Cavs routed by Nuggets, fall to 1-7

The Nuggets aren’t getting too excited about their early season success.

Denver moved to 7-1 with a 110-91 victory over the Cavaliers on Nov. 1, the Nuggets’ best start since going 8-0 in 1976-77.

The Nuggets are keeping their feet on the ground despite having the second-most wins in the NBA.

“I love the 7-1 start, but it doesn’t mean a lot to me, to be honest,” coach Michael Malone said. “For us, the only real success will be measured in the postseason.”

Juancho Hernangomez scored 23 points and Paul Millsap added 16 to lead six players in double figures.

The Nuggets won their third straight. On Wednesday night in Chicago, they beat the Bulls 108-107 in overtime on Millsap’s putback with 0.1 seconds left.

Millsap, in his 13th season, is not only being productive,

but he’s also a veteran voice in the locker room.

“We can’t be content,” he said. “We can’t be complacent. We just want to stay in the moment.”

Jordan Clarkson led Cleveland with 17 points, and Cedi Osman added 13. Collin Sexton, the No. 8 overall pick, had 12 points. The Cavaliers dropped to 1-7. They have split two games under “acting” coach Larry Drew.

Denver shot 6 for 17 in

the first quarter and fell behind 29-17. After cutting it to 38-34, the Nuggets finished the second period on 16-4 run that included 13 straight points.

Millsap had a simple explanation for the first quarter.

“At the start, we were shaking off some of the rust, I guess,” he said.

Asked what happened on Cleveland’s end, Drew chuckled and said, “That’s a good question. We made bad decisions, we turned

the basketball over, we couldn’t make shots and our defense let us down.”

It’s not easy

The Cavaliers knew the transition without LeBron James would be difficult when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers after leading Cleveland to four straight Finals and a championship in 2016. Forward Kevin Love is out indefinitely with a left foot injury, making matters more complicated.