Knicks no match for hot Nuggets
Denver routs New York by hitting 60% of its shots
After a troubling home loss to Phoenix last week, Nuggets coach Michael Malone vowed that his offense would push the tempo, move the ball and return to the high-scoring ways of last season.
Denver took steps toward that goal in Monday’s comeback win over Portland. Then the Nuggets unleashed a potent attack Thursday against the Knicks, riding a massive first half to a 130-118 victory at the Pepsi Center.
“Our offense was as good as our defense was bad . ... The ball was flying, guys were playing for each other, we played with great pace. Offensively, it was a terrific night,” Malone said. “We got whatever we wanted and we got contributions from a lot of people.”
The win lifted the Nuggets (2523) to a 1½-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth slot in the Western Conference. Denver is now 2-1 on its five-game homestand entering Saturday’s contest against Dallas.
The Nuggets reached their third-highest point total of the season by shooting 60 percent from the floor Thursday, their third-best mark thus far. Gary Harris (23 points on 8-of-14 shooting) led seven Nuggets in double figures, joining Trey Lyles (21 points, five rebounds), Nikola Jokic (18 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds), Jamal Murray (18 points, five assists, five rebounds), Mason Plumlee (14 points, six rebounds, four assists), Wilson Chandler (16 points) and Will Barton (10 points, seven assists).
Denver shot 64.4 percent during a 73-point first half, including 9-of-14 from 3-point distance. Harris anchored the charge with 18 points before intermission, including seven straight on a 3pointer and two long jumpers in the second quarter as the Nuggets built a game-high 18-point advantage.
Then, after the Knicks outscored the Nuggets 32-26 in the
third quarter to trim their lead to 99-92, Denver opened the final period on a 12-2 run sparked by corner 3-pointers from Barton and Lyles to retake control. The Knicks never got closer than eight points after that.
“We’re just trying to get back to playing how we were playing earlier in the season,” Harris said. “Just fast. Just read and react and playing off each other.”
While vowing to boost Denver’s offensive potency, Malone also quickly cautioned that he did not want his team to go back to playing defense like it did last season, when the Nuggets were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA.
The Knicks, who entered Thursday ranked seventh in the league in field-goal percentage, connected on 54.9 percent of their shots to stay within striking distance.
“This kind of felt like who we were last year a little bit . ... There’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s not just try to outscore them and trade baskets,” Malone said.
But Denver did a considerably better job defending recently minted Knicks all-star Kristaps Porzingis, who shot 7-of-16 from the floor for 21 points before fouling out with 4:49 to play. He scored 38 points (then a career best) in the teams’ first meeting at Madison Square Garden in late October.
“The defense leaves a lot to be desired tonight, but I’m keeping a smile on my face,” Malone said. “I’m just happy that we won.”