler added 17 points as host Denver routed New York.
Will Barton scored 17 points off the bench as the Nuggets improved to 3-2 under interim coach Melvin Hunt. Ty Lawson added 14 points and six assists and Denver committed just eight turnovers while cruising to the lopsided victory.
Alexey Shved scored 19 points as the Knicks became the first team to reach 50 losses. Langston Galloway added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Andrea Bargnani scored 12 points as New York lost its fourth straight game.
The contest was close for the first 21 minutes before Denver used a 12-0 burst to end the half to take a 55-40 lead. Chandler hit two free throws early in the third to extend the run to 14 and the lead soon reached 75-50 when Faried split a pair of free throws with 6:47 remaining in the third quarter.
Bargnani’s basket brought the Knicks within 77-59 with 3:15 left in the third before Denver erupted with 14 consecutive points to end the quarter with a 91-59 lead. The lead topped out at 34 points in the final stanza as the Nuggets cruised to the finish.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Denver possessed a 52-30 edge in points in the paint. … New York was 15-of-25 from the free-throw line. … Chandler was 6-of-10 shooting and is 24-of-38 over his last three games.